The International Student Management Office (ISMO) is administrative home to all of the international students attending education and training courses at the National Defense University. ISMO's mission is to foster joint security cooperation by providing sustained superior support to NDU’s international students in order to effectively advance US security interests and build defense partnerships for the future. ISMO integrates international students within University programs in support of NDU’s academic and engagement priorities, enables the academic success of international students to enhance partnership capability, creates opportunities for them to foster rapport with US classmates, and provides opportunities to develop a firsthand knowledge of the US, its people, institutions, way of life and commitment to principles of internationally recognized human rights. In addition to administrative support ISMO manages and executes several courses and programs that provides additional support to Fellows, their families and the National Defense University.
As an incoming student to National Defense University in 2024, you will be part of an important milestone: the implementation of our new student information system, NDU Connect. We’re excited to offer an improved student experience, but also expect some bumps along the way. Thank you for your patience and understanding as we navigate the new system and processes together.
See University's Incoming Student Information page for a directory of college-specific programs.
See the International Student Management Office website for more information specific to international students.
NDU Connect Student Portal for International Students
You will be sent a welcome message from NDU Connect to the email address that was provided to us. Please ensure that your service provides us valid email address to which you have reliable access throughout the admissions and onboarding process; personal email addresses are preferred to ensure delivery of automated emails. Upon receipt of the welcome message, please follow the instructions to set your password for the NDU Connect Student Portal. After your initial login, access the student portal at https://ndu.my.site.com/login using your username, which was provided in the welcome message, and the password you created. Do not reuse the link in your welcome message.
In the NDU Connect Student Portal, you are required to complete the following:
1. Confirmation of Admission Action
- Start in the Application Center.
- Select the link to your application (i.e., APP-XXXX) under the column header Application Name; do not select your name.
- Select Accept to indicate that you will attend NDU as expected. If your situation has changed, please select Decline or Defer, and you will be contacted by the International Student Management Office regarding your status.
- Below your admissions offer and acceptance options, you will see an application form on this page. Please disregard – you are not required to complete an application.
Upon your acceptance of the admissions offer, you will be taken to the My Tasks tab in the portal.
2. Onboarding Validation Wizard
The wizard appears at top of the My Tasks page. Note that information we already have about you will be pre-filled in the wizard. Page 1 of the wizard is Information Required for Cyber Compliance (see NDU's IT and Cybersecurity Requirements page); the information will be used to prepopulate REQUIRED forms, which will be delivered to you later via DocuSign. To complete page 1:
- Correct any of the pre-filled information.
- Complete any missing information, specifically:
- At least one Phone number
- Preferred phone number
- Invitational Travel Order (ITO) number
Page 2 of the wizard is Information Required to Customize your Educational Experience. Please complete all information on the form.
3. Program-Specific Tasks
- Complete the tasks in the Open Tasks list provided.
- To view instructions for the task, click the hyperlink in the Subject column of the list.
- For tasks that instruct you to upload a file, please go to the My Profile page, then:
- Click the Upload File button, select the type of file you are uploading, then click Next. Please see the screenshot (right) of available file types and understand that not all programs will require students to upload all file types.
- Click Upload Files and select the file to upload. (Alternatively, you may drag and drop the file next to the Upload Files button.)
- Click Done in the pop-up window when your file has uploaded, then click Next. A new pop up will display the name of the file you uploaded. Click Next.
- You may verify the upload by going to the Related Tab and scrolling down to the Files area to upload. You will see your file, with a standardized file name.
- As you finish each task, click the Mark Complete button and the task will disappear from your Open Tasks list.
NOTE: Instructions are also provided in the portal for most of the onboarding steps. In addition to instructions, when you see the
symbol, hover over it to see more information.
If you need assistance, please contact connect_admin@ndu.edu.