To best serve you, OISS offers multiple avenues for you to seek assistance from an advisor, including virtual & in-person walk-in advising opportunities, individual appointments, and reaching out by email (oiss@rice.edu) or phone (713-348-6095).

We also encourage you to review other pages on this website, as many of your questions are already answered online.

General Walk-in Advising Hours

The walk-ins are intended for quick questions that can be resolved in 10-15 minutes. Joining the walk-in advising hours is generally the fastest way to speak with an OISS advisor.

During the walk-in advising hours, students and scholars will be seen on a first-come, first-served basis. For virtual walk-in advising, you will be placed in a Zoom waiting room until it is your turn. Please be ready to engage with the advisor when they become available. If you step away from your computer and we can't connect with you, we will have to move on to the next person, and you will need to rejoin the Zoom meeting later to get back in line.

General walk-in advising hours:

Mondays: 10am-12pm (in-person); 12-2pm (Zoom)
Tuesdays: 10am-12pm (in-person); 12-2pm (Zoom)
Wednesdays: 10am-12pm (in-person); 12-2pm (Zoom)
Thursdays: No walk-in advising available
Fridays: 10am-12pm (in-person); 12-2pm (Zoom)

In-person walk-in advising takes place in Lovett Hall, Entrance A. Please check in at the front desk on the first floor.
Click here to join virtual walk-in hours (Meeting ID: 927 3315 2360 | Passcode: oisswalkin)

Virtual advising on STEM OPT reporting & Form I-983

These advising hours are available for Rice-sponsored F-1 students regarding questions related to the STEM OPT reporting requirements and the Form I-983.

Fridays: 1-2pm (Zoom)
Click here to join virtual STEM OPT reporting advising hours (Meeting ID: 974 1447 4399 | Passcode: 995334)

Individual Appointments

If you have several or more complicated questions, you may schedule an individual appointment with an OISS advisor. You can find your OISS advisor on the chart below. Please also see the special topic advisors listed below. Click on the advisor's name for appointment options.

Find your OISS advisor

You are:	Your OISS Advisor is:
Student athlete	Andy Meretoja
Undergraduate F-1 student	Matteo Cortazar
Undergraduate J-1 student (including Exchange Students)	Ala Alahmad
Graduate F-1 students in the School of Engineering, except the MCS program	Celina Silva
Graduate F-1 students in the Schools of Business, Humanities, Natural Sciences, and the MCS program	Genesis Martinez
Graduate F-1 students in the Schools of Architecture, Music, and Social Sciences	Lanto Hariveloniaina
Graduate J-1 students (including Exchange Students)	Elmira Ganiyeva
Fulbright students & scholars	Maria Corcuera
Students on OPT & STEM OPT, last name A-L	Britteny Nash
Students on OPT & STEM OPT, last name M-Z	Tiying Huang
J-1 scholars	Ala Alahmad
J-1 Visiting International Undergraduate Researchers	Larissa Romero Valenzuela
H-1B scholars	Maria Corcuera
Scholars on other visa status	Andy Meretoja
Dependents	Maria Corcuera

OISS Contact for Special Topics

Topic	OISS Advisor
Address updates	Fabiana Santos
Change of Educational Level	Agnes Vajtai
ITIN applications	Cynthia Evans
J-1 scholar arrival and immigration check-in	Larissa Romero Valenzuela
J-1 scholar insurance	Larissa Romero Valenzuela
SEVIS transfer for students	Maria Corcuera
SEVIS transfer for J-1 scholars	Marjorie Cerejo