In order to combat problems with admissions letters arriving late, the University will begin e-mailing acceptances to international students next year in addition to sending a letter by mail.
The Student Council International Student Affairs Committee and several administrators worked together to bring about the change.
International students were being forced to pay late fees because of slow mail systems and improper postage, Council Chief of Staff Abby Fifer said.
The students also could not receive their top choice for housing.
"One of the reasons international students first started living in Hereford was because their deposits came in too late," Director of International Admissions Parke Muth said.
Because of problems in the arrival of the letters to international students "we've decided to try and e-mail them their decision," Muth said.
"This will end up influencing about 80 percent of the international students," Director of Orientation Eleanor Sparagano said. The remaining 20 percent of international students do not have e-mail access.
In addition to an e-mail from the Office of Admissions, students will receive an e-mail from the Office of Orientation and New Student Programs containing information about admissions and housing and Web sites they may visit to obtain more information on the services.
The e-mail also will inform the students of the hard copy mailings, including housing, dining and orientation information they should be receiving.
"They are getting notification about the same time as everybody else," Muth said. "That means it gives them equal footing for sending their deposits in."
Students will be able to print out a deposit slip and send their money to the University.
"This will allow those students to send their various forms back by express mail, thus helping them to get their housing, dining, etc., established more quickly and efficiently," Sparagano said.
Housing assignments are based on rolling admissions in the order of the original deposits received.
The committee also aims to send information about tuition and fees to the students via an additional e-mail.
This should happen either this year or next year, Sparanga said.
"We're trying to use e-mail because in previous years, we would send out letters to particular countries that would not reach the students until after May 1," Muth said. "I want to get out the information as quickly as possible."
The deadline for all students to respond to admissions offers is May 1.
Committee members said they are pleased with the change.
"We hope that the end result will be that international students will adjust more easily to life at U.Va. and enjoy their first year as much as any other student," Fifer said.
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