Undergraduate Admissions for International  Students

Who is considered an International Student -

• If you are not a citizen of the United States or you are not a Permanent Resident Alien, Asylee, or Refugee, you are classified as an international applicant.
• If you are a Pending Permanent Resident Alien, you are classified as international applicant.

Who is considered an Undergraduate Student -

An undergraduate is any applicant who will be seeking a Bachelor's degree as either a:

• Freshman - completed secondary study and will be attending a college or university for the first time

• Transfer Student - attended a college or university* after completion of secondary study

*not all credits may be transferable into a Bachelor's degree program at USF. Choose the appropriate link above for admissions requirements.

Before you apply -

USF welcomes application from International Students as freshman (first time in college) or as transfer students. Before you begin the process of applying, here are some important points to remember:

• If you are international (not a resident alien or pending permanent resident alien), complete the appropriate application. When you apply online (preferred method) and you indicate that you are an international student, you will be asked to submit information regarding your current immigration or visa status. If you are currently in the US on a visa, be sure to select the correct visa from the list provided.
• If you are applying as a freshman (first time in college) student, you must submit an official copy of your high school or secondary level transcripts/mark sheets/certificates/diplomas directly from the issuing institution. These must be accompanied by a certified translation if they are not in English.
• If you are applying as an undergraduate transfer student (meaning you completed secondary school and then attended a college or university), you must submit official copies of your transcripts/mark sheets/academic records to USF directly from the institution. Personal copies are not considered official. If you have only one official copy of your documents, you must request the institution to issue attested copies directly to USF. All work completed at a college or university must be evaluated by a Credential Evaluation Service.
• If English is not the primary, or official, language in your country, you must submit a TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) or IELTS (International English Language Testing System) score.
• Read the information carefully regarding Financial Support and immigration issues on the International Student and Scholar Services website.
• Scholarships awarded by the Office of Undergraduate Admissions are available to international freshmen and upper level transfer students. These scholarships are based on your academic record and there is no special scholarship application required. If you are admitted, you will automatically be considered provided your application has been received by the priority deadline, and we will notify you if you are awarded one of our scholarships.

Visit the Applications for Admission page for full instructions on submitting your application.

*For applicants living outside the US, if you wish to give permission for another party to receive information on your behalf, you must complete and submit the Third Party Authorization Form.

Freshman (First Time in College) Application Checklist -

All international applicants must submit the following items to be considered for admissions to USF as a freshman:

• Application: Completed application; online application preferred.
• Application Fee: Non-refundable $30.00 application fee, payment must be in U.S. currency and if paid by check or money order, must be drawn from a U.S. bank.
• Transcripts: Official transcripts or academic records from institution that awarded high school (secondary) diploma must be in English. Visit the transcripts information page for more details.
• SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test) or ACT (Academic College Test) scores directly from the College Board or ACT.
• TOEFL or IELTS - Applicants from countries where English is not the primary or official language must submit a TOEFL or IELTS score. For more information see language requirements.

Immigration Documents

• If you will need an F-1 or J-1 Visa, you are required to complete the Financial Support Requirements Form.
If you are applying as a pending permanent resident alien, you will also need to submit the appropriate documentation. See Pending Permanent Resident Aliens for further information.

Transfer Application Checklist -

All transfer international applicants must submit the following items to be considered for admission to USF undergraduate programs:

• Application: Completed application; online application preferred.
• Application Fee: Non-refundable $30.00 application fee, payment must be in U.S. currency and if paid by check or money order, must be drawn from a U.S. bank
• Transcripts: Transcripts/record of marks earned at a post secondary college or university must be evaluated by a Credential Evaluation Service. Transcripts not in English must also have a certified English translation. Visit the transcripts information page for more details.

  Lower-level transfers (less than 60 credits earned) must submit transcripts of work completed in high school AND from previous college or university.

  Upper-level transfers (more than 60 credits earned) must submit transcripts from previous college or university ONLY.

• SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test) or ACT (Academic College Test) directly from the College Board or ACT.
• TOEFL or IELTS - Applicants from countries where English is not the primary or official language must submit a TOEFL or IELTS score. For more information see language requirements.

Immigration Documents

• If you will need an F-1 or J-1 Visa, you are required to complete the Financial Support Requirements Form.
• If you are applying as a pending permanent resident alien, you will also need to submit the appropriate documentation. See Pending Permanent Resident Aliens for further information.

Application Deadlines

Applicants outside the US

Applicants within the US - Freshman & Transfers

Language Requirement (TOEFL/IELTS)

All international applicants for whom English is not the native tongue must provide proof of competence in the English language.

International applicants from non-English speaking countries must provide a minimum TOEFL score of 79 (internet-based test), 213 (computer-based test) or 550 (written test), or minimum IELTS score of 6.5 taken within 2 years of the desired term of entry. See also English Speaking Countries for list of nations from which an applicant will not be required to submit TOEFL scores.

Applicants who are unable to meet this requirement should contact USF's English Language Institute (ELI) for information on its English-for-Academic-Purposes classes for international students.

The ELI also administers the ELI Conditional Admission, which enables international applicants without the necessary language skills to gain provisional admission on condition that they attend ELI's English-for-Academic-Purposes classes.

Admitted students -

Please visit the International Student & Scholar Services Office (ISSS) for information to prepare you for your arrival at USF.

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