Studying in the U.S. is an exciting journey! You can learn and grow in so many ways, personally and professionally during your time in the New York/Metropolitan Area! There are two processes you will need to follow to become an International, F-1 Student, at St. Thomas Aquinas College: the Admissions Process and the process of obtaining F-1 Student Status. Your International Admissions Counselor will walk you through the process and answer all of your questions!
HOW TO APPLY
Complete your Common Application. It's a snap! Remember to include your college essay.
Have your college counselor send us transcripts from your secondary (high) school. This will list the classes you took and your grades and/or test scores. STAC Admissions reserves the right to request this document translated into English by a certified translation company.
All international students are required to take either the TOEFL , IELTS, Duolingo English Test or Pearson PTE English language proficiency exam*, unless your secondary school was primarily taught in English. However, you may qualify for an English proficiency testing waiver. Qualifying students include:
Graduates from a U.S. high school or secondary school elsewhere with all courses taught in the English language exclusively, with the exception of foreign language courses.
Students who received a score of 1000 or higher on the SAT, 500+ on the English section is required.
Students who received a combined score of a 37 or higher on the English and reading sections of the ACT .
STAC requires at least one letter of recommendation. This can be from a teacher, coach, mentor, or adviser who knows you well. All letters of recommendation can be emailed directly to the international admissions counselor or to [email protected].
Any student attending secondary (high) school outside of the U.S. must have a transcript evaluation completed by any of the organizations on the NACES membership list.
STAC currently has a partnership with SpanTran that will make sure you select the right kind of evaluation at a discounted rate. You can access their application here: SpanTran Application - St. Thomas Aquinas College
WHAT IS AN I-20?
All students, regardless of any treaty arrangements applying to travel, are required to have an I-20 issued from the college they plan to attend. The I-20 is a Certificate of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant (F-1) Students. This document allows students abroad to apply for an F-1 Student Visa at their consulate in order to be able to travel to the U.S. to pursue a degree. This is called F-1 D/S or Duration of Status, meaning the student can reside in the U.S. as long as the student is pursuing a full course of study. By issuing an I-20, STAC is verifying that you have been admitted as a full time student and that upon admission you have the means necessary to fund the program of study you have chosen.
WHAT you will need to obtain a form I-20
- Know your cost of attendance and secure enough sources of funding to be able to pay your tuition and living expenses at STAC. Once you are an accepted student, you will receive a financial aid package with a breakdown of tuition plus room and board less any STAC scholarships or grants.
- Complete an I-20 Application with an accurate financial sheet. The financial sheet will list all of your sources of funding with the amount of money in U.S. dollars each source plans to give you for each year of study.
- Provide proof of funding to support your financial sheet in your I-20 application. The documents differ with each type of funding. Please see the list of funding types and required documentation. This often entails finding a sponsor or sponsors and securing the documents necessary to display as evidence of your ability to pay for college.
- Please send a copy of your passport to STAC Admissions.
For next steps, please see Student Visa Process on our Accepted International Students page.
