Office of International Students & Scholars

What Office of International Students & Scholars does

The Office of International Students & Scholars (OISS) is an administrative department within Yale University that provides immigration advising, document processing, orientation, and community programming for the university's international student and scholar population. The office is the sole entity at Yale authorized to sign immigration petitions and applications — including I-20 and DS-2019 forms — and administers F-1 and J-1 visa programs plus SEVIS compliance on behalf of the institution, serving roughly 8,000 international students and scholars from more than 125 countries.

OISS's core technology layer is the MyOISS immigration case management system, used by Yale departments and scholars to submit and track visa sponsorship requests, manage immigration documents, and maintain compliance. A complementary platform, OISS Connect, serves degree, non-degree, and exchange students with document management and advisor communication. Distribution is delivered through a combination of an on-campus International Center at 421 Temple Street in New Haven, walk-in and virtual advising, departmental consultation, social media (Facebook, Instagram), and an events and orientation calendar hosted on YaleConnect. OISS also publishes recorded immigration webinars, immigration update FAQs, and an OISS Department Newsletter for campus partners, and partners with UEMS for discounted courier shipping of immigration documents.

OISS is a non-revenue-generating institutional service; its services are free to the Yale international community and it is funded through Yale University's operating budget. There is no commercial pricing, no independent revenue stream, and no external customers. The parent entity is Yale University (a private Ivy League research university), and OISS operates as a single-tenant administrative unit in New Haven, Connecticut, without geographic expansion beyond the Yale campus community.

Name

Office of International Students & Scholars

Legal name

Office of International Students & Scholars (Yale University)

Website

https://oiss.yale.edu

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Office of International Students & Scholars (OISS) is Yale University's designated administrative office that delivers immigration advising, document processing (I-20, DS-2019), orientation, and community programming to 8,000+ international students and scholars from 125+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education Administrative Services

NAICS

Document Preparation Services (56141)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361)

akta.pro primary industry

International Student Advising & Compliance (SEVIS/UKVI/IRCC) (EDALANAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

International Student Employment & Practical Training Support (CPT/OPT/AT, work authorization guidance) (EDALANAF), International Student Orientation & Transition Programs (EDALANAC), International Student Travel, Re-entry & Document Services (travel signatures, re-entry guidance) (EDALANAG)

Keywords

• Immigration advising services
• Visa sponsorship services
• International student services
• SEVIS compliance management
• Immigration case management

Headquarters

HQ city

New Haven

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Institutional Services: OISS is a university department that provides free services to Yale's international student and scholar community. It does not generate revenue from its services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

OISS provides immigration advising and document processing for Yale's international students and scholars, including preparation of I-20 and DS-2019 forms, travel signatures, OPT/CPT work authorization guidance, STEM OPT extension support, and SEVIS compliance administration. The office runs orientation programs, cultural adjustment resources, community events, and emergency coordination for the same population, supported by the proprietary MyOISS case management system and OISS Connect student platform.

Product overview

OISS (Office of International Students & Scholars) is an administrative office at Yale University that provides immigration advising, document processing, orientation programs, and support services for international students and scholars. It operates as a service department rather than a product company, offering resources through web portals (MyOISS for departments, OISS Connect for students), in-person advising, and educational programs. The office does not develop or sell commercial software products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Immigration Advising and Document Processing Immigration advising and document preparation services for international students and scholars at Yale, including I-20 and DS-2019 issuance, travel signatures, OPT/CPT work authorization guidance, STEM OPT extension support, and SSN letters. Available to F-1/J-1 students and J-1/H-1B/O-1/TN scholars affiliated with Yale.
• Visa Sponsorship Services Yale's institutional visa sponsorship for J-1, H-1B, O-1, and TN scholars, plus DS-2019 documentation and appointment extension requests. Available to Yale research scholars, faculty, academic appointees, and Yale hiring departments.
• OISS Orientation Programs Orientation sessions for incoming international students at Yale, including the Fall 2026 OISS Orientation for International Students and a make-up orientation for late arrivals. Designed to introduce immigration compliance, campus resources, and cultural adjustment support.
• Community Events and Cultural Programs Cultural and community events hosted by OISS for Yale's international community, including day trips (e.g., Pioneer Valley: Yankee Candle Village & Northampton), watch parties (e.g., World Cup Final Watch Party), and local exploration programs (e.g., Yale & New Haven from Above). Open to Yale international students and scholars.
• Emergency Information and 24/7 Coordination Emergency resources and 24/7 security coordination for Yale international students and scholars, including guidance on emergency situations and coordination with Yale security services.

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• UEMS (Courier Shipping Program)minorOthersYale is a member of a discounted courier shipping program called UEMS, which provides expedited shipping services for immigration documents. This partnership enables OISS to send immigration documents quickly and cost-effectively to students and scholars.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Duke International House: Duke's hub for international student and scholar support, including immigration advising, orientation, and cultural programs. Comparable role at a peer research university.
• Columbia International Students and Scholars Office: Columbia's central office for F-1/J-1 advising and visa sponsorship, with comparable case management, OPT/CPT processing, and orientation programs.
• Brown Office of International Student & Scholar Services: Brown's central office for immigration advising and international community programming. Ivy League peer with the same designated-university role.
• NYU Office of Global Services: NYU's central office providing immigration case management, visa sponsorship, and orientation to a large and globally distributed international population. Comparable function at a comparable (and even larger) scale.
• Harvard International Office: Administers immigration sponsorship and advising for Harvard's international students, scholars, and faculty. Closest Ivy League functional peer with overlapping service scope and SEVIS-based compliance work.
• Penn International Student and Scholar Services: University-administered immigration services for international students and scholars at the University of Pennsylvania. Direct Ivy League peer in function and regulatory scope.
• MIT International Students Office: Provides immigration advising, visa sponsorship, and orientation services to MIT's international student and scholar community. Direct functional peer — same role, same regulatory environment, comparable institutional scale.
• Stanford Bechtel International Center: Stanford's designated office for international student and scholar services, providing immigration case management, orientation, and cultural programming. Comparable in scale and service breadth to OISS.
• Princeton Davis International Center: Serves Princeton's international population with immigration advising, visa sponsorship, and cross-cultural programming. Ivy League peer performing the same university-anchored immigration-support function.
• Cornell Office of Global Learning, ISSO: Cornell's International Student and Scholar Office handles immigration case management, OPT/CPT, and orientation. Comparable service mix and elite-institution context.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/oissatyale
• Instagraminstagram.com/yaleoiss
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/office-of-international-students-&-scholars

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Office of International Students & Scholars