Special Requirements for International Students When You Apply Once You've Been Accepted Other Timing Issues to Consider Foreign Academic Credentials When You Apply Statement of Financial Ability If you wish to enter the United States and attend Brescia University on an F-1 Student Visa, the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Services requires that you provide Brescia University with a Statement of Financial Ability in addition to the usual admission requirements and any additional language requirements. If your native language is not English, you must also provide Brescia University with a TOEFL score of 550 or higher. When you prepare your Statement of Financial Ability, please note that you will not be eligible to receive any US financial aid. You will have very limited opportunities for legal employment in the US, subject to the approval of the International Student Advisor. Therefore, you may not include funds from US financial aid sources or any possible employment in the US in your Statement of Financial Ability. Pre-Payment In addition to the Statement of Financial Ability, Brescia University requires that you prepay US$4,845 for your first semester tuition and student health insurance. Complete the Statement of Financial Ability and return it to the Office of Admission, along with your prepayment of US$4,845 for the first semester tuition and student health insurance, and any other required admission documents. Deadline The deadline for admissions documents, including the Statement of Financial Ability and prepayment for your first semester tuition, is 30 days prior to your expected term of enrollment at Brescia University. You will be required to pay tuition in full upon registration for future semesters. If you do not pay in full, you will not be allowed to enroll in classes and may therefore be out of status with the US Immigration and Naturalization Service. Tuition and fees for future semesters are subject to increase. After You Have Been Accepted Letter of Acceptance and I-20 Immigration From If you are accepted to Brescia University, we will use the information from your Statement of Financial Ability to prepare a US Immigration Form I-20. We will send you the I-20 with your letter of acceptance. Obtaining a Student Visa Take your passport, your I-20 and your letter of acceptance to the US Embassy (or Consulate) in you home country for further instructions on how to secure your Student Visa. The US Embassy (or Consulate) may choose to verify the financial information on your I-20 and may require additional documentation or provide additional instructions. Any information or instructions you may receive from the US Embassy (or Consulate) or from US Immigration Officers will supersede information found on this sheet. Making Travel Arrangements After you receive your I-20 and the approval of the US Embassy (or Consulate), you may make your travel arrangements for arrival in the US as early as 60 days before the date you are expected to report to Brescia University (item number 5 on your I-20). You should notify the Office of Admission at Brescia University when your travel arrangements are complete. Brescia will arrange for transportation from the airport if requested. Documentation You Must Keep With You At Brescia If your Student Visa is approved, you will receive pages 3 and 4 of the I-20, also known as your I-20 ID, and an F-1 Class Student Visa stamp in your passport. The Immigration Officer at the US port of entry will issue an I-94 Entry and Exit Card. Other Timing Issues To Consider Validity of the I-20 for Specific Term The I-20 issued by Brescia University is valid for enrollment at Brescia University for a specific term of enrollment only. If you must postpone your intended term of enrollment, of if you choose to enroll at any other college than Brescia, you must notify us at once and return your I-20 to us immediately. We will either send you a new I-20 for a future term of enrollment or refund your tuition prepayment. Visiting the U.S. as a Prospective Student If your wish to visit the US before choosing a college, contact the US Embassy (or Consulate) in your home country to apply for a B-2 Prospective Student Class Visa. Foreign Academic Credentials Submitting Foreign Academic Credentials When Applying for Admission If you have foreign academic credentials, you must instruct your secondary school, college or university to send a final and official copy of your foreign academic credentials (transcripts or "marks sheets") to the Brescia University Office of Admission. If the documents are not in English, you must submit certified English translations along with the originals. You must also complete the Summary of Educational Experiences. If your institution released your original academic credentials to you upon completion of your studies, you must send us your originals, along with certified English translation. We will attempt to authenticate your credentials, make photocopies as needed, and return the originals to you if you request them. How Brescia University Uses Foreign Academic Credentials in Determining Academic Placement If you have completed the equivalent of a U.S. high school diploma, you may apply as an entering freshman to pursue a bachelor's degree. We will require your academic credentials and an official ACT* score. You may also apply as a non-degree student to take courses for no credit. We will require your academic credentials but not the ACT. In any case, if your native language is not English, we will require an official Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)** score. Transfer Credit If we receive your foreign academic credentials, we will use those documents to determine the level of study for which you qualify. We adhere strictly to the guidelines set by the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers publications, Foreign Education Credentials for Consideration of Admission to Universities and Colleges in the United States, in our determination. We examine foreign credentials for academic placement only. Brescia University does not allow transfer credit based on foreign credentials. If you have attended any regionally accredited academic institution, as defined by the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers publications, Transfer Credit Practices of Designated Institutions, you must apply as a transfer student. We will require your foreign academic credentials. You must also instruct each accredited institution attended to send final and official copies of your transcripts to the Brescia University Office of Admission. If courses you have taken correspond in content to courses offered at Brescia University, and if you earned satisfactory grades for those courses, we will allow transfer credit. How Brescia University Uses Foreign Academic Credentials in Determining Academic Placement If you wish to earn course credit at Brescia University for foreign or non-traditional studies, you must submit your request along with your credentials and supporting materials to the chairperson of the academic department(s) offering the course credit you are seeking. Non-traditional studies are defined as studies not taken in the normal classroom situation at a regionally accredited academic institution, as defined by the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers publications, and Transfer Credit Practices of Designated Institutions. The chairperson may require you to validate your knowledge of the subject matter by examination. Upon recommendation of the appropriate chairperson and academic dean, you may be awarded course credit. Applying for Graduate Studies at Brescia If you wish to apply to our graduate program to pursue a master's degree, you must have the equivalent of a bachelor's degree. Brescia University offers a master's degree in business management. If you wish to apply for graduate admission, you must contact the Office of Admission (270-686-4241) or the Director of the Masters of Science in Management Degree Program (270-686-4217). *American College Testing (ACT) Program Box 414, Iowa City, IA 52243-0414, Phone: 319-337-1270 **TOEFL Examinee Identification Service CN 6155, Princeton, NJ 08541-6155, Phone: 609-771-7600 Return to the Application Menu (Click Here) Go to the Application (Click Here) Return to Brescia's Homepage (Click Here)