International Graduate Studies

If you’re an international student interested in applying to a graduate program at Southern Adventist University, we know you have a unique set of questions to ask. Read on for the information you need to know about application requirements, necessary travel documents, and more.  

Admission Requirements for International Graduate Students

Applicants who are not citizens or permanent residents of the United States are considered international students and must meet additional requirements for admission.

01

All non-U.S. transcripts must be submitted through one of the following approved credential evaluation agencies:

  1. SpanTran: use this link to send to Southern
  2. Educational Credential Evaluators, Inc (ECE): www.ece.org
  3. World Education Services: www.wes.org

Evaluations are to be sent directly to Southern, Graduate Studies, by the service. All evaluation reports are considered to be advisory. Southern reserves the right to make final equivalency decisions.

02

Certification of English proficiency.

See School specific requirements in the Graduate Catalog. Scores are valid for two years from the test date. Learn more at:

    1. ets.org/toefl
    2. englishtest.duolingo.com/en
03

Submit Declaration of Finances.

International students must have financial resources sufficient to support themselves for the calendar year, in addition to an international-student deposit of $3,000 (USD). Download Form

  • To be issued an I-20 Form, students must also provide a letter from financial sponsors (including their name and address), as well as copies of bank statements for the last three months showing the balance history for the student's account or the financial sponsor's account.

Online Programs for International Graduate Students

Since international students enrolling in programs offered completely online do not travel to the United States, they are not required to obtain the Form I-20 or F-1 Student Visa, and they do not have to submit the Declaration of Finances. The degrees that are available completely online are:

Programs Not Available to International Graduate Students  

Since the following programs are offered only as summer intensives, the part-time schedule does not meet student-visa requirements for international students:

On-campus Programs for International Graduate Students

International students who will be coming to Southern's campus need some additional information about travel documents and living on campus.

Learn More About Southern’s Graduate Program Experience

Check out the Graduate Studies blog to learn more about our programs and being a graduate student at Southern Adventist University.

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