Arriving at GustavusCenter for International and Cultural Education

This information is specific to students arriving for 2019 fall semester. If you are arriving for another term, please contact Jeff Anderson, Assistant Director of International Student and Scholar Services, for dates.

Please complete the Gustavus Arrival Information Form to provide us with the information we need to prepare for your arrival. Your responses will be confidential. Login to your Gustavus user account to complete the form. If you cannot access the form, please contact Jeff Anderson, Assistant Director of International Student and Scholar Services.

Gustavus Arrival. We would like you to arrive at Gustavus on August 25 or 26, 2019. You may choose which of those days works best for you, and plan your travel accordingly.

Intercultural Partners. IPs are current students who help with arrival and international student orientation. They will greet you at the airport and welcome you to Gustavus on August 25 and 26!

Flying. We will provide transportation from Minneapolis / Saint Paul International Airport to Gustavus on the Land to Air Express on August 25 and 26. Gustavus will make the Land to Air Express reservation, according to when your flight arrives, and pay for your ticket. The last Land to Air Express departs the airport at 8:30 pm, so you should make sure that your flight arrives early enough to make that last Land to Air Express. If Minneapolis / Saint Paul International Airport is your first stop in the U.S., you will go through immigration and customs when you arrive, so you should plan for additional time. If you miss the last Land to Air Express, you may have to stay at the airport or a hotel until the first Land to Air Express the next morning.

Driving. If you plan to drive to Gustavus with family or friends, you may arrive any time on August 25 or 26. You may contact Jeff Anderson when you get to campus, and our IPs will meet you and help you get moved into your residence hall.

Changes to travel plans. You and Jeff Anderson and the IPs will be in communication with each other on your arrival day, in case there are flight delays or other changes to the schedule. You may need to wait for some time between your flight arrival and the next Land to Air Express. That could be an opportunity to get to know some other new students and the IPs. 

Family. If you plan to have family accompany you, please indicate on the Gustavus Arrival Information Form. Your family is welcome at Gustavus! We have a guest house on campus in which they may stay for up to three nights, if there is space available. If there is not space in the guest house, they may stay in a nearby hotel. It can be nice for your family to see Gustavus, but there is not much for families to do during the orientation, and it is difficult for students to fully participate in the orientation and also spend much time with their families. You will be very busy! Most international students arrive without family, even though it can be scary to travel so far on their own. We will have our IPs to help you when you arrive at the Minneapolis / St. Paul International Airport. So it should be fine to come here without family. And it is also fine to come with family. Whatever you and your family decide should work well.