F-1, M-1, J-1 (and associated Visas) Admissions Checklist

The following forms and documents are required for admissions to a KCTCS College pursuant to an I-20. All required documents submitted become the property of the College and must be received by the College’s Admissions Office or international student admissions officer no later than the deadline noted in this document for review of admissibility. Deadlines apply – late applications will be considered for the next available semester. All financial documents must be in English and USD. Please read the requirements listed below very carefully.

References to “F-1” students includes all visa holders (F-1, M-1, J-1, etc.) with plans to study in the United States

Deadlines for having all forms and documents submitted to the College’s admissions office or designated international admissions officer are:

• June 15 Fall Semester
• October 1 Spring Semester
• February 15 Summer Semester

All documents submitted must be original. Faxed or copies of documents will not be accepted.

• KCTCS International Application for Admissions and I-20 Application Form.
• F-1 Financial Statement (All financial documents must be original and submitted in English and USD) You must provide evidence of the guaranteed financial support of a sponsor to cover all your school, living, and personal expenses and health coverage while studying at a KCTCS College. The F-1 financial statement must be current (no more than 6 months old). Financial support must indicate a sponsor’s liquid assets. Retirement Accounts (IRA’s) or retirement CD’s are not accepted evidence of liquid assets. Open lines of credit are not accepted as a financial resource. To complete the form, follow the instructions below:
  
  Section 1
  
  Identification of Funds: Completed by applicant. Be sure to print your name exactly as it is printed in your passport. Indicate your source of funds and amounts for each year of study. If you are providing your own funds in addition to sponsor’s funds, you must submit as additional Section 3 (Bank Verification) signed by your bank official. If you have dependents who will be travel with you or who will follow you to the U.S., indicate the number of dependents and the biographic information for each dependent on the I-20 Application Form
  
  Section 2
  
  Affidavit of Support: Completed and signed by your sponsor. If you have more than one sponsor, each sponsor must complete and sign this section to indicate their share of financial support for your studies at KCTCS.
  
  Section 3
  
  Verification of Funds: This section must be completed, signed, and sealed by your sponsor’s bank official. *If your bank official will not complete this section, you may submit a separate, official bank latter in English and U.S. dollars. Bank documents in a foreign language and/or currency will not be accepted. Unacceptable or incomplete documents will delay your admission to a KCTCS College.
  
• TOEFL Report/English Language Proficiency: Every non-immigrant visa-holding applicant whose native language is other than English must present official evidence of writing and reading competency in the English language by means of a Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) report with a minimum score of 500 on the paper-based test or 61 on the internet-based test; a Michigan English Language Assessment Battery (MELAB) report with a minimum score of 73; successful completion of the advanced level of the University of Louisville Intensive English Language Program; successful completion of the advanced level of the Eastern Kentucky University Intensive English Language Program; successful completion of the fifth level of the University of Kentucky English as a Second Language Program; or a transcript from an accredited American college or university or from a foreign college or university in which the English language is the primary language of instruction showing a minimum grade of "B" in college English 101 and English 102 or the equivalent. Evidence of English competency by means of an assessment instrument must have been obtained within the previous eighteen (18) months prior to the first day of classes of the semester for which the applicant is applying. Non-immigrant visa-holding applicants must also submit the results of the ACT or other assessment instrument in accordance with the KCTCS assessment and placement policy. Non-immigrant visa-holding applicants with a TOEFL score greater than 400 on the paper based test or 32 internet-based test or an International English Language Testing Service (IELTS) overall band score of 3.7 may be admitted to a college’s English as a Second Language (ESL) program.
  Visa holders seeking a change of status to F-1 within the United States: Applicants seeking a change status to F-1 and admission to a KCTCS College pursuant to an I-20 must meet the requirements above for English proficiency.
• Documentation of Completion of Secondary Studies: (Must include an official English translation.)
  F-1 applicants must be 18 years of age and provide documentation of completion of secondary studies (high school) equivalent to a U.S. diploma. Applicants who have not completed secondary studies will not be admitted to a KCTCS College or into the English as a Second Language Program.
• Health Insurance: Prior to the first day of classes, F-1 students and their dependents are required to provide proof of health insurance coverage for each semester. Proof of international student health insurance is mandatory. Students who fail to provide evidence of insurance for the entire semester will be blocked from college transactions.
  
  Minimum Health insurance requirements include:
  
• The policy must be written by the carrier, in English, and premium rates must be in U.S. dollar amounts.
• The policy must include in-patient and out-patient coverage for both sickness and accident.
• The policy must have a deductible of no more than $500 per individual, per accident or illness.
• The policy must state a maximum benefit of no less than $100,000 per accident or illness.
• The policy must provide no less than $10,000 provision for medical evacuation to a student’s home country.
• The policy must provide no less than $7,500 provision for repatriation (after death, removal of remains to student’s home country).
• The policy must clearly state coverage dates from the first day of classes for the semester applying through the end of the academic year (or earlier departure from the College).

F-1 Transfer students submit the additional required documents

• F-1 Transfer Clearance Form: Required from applicants who are already in the United States in F-1 status and who seek to transfer to a KCTCS College. This form must be signed by your current Foreign Student Advisor and mailed to the KCTCS College’s admissions office or designated international admissions officer. A hand-carried original or copied document will not be accepted.
• Copy of current I-20 Form, valid visa, and current I-94.
• Verification of health insurance coverage as noted above.
• TOEFL Reports and Transcripts from current institution: F-1 students must submit official transcripts from the current institution as part of the admissions documents. English proficiency requirements must be met as described above.

If you have been issued an I-20 from a KCTCS College and you decide not to study in the United States, you are required to return your I-20 to the College’s admissions office or designated international admissions officer. 

• F-1 students must be enrolled full time each fall and spring semester with a minimum of 12 credit hours each semester. Summer enrollment is optional, but cannot be used in place of a fall or spring enrollment. Students who enter a KCTCS College in initial status or who transfer to the KCTCS College during the summer semester must be enrolled full time (10 credit hours) and the following fall and spring semesters.

Foreign Transcripts

KCTCS Colleges do not evaluate foreign transcript for transfer credit.

• Information on private academic credentialing agencies:
  Contact one of the following educational evaluation agencies recognized by KCTCS for current address and information please visit their website.
• American Association of College Registrars and Admissions Officers
  http://www.aacrao.org/international
• World Education Services (WES)
  http://www.wes.org
• Global Credential Evaluators
  http://www.gcevaluators.com
• Request a course-by-course evaluation. Document-by document evaluations will not be accepted for transfer credit.
• Instruct the evaluation agency to mail an official report directly to the College’s admissions office or designated international admissions officer.

Please note:

• Do not send your foreign transcripts directly to the College’s admissions office or designated international admissions officer. 
• Do not bring foreign transcripts to the College’s admissions office or designated international admissions officer. They will not be accepted.

SEVIS I-901 Fee

Those seeking to enter the United States in F-1 status with a Form I-20 or those seeking a change of status to F-1 within the U.S. must pay a SEVIS fee before going to the US Embassy or submitting documents to the Vermont Service Center. The fee must be paid at least 3 business days before the scheduled visa interview. For information, visit the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) website at http://www.ice.gov/sevis/i901/ .

View Entire PDF