Additional Admission Requirements for International Students

All international students, regardless of visa type, are individually responsible for ensuring that they are in good standing with the U.S. immigration authorities. International students applying for admission must meet the same admission requirements as other students. Transcripts sent from any educational institution recorded in a language other than English must be accompanied by a certified translation from a National Association of Credential and Evaluation Services (NACES) member. All documents must be a certified copy of the original. Original documents will not be returned to the student unless otherwise stated.  

Regardless of program, all students whose native language is not English must provide evidence that they are able to use the English language with sufficient facility to do college-level work in an English speaking institution. Prospective international students residing both in and out of the U.S. may obtain evidence of their English proficiency by one of the following methods:

• Taking the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). See the section on TOEFL and IELTS for more information.
• Graduating from a college or high school where English is the primary language of instruction.
• Completing an ESL program at an institution that is recognized by a body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
• Completing an ESL program at a Strayer University-approved English language school. Please contact a campus for details.

International students enrolled in a graduate program may also be required to take ENG 115 and ENG 215 at Strayer University, in addition to providing evidence of English proficiency as an admission requirement.

For international students residing in the U.S., the University offers the institutional TOEFL on a scheduled basis at select locations. Information about the test may be obtained from the Admissions Office.

The university evaluates official TOEFL and/or IELTS scores in determining placement of prospective students. A TOEFL or IELTS score report is valid for two years from the test date. Undergraduate students with a TOEFL score less than 500 on the paper-based test (61 on the iBT version) or a score less than 5.5 on the IELTS will be required to enter a combination language study and academic program until they attain the language proficiency to pursue a full-time academic program. Graduate students with a TOEFL score less than 550 on the paper-based (79 on the iBT version) or a score less than 7.5 on the IELTS will be required to enter a combination language study and academic program until they attain the language proficiency to pursue a full-time academic program. Strayer University will only accept an official score report from the Standard TOEFL exam. Institutional TOEFL scores from other institutions are not accepted.

Information on the TOEFL may be obtained from any U.S. Embassy or by writing to:

ETS, Educational Testing Service

CN 6151

Princeton, NJ 08541-6151

or online at http://www.toefl.org. Strayer University’s TOEFL code is 5632.

Information on the IELTS may be obtained online from www.ielts.org.

Students who are admitted into the U.S. on a Strayer University Form I-20 and who do not meet the required minimum score must enroll in developmental English courses designed to raise their proficiency to a requisite level.

Certificate of eligibility for non-immigrant students SEVIS (F-1) Form I-20 will be issued to students residing outside the U.S. only when all of the admission and financial requirements are met. Additional fees are required for addition of dependents.

A $300 tuition deposit is required for international students residing outside the United States and is refundable only if the U.S. Embassy denies the visa. To obtain a refund, the student must return the original SEVIS Form I-20 to the University, copy of I-901 SEVIS fee receipt matching Strayer I-20 SEVIS number and visa denial letter within 12 months of the original application date. After one year, the tuition deposit is non-refundable.

Strayer University welcomes international students. New international F-1 students should arrive at Strayer University no more than 30 days prior to the program start date listed on the Form I-20 to complete testing, USCIS reporting requirements and counseling procedures. F-1 students may not arrive in the United States more than 30 days before their program start date and no later than the last day of add/drop.

International F-1 students transferring in from a U.S. institution must hold a current SEVIS I-20 and be in good standing. An international student with a terminated SEVIS record must apply for reinstatement with the previous school prior to transfer to Strayer University. A student may also apply with Strayer University for “Reinstatement via Travel,” requiring the student to travel to their home country before being issued a new I-20 to return to Strayer University.

It should be noted that applicants (i.e., students) in the United States may not be able to change classification to F-1 (Student). Requests for such changes are adjudicated on a case-by-case basis, by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS). Students seeking to apply to change from B to F-1 or F-2 to F-1 cannot register for classes prior to approval from the USCIS. They must receive approval for a change of status to F-1 from USCIS prior to beginning full-time degree coursework.