You are classified as an international student when you are an alien (non-United States citizen) who has valid student visa and any other forms required by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
If you are an applicant who is foreign born but has resident alien status, been granted amnesty, been accepted as a refugee and/or an asylum-seeker, you are not considered to be an international student and must present proof of status and Florida residency to be admitted and enrolled in degree, certificate, or adult education programs. Contact the Admissions Office at 863-784-7405 for additional information.
Admission of International Students
File required application papers and credentials including admissions test scores (ACT or SAT) at least three months prior to the term for which you plan to register. Required forms and credentials include:
- A completed application for admissions
- Official copies of all secondary school and college records in the original language and certified translations into the English language by a translation certifying organization. Transcripts must be evaluated, at your expense, on a document by document basis and must show the equivalent of a U.S. standard high school. A list of certifying organizations is provided in the international admissions packet.
- Current evidence of proficiency in speaking, writing and understanding the English language by submitting score on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) which is required when your native language is not English. TOEFL is administered by the Educational Testing Service (ETS), at a number of sites worldwide. The telephone number is 609-771-7100, website is www.ets.org. IELTS tests are held in over 900 locations worldwide with tests up to four times a month and may be found on the website www.ielts.org . (The code for SFSC is #5666) You are responsible for making arrangements directly with ETS or IELTS to take the examination and for requesting those results to be sent to the Admissions Office at SFSC. You must have a score of at least 500 on the paper version, 173 on the computer based version and 61 on the internet version of the TOEFL and at least a Band 6 on the IELTS.
- Provide a certified declaration of finances that indicates you will have sufficient funds to pay full matriculation and tuition fees, textbooks, living and transportation expenses. The funds must be available to each term of enrollment. Estimated expenses for a 12 month period are $24,000.00 U.S. dollars.
- Provide proof of standard health insurance for the entire period of enrollment at the college. SFSC does not provide health and medical services.
When all required forms and credentials have been received, SFSC will issue the student an I-20 form for obtaining a student visa. International students must meet all other admission requirements.
