Each year, a limited number of applicants from outside the United States are admitted to the Academy. Prerequisites for admission include a reasonable command of the English language or attendance at the Academy's Summer Session prior to fall enrollment. To help international students transition into an English speaking environment, the Academy offers English as a Second Language (ESL) instruction at the beginning, intermediate, and advanced levels.

In addition to the required admission documents (enrollment application, transcripts with English translation, two letters of recommendation, questionnaire), international students must submit a financial certification to the Academy showing their parents' ability to pay tuition.

Upon acceptance into the Academy, each international applicant will be provided with a Certificate of Enrollment (Immigration and Naturalization Service Form I-20). This form, along with the required financial certification, must be taken to the American Embassy or Consulate in the international applicant's country of origin in order to obtain a student visa (F-1) for entry into the United States. Normally, the American Embassy or Consulate will issue an F-1 student visa for a "duration status" in order to enable the international student to complete our high school program through the 12th grade.

Once the F-1 student visa is issued by the American Embassy or Consulate, the international student must use their passport and I-20 form together as entry documents when traveling to and from the United States. Passports and travel documents must be given to Academy officials for safeguarding immediately upon arrival at the campus.

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Information Regarding Form I-20 or F-1 Visa
from the office of Admissions

What is a form I-20?
from the office of Admissions

A Form I-20 is what a school issues to a student so that they may apply for an F-1 Visa to come to the United States to study. A school authorized to issue an initial I-20 must make sure that the student has met certain financial and academic requirements. Without receiving an I-20 from a school, you will not be able to get the F-1 Visa.

What are the requirements to get an I-20?
from the office of Admissions

To get an I-20, you must submit a completed application and pay the required fees (application fee, and deposit). You must also submit a letter of certification from a bank stating that your parents have sufficient funds for you to study while at the institute you are interested in. Once the application is complete and all fees have been paid, you will be sent your I-20 within 5 working days.

What does the Financial Certification Consist of?
from the office of Admissions

Basically, the Financial Certification of sufficient funds is to guarantee that your parents will be able to pay your tuition and living expenses while studying at the institution you are interested in. This Certification should be in the form of a letter of support from your parent(s) or guardian, along with their bank statement, showing that they have sufficient funds in their account(s) to pay for your tuition. You will need to present this proof of financial support to the American Embassy or Consulate in your own country as well when you apply for the F-1 Visa. Some American Consulates may want to see that your parents can prove they have more funds before you enter the United States, so we strongly recommend that they be able to show the Consulate that they have at least $10,000 in their account(s).

What are the Requirements To Transfer To a Different School?
from the office of Admissions

To transfer to a different school, you must be "in status" with your previous school. In other words, you must meet their requirements of F-1 students before they will consider you eligible to transfer. You must also make sure you notify them in advance of your intent to transfer while you are still registered as a student in their program. "Out of status" refers to a student who has not met the requirements of the school that issued the student their I-20; such a requirement would be maintaining a certain attendance rate, for example. If a student is considered "out of status" upon attempting to transfer to another school, they would have to apply for reinstatement in order to attend the new school. To do this, they would need to get a Form I-20 from the new school and apply to regain or have their student status "reinstated". In this case, the student will have to reapply directly with the INS; there is a filing fee charge for this process.

What is An F-1 Visa?
from the office of Admissions

An F-1 Visa is a student visa. Anyone traveling to the United States to pursue academic studies on English language instruction must obtain a student visa. You must apply for an F-1 Visa at the American Consulate in your native country. In order to apply for the F-1 Visa, you will need to have an I-20 from a school that has accepted you for study.

How Long Does It Take To Get An F-1 Visa?
from the office of Admissions

Some American Consulates approve visas in 2-3 days. Others take two weeks, one month, or even six weeks. It really depends on the city, country, and Visa restrictions of each American Consulate abroad. Again, you should plan to apply for your student F-1 Visa several weeks before you come to study at the school you are interested in.

What's the Best Way To Apply For a Student Visa?
from the office of Admissions

Most Consulates or Embassies allow you to mail in your application, have it brought by a travel agent, or let you apply in person. While there are no statistics on the rejection of the three methods (it depends on the country as well), the best way to apply, for obvious reasons, is in person. If a consular officer has doubts about your intentions or financial ability to study in the United States, they may be more receptive to you if you can explain to them in person the reasons you want to come and study in the United States.

What Happens If My Visa Application is Rejected?
from the office of Admissions

You can always reapply. Sometimes it is a matter of providing more information to the Consulate or reassuring the Consulate that you will be returning to your country after you complete your studies. It is always best to apply for your F-1 Visa in person.

How Many Classes Do I Need To Take As An F-1 Student?
from the office of Admissions

INS requires all F-1 students to take 18 hours or more of classes per week to make F-1 status.