International Applicants

St. Andrews welcomes international students to join its campus. We have a long history of international students attending St. Andrews, as well as, a strong study abroad program. St. Andrews is located in southeastern North Carolina, USA. A map of North Carolina displays directions and proximity of St. Andrews to these major cities, as well as to airports in Fayetteville, Charlotte, Raleigh/Durham, and Greensboro/High Point.

At St. Andrews you experience close relationships with your professors who know you by name. St. Andrews appreciates and respects world cultures. Five percent of our student body comes from 10-15 different countries each year. We welcome both domestic and international students who will contribute to our diverse academic and social community. There is truly an international flavor to St. Andrews.

St. Andrews is a member of ThinkEducationUSA, an affiliate of the US Department of State. Our goal is to help you make your transition to study in the US as efficiently and effectively as possible.

INTERNATIONAL STUDENT APPLICATION PROCESS

St. Andrews welcomes international students whose previous courses of study and English proficiency have prepared them for a collegiate academic program. An international student who requires an F-1 (student) visa must apply through the international admission process. Applications must comply with the deadline dates below and must be complete before consideration for admission will be given.

When applying for admission, the student might wish to inquire at the US Consular Office in their home country about general immigration requirements he/she would need to meet if accepted for admission. An international applicant will also be required to give proof of financial responsibility for his/her education. This information will not be used in the admission process but is required in order to issue the I-20. Each enrolling student must also have adequate health and accident insurance.

STUDENTS NEEDING AN F-1 VISA FOR THE FALL SEMESTER MUST FILE A COMPLETE APPLICATION BY MAY 1.

STUDENTS NEEDING AN F-1 VISA FOR THE SPRING SEMESTER MUST FILE A COMPLETE APPLICATION BY OCTOBER 1.

CLICK HERE TO APPLY ONLINE FOR THE INTERNATIONAL APPLICATION
(This is the only method of application for International Students)

International Students must submit a complete application before an admit decision is rendered. The application must include all items listed below:

Completed application (only on-line applications are accepted)
Provide an official transcript in its original language from each secondary school, college or university attended.
Provide an official English translation of any transcripts provided.
Provide English Proficiency scores:

If English is not your native language, provide evidence of proficiency in the English language by submitting scores on one of the following tests:
- Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) taken within 18 months of application. TOEFL is administered by the Educational Testing Service; registration and information are available at www.toefl.org.
- International English Language Testing System (IELTS) taken within 18 months of application. Registration and information are available at www.ielts.org .
If English is your native language, take the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) through The College Board within 18 months of application. The SAT is administered through The College Board with registration and information available at www.sat.org.
If you expect to participate in Athletics you must provide a SAT score.
All scores reports must be official and mailed directly to the St. Andrews Office of Admissions. Our testing code for the SAT is 5214, and TOEFL is also 5214.

Provide 2 letters of recommendation, one of which must be from an English instructor, if English is not your native language.
Provide an essay on why you wish to study in the US.
Complete St. Andrews Immigration Status Form.
Complete statement of Financial Responsibility and Affidavit of Financial Support.
Recommended:

When all of the above documents are received your application will be complete and an admit decision will be made. E-mail notification will follow communicating a conditional admit pending completion of final transcript evaluation and your I-20/visa requirements. Upon notification of admission you must:

Present an evaluation of all academic documents compiled by an independent academic credential evaluation provider. St. Andrews requires all applicants to utilize one of the two credential evaluations services that follow:
- World Education Services (WES) . Applications for this evaluation may be obtained from the WES website at www.wes.org. WES requires a fee from the applicant for processing applications. (See additional information below.)
- International Education Research Foundation, Inc. (IERF). Applications for this evaluation may be obtained from the IERF website at www.ierf.org
- This completed evaluation must be received prior to SAPC releasing your I-20.
Upon notification of admission, an enrollment deposit of $1000 in US dollars only is required to hold your place in the entering class. This is not refundable and is applied to your first semester fees. This deposit must be received prior to St. Andrews release of your I-20.

FOREIGN CREDENTIAL EVALUATIONS

To ensure that your credentials are evaluated expeditiously, equitably, and according to US equivalency standards, it is required that you have your transcripts and academic credentials of all academic work completed outside of the US evaluated by an independent credential evaluation service. St. Andrews requires that all admitted international students use one of the following services:

WORLD EDUCATION SERVICES (WES)

or

INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION RESEARCH FOUNDATION, INC (IERF)

Your I-20 will not be released until this completed evaluation is received.

World Education Services

Main Office

tel: 212-966-6311
fax: 212-739-6100

SAN FRANCISCO

tel: 415-677-9378

CANADA

www.wes.org/ca
tel: 416-972-0070
Toll free: 866-343-0070

Postal Address

Bowling Green Station
P.O. Box 5087
New York, NY 10274-5087

Courier Address *

64 Beaver St, #146
New York, NY 10004

* This is a courier mail handling facility accepting DHL, FedEx,
UPS, etc. Documents should not be hand delivered.

www.wes.org

Please contact WES at www.wes.org to begin the foreign credential evaluation process. Make sure you list St. Andrews Presbyterian College / Office of Admissions as a recipient of the foreign credential evaluation on the WES application. Once the evaluation is completed, WES will notify St. Andrews and forward the foreign credential evaluation electronically to St. Andrews Office of Admissions. Please follow the instructions as listed at www.wes.org . Applicable fees are payable to WES.

Elements of the Report

Credential Analysis identifies each credential in terms of its principal elements. The analysis includes country, name of credential, year awarded, school name, entrance requirements, program length, major/specialization, U.S. equivalency, and special remarks.

Course-by-Course Analysis indicates all subjects completed in connection with a specific program or credential at the post-secondary level. Included in each report are U.S. equivalent credits and grades, upper or lower division designations, course content, total number of credits, and GPA.

Allocation of Transfer Credits — When a transcript lists more than 10 to 12 courses for a given academic year, WES may allocate fewer than 3 semester credits for each subject in order to not exceed the standard U.S. annual load of 30 to 36 semester credits. The U.S. institution receiving the evaluation may, however, round up the credits per subject from 2 or 2.5 to 3 in order to facilitate the transfer of credits. Or, a decision may be made to combine credits within the same discipline. For example, two courses in Economics that have been allocated 1.5 credits each may be combined to yield a 3-credit course.

Upper/Lower Division Designation — In general, courses that correspond to those taken in the first two years of a U.S. bachelor’s degree program — mainly courses at the introductory and elementary levels — are considered lower division. The part of the curriculum that constitutes its more advanced component is considered upper division.

Accreditation — The status of a nationally recognized institution in another country is comparable to that of a regionally accredited institution in the United States.

Academic Coursework in English — English language courses completed in non-English speaking countries are generally regarded as comparable to foreign language courses taught in the U.S. Accordingly, those courses may not be eligible for transfer as equivalent to undergraduate English courses.

Questions?

For more information and assistance please contact our Academic Services Department at 212-219-7330 or email support@wes.org.

International Education Research Foundation, Inc.

P. O. Box 3665

Culver City, CA 90231

Tel: 310-258-9451; Fax: 310-342-7086

www.ierf.org

Please contact IERF at www.ierf.org to begin the foreign credential evaluation process. Make sure you list St. Andrews Presbyterian College/Office of Admissions as a recipient of the foreign credential evaluation on the IERF application. Once the evaluation is completed, IERF will notify St. Andrews and forward the foreign credential evaluation electronically to St. Andrews Office of Admissions. Please follow the instructions as listed at www.ierf.org . Applicable fees are payable to IERF.

First Year (Freshmen) should request the General Report – This report identifies the institution(s) attended, dates of attendance, credential(s) earned and the United States educational equivalent.
Transfer undergraduate applicants should request a Detail Report – In addition to the information included in the General Report, the Detail Report also lists individual courses taken with semester units, individual grade equivalents and an overall grade point average (where applicable).

WES and IERF are members of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) and meets the credential equivalency standards of the Bureau of US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

MINIMUM ACADEMIC CREDENTIALS REQUIRED

• For admission as a Freshman student

- A degree equivalent to a 4-year US high school diploma, with a US equivalent unweighted cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.50 on a 4.00 scale (or weighted of 3.00 on a 4.00 scale). An unweighted GPA is based on standard course work. A GPA may be weighted for successful completion of Advanced Placement (AP) or Honors (H) course work. AP/H course work must be designated as such by the institution at which the coursework is completed.

- High school transcripts must show evidence of course work completed in mathematics, social studies, science and languages (both native and foreign).

• For admission as a Transfer student

- For applicants with college/university level course work, a US equivalent cumulative GPA of 2.00 on a 4.00 scale for college/university level courses.*

• For admission as a 2nd Degree Seeking student

- A degree equivalent to a 4-year US bachelor’s degree with a US equivalent GPA of 2.00 on a 4.00 scale.*

*Transfer Credits at St. Andrews

After you have applied and been admitted to St. Andrews, your college/university-level academic course work will be reviewed for transfer credit equivalency at St. Andrews.

Transfer credit equivalency for any college or university level work completed abroad, will be based on the foreign credential evaluation completed by external credential evaluation service.

English Proficiency

International students are required to be proficient in English before enrolling at St. Andrews. We do not offer an ESL program.

If English is not your native language, provide evidence of proficiency in the English language by submitting scores on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) taken within 18 months of application. TOEFL is administered by the Educational Testing Service; registration and information are available at www.toefl.org. OR by submitting scores on the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) taken within 18 months of application. Registration and information are available at www.ielts.org .

FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

St. Andrews is required by the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Services to certify that all international students accepted for full-time enrollment possess sufficient funds to meet their expenses, including tuition, room, board, fees, and transportation. An I-20 cannot be issued by St. Andrews until this requirement is met. St. Andrews requires the completion of the Financial Responsibility and Affidavit of Financial Support as part of the application process to meet this requirement and facilitate the issue of an I-20.

MINIMUM ESTIMATED TOTAL

When planning for study at St. Andrews, an applicant should be aware that financial aid resources are limited. A student and his/her family should expect to be primarily responsible for all their expenses. International students attending St. Andrews can expect the following expenses in U.S. dollars, in addition to travel costs, per academic year:

COSTS FOR FALL 2010-2011

(Mid August-Mid May, including fall and spring terms) Tuition .............

Comprehensive Fees (includes room and board) …..............…...….........

Insurance* & Books………………..………………….............................

Personal Expenses……………………………….............…….…...........

Allowance for expenses during in-school vacation periods......................

ESTIMATED TOTAL…………………………………...........................

$21,614

8,938

2,500

$38,052

*An international student is required to purchase and maintain a minimum standard of health insurance as defined by the United States Information Agency (U.S.I.A.). The policy must be with a company that has a claims office in the United States and is available through St. Andrews.

International Students:

Apply for scholarships and loans at http://iefa.org/.

These figures represent an estimate of a minimum budget and do not include transportation to and from this country or any extraordinary expenses. Costs in subsequent years are expected to rise, and the international student should allow for a yearly increase in planning his or her budget. We suggest you plan for a minimum increase of one thousand, and five hundred dollars ($1,500) per year in estimating the total educational costs.

STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AND AFFIDAVIT OF FINANCIAL SUPPORT

You must submit the completed Statement of Financial Responsibility and the Affidavit of Financial Support forms as well as supporting bank/sponsorship statements along with your other application materials. Please keep copies of all financial documents to present to the US Consulate when applying for your visa. St. Andrews cannot issue Form I-20 or DS-2019 until the completed Statement of Financial Responsibility, Affidavit of Financial Support and bank statements/sponsor letters have been evaluated and determined to be adequate for funding of your studies. They will NOT be reviewed for admission consideration.

Financial Responsibility and Affidavit of Financial Support

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE
Financial aid resources for international students are limited in both type and amount at St. Andrews. The student and his/her family should be prepared to assume the primary responsibility for financing his/her education. International students may apply for the following types of aid:

1. Scholarships - International students are eligible for academic achievement awards and other extracurricular scholarships at St. Andrews. A student receiving such an award could expect his/her assistance to be renewed in subsequent years provided he/she maintains matriculation standards and meets academic progress requirements.

2. On-campus Work - An international student may apply for part-time work on campus, which would not conflict with his/her course of study. However, a foreign student can be placed in a job only is he/she does not displace a United States citizen. Therefore, positions are not guaranteed. It is not recommended that an international student work during his/her first year at the College. If placed in a campus job, a student could expect to earn approximately $1,800 per year that he/she could apply either to his/her college fees or to his/her personal expenses at the College. Additionally, an international student who works on campus must apply and hold a US Social Security Number.

STUDENT SERVICES
At St. Andrews an international student will find a friendly community interested in his/her personal development and growth. Student advisers are available to provide each student with helpful information in advance of enrollment and work with him/her on campus in many matters of personal concern. Advisors seek to promote better cultural exchange in the St. Andrews family and in the wider local area. A member of the faculty serves as academic adviser for each student; the adviser helps the student plan a curriculum best suited for his/her needs. Members of the student development staff are available for counseling in areas of student life, career interests and personal concerns. The health center provides minimal health services and arranges off-campus medical care when needed.

VISA INFORMATION
Once accepted for admission to St. Andrews, and the completed independent transcript evaluation is received by St. Andrews the international student is issued an I-20 form; he/she should present it to the United States Consul in his/her area to request an “F-1” visa (the student visa). All applicants pursuing an “F-1” visa must also be prepared to pay a SEVIS Fee of $200.00 after receipt of their I-20, and prior to seeking their student visa.

In order to facilitate the issue of the I-20 the St. Andrews Immigration Status Form is required at the time of application.

St. Andrews is a partner with the WEGroup, World Education Group www.worldeducationgroup.com .

For additional information, please contact info@sapc.edu.
Send e-mail to webmaster@sapc.edu with comments about this web site.

St. Andrews University
1700 Dogwood Mile
Laurinburg, NC 28352
910-277-5555
800-763-0198
(fax) 910-277-5020