Preparing for Travel to the U.S.
Quick Links:
- Planning Your Arrival Date
- Transporting Your Belongings
- U.S. Customs Regulations
- Traveling to Ithaca & Getting to Cornell
- Canceling Your Plans
Planning Your Arrival Date
Fall Term Registration Dates:
New Undergraduate Student Registration- Friday, August 21
New Graduate Student Registration*- Monday, August 24
Instruction begins Thursday, August 27
Spring Term Registration Dates:
New Undergraduate Student Registration- Wednesday, January 20
New Graduate Student Registration*- Thursday, January 21
Instruction begins Monday, January 25
(*For students enrolled at the Graduate School only. Johnson Graduate School of Management & Law School students can find registration dates by contacting your college Registrar, using the contact information found at http://registrar.sas.cornell.edu/Student/crdirectory.html.)
Plan to arrive in Ithaca early enough to get settled and attend orientation sessions held before registration. The ISSO will hold an orientation session for new international students before classes begin. There will also be an extended pre-orientation program for new international undergraduates called PREPARE. Information about international orientation events, including PREPARE, can be found in the Orientation section of this guide.
Residence halls will open Friday, August 21, 2009, for fall term and Monday, January 18, 2010, for spring term.
If you plan to live off campus, it is best to arrive by early August (fall term) or by early January (spring term). Because of the high cost of temporary housing for families, married students may want to come alone to Ithaca to find accommodations before bringing their families.
You should plan to arrive in Ithaca in time to get settled before Registration and attend the various orientation sessions offered by your field, the Graduate School, and the ISSO. Information about these programs should be available on the Web by late May. Law, MMH, and JGSM students should check with their schools regarding the best arrival date for their particular academic programs.
See the Housing section of this guide for information about move-in dates for Cornell Graduate and Professional Housing.
If you plan to live off campus, it is best to arrive by early August (fall term) or by early January (spring term). Because of the high cost of temporary housing for families, married students may want to come alone to Ithaca to find accommodations before bringing their families.
Transporting Your Belongings
The ISSO cannot accept or store baggage. Please do not send any baggage to this office.
Packages under a certain weight (varies by country) can be mailed by international parcel post. Doing so may be less expensive than using a shipping company. Consult your local parcel post regulations for details. The Ithaca Post Office will hold parcels without charge for thirty days if they are addressed to: your name, General Delivery, Post Office, 757 Warren Road, Ithaca, NY 14850-9998, USA.
If you must ship unaccompanied baggage, you should deal with an agent in your country who can handle shipment to Ithaca and has a corresponding agent in the U.S. to help check baggage through customs. Be sure to find out the name of that individual or of the U.S. brokerage firm with which the U.S. agent deals. Students have had many unpleasant and costly experiences with lost shipments in New York City and at other ports because they contracted with shipping companies that had no forwarding agents or customs representation in the U.S.
To protect yourself against loss, insure your shipments for "all risk" coverage. Be sure that all shipments will arrive after you are on campus. Just in case the baggage you "check in" at the beginning of your airline flight gets lost or delayed, carry a few personal items in the luggage you carry on the plane. Keep your passport, visa documents and money on your person at all times. For a list of items permitted and prohibited in your luggage, visit the Transportation Security Administration website.
U.S. Customs Regulations
Ask at a U.S. consulate in your home country for a copy of United States Customs Hints for Visitors, which explains import tax regulations and may prevent unnecessary customs duty expense. You can also obtain U.S. Customs information at http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel/clearing/.
Traveling to Ithaca & Getting to Cornell
Note: there is no train service directly to Ithaca. The closest stop is in Syracuse. For additional information about traveling to Ithaca, including information about train service, click here.
To Ithaca, New York by air:
Because there is no direct service to Ithaca from either J.F. Kennedy (JFK) or Newark Airports, they should be avoided as a point of entry en route to Ithaca. If you do arrive at either of these airports you will need to transfer to LaGuardia Airport (New York City) via ground transportation in order to travel to Ithaca by air.
USAir, United Airlines, Northwest, and Air West provide limited air service to Ithaca. If you plan to fly to Ithaca, we suggest that you ask your travel agent to make reservations that allow you to enter the United States via one of the following cities: New York City (LaGuardia Airport); Boston, Massachusetts; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Detroit, Michigan; Chicago, Illinois; or Cincinnati, Ohio.
To Ithaca Via Syracuse, New York by air or bus:
It is possible to fly into Syracuse, New York from J.F. Kennedy Airport, New York City and other U.S. cities. Syracuse is located around 60 miles (95 kilometers) north of Ithaca. Transportation from Hancock Airport, Syracuse to Ithaca is provided by Airport Limousine. 48 hour advanced reservations are required! For pricing, reservations and information call: 1-800-273-9197 (toll-free if calling within the U.S.) or (607) 273-3030, or check online.
To Ithaca, New York by bus:
If you arrive in New York City (J.F. Kennedy or LaGuardia Airports) or New Jersey (Newark Airport) and wish to travel to Ithaca by bus, you will first need to take ground transportation from the airport to the New York City Port Authority bus station (41st Street and 8th Avenue). From there it will take around 6 hours to reach Ithaca by bus. Both Greyhound and Short Line Bus Companies service Ithaca. Visit http://www.ny.com/transportation/port_authority.html for information.
Getting to Campus:
Taxi cabs are available to transport you from the airport or bus station to Cornell campus or your place of residence. Local taxi companies include: Yellow Cab, Cayuga Taxi, and University Taxi. All three may be reached by calling Ithaca Dispatch at 277-7777, or toll free within the U.S. at 1-888-321-1149. Taxi service costs approximately $8-$15 per person, depending on your place of departure and arrival. Rates may vary for two or more people. You can find more information here.
Canceling Your Plans
We hope nothing will happen to prevent you from attending Cornell, but if your plans change and you cannot enroll, notify the ISSO immediately. If you do not register for the semester for which you have been accepted, your application will automatically be withdrawn.