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International Students Applying Online
English Language
International students must present authoritative evidence
of sufficient competence in the English language to pursue
a regular course of
study at the City University of New York. It is required
that applicants who
have not studied and earned a degree in an English-speaking
country take
the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), administered
internationally by Educational Testing Service, and request
ETS to report
examination results directly to the Office of Admissions, The
Graduate
Center–College Code 2113, 365 Fifth Avenue New York,
New York 10016. Inquiries concerning
this examination may be made to Test of English as a
Foreign Language, Box 6151, Princeton, New Jersey 08540, U.S.A.,
or to most
American embassies and consulates in cities outside the United
States. For
additional information, call 1-800-GO-TOEFL or on the Web at
http://www.toefl.org or www.ets.org.
Individual programs at the Graduate
Center may require a minimum score on the TOEFL for admission
to the
program.
Immigration Status
International students who wish to obtain or maintain
F-1 student status or J-1 exchange-visitor status may be admitted only
as matriculated students.
Immigration regulations require full-time enrollment in
a degree-granting program for students in F-1 or J-1 status; therefore,
students in F-1 or J-1 status may not be admitted as part-time or nondegree
students. If you have been accepted into an established CUNY Exchange
Program, please contact the Office of International Students for procedures
at intstu@gc.cuny.edu.
There
are two steps to follow in order to obtain or maintain F-1 or J-1 student
status.
The first step is admission
into an academic program.
The second step is the documentation
of the amount and source(s) of financial support.
All
questions regarding academic admission should
be directed to the Admissions
Office (Email: admissions@gc.cuny.edu).
All questions regarding immigration status should
be directed to the Office
of International Students (Email: intstu@gc.cuny.edu).
An applicant who would like to change
immigration status to
F-1 student status should consult the Office of International
Students for information on the correct procedure to follow. Please
note that change of status within the United States is not
guaranteed. A student will not be eligible for employment authorization
incident to F-1 or J-1 status (including employment pursuant
to a financial aid award) until the request for change of status
has been approved by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
(These requests require a minimum of two to three months to
adjudicate.)
If
an applicant has an immigration status other than F-1 or
J-1 and intends to keep that status, appropriate documentation
must be provided to the Office of International Students
before registering for classes.
Certificate of Eligibility
Applicants who will apply for nonimmigrant F-1 or J-1 visas
for entry into the United States and applicants already in
the United States in F-1 or J-1 student status must complete
the "Request
for Certificate of Eligibility (I-20 or DS-2019)
and Declaration & Certification
of Finances for International Students." United
States government regulations require documentary
evidence of financial support for the duration of a proposed
course of study prior
to the issuance of the Certificate of Eligibility (Form
I-20 or DS-2019). This documentation may also be requested
by United States consular officials upon application for
an entry visa, by U.S. Immigration inspectors at ports
of entry into the United States, or by Immigration inspectors
when applications are made for extension of stay or change
of status in the United States. Submit
original documents in support of this application
and prepare an additional
set of original documents for support of visa
applications.
Financial Assistance
University financial assistance for which international students
are eligible to apply is limited and is usually not adequate
to fund a student’s total
expenses. For information about financial assistance, see Financial
Aid. Students
are asked to review their financial situation carefully
because the cost of living in New York City is high,
and immigration regulations restrict employment. F-1
and J-1 status students should not expect to finance
their education through work (other than by fellowship
or scholarship) in the United States.
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