The Schenectady County Community College accepts applications for admission from
international students for the Fall and Spring semesters. Students attending the College
on a student visa (F1) as authorized by an I-20 Certificate of Eligibility are considered to be
international students. Applicants who are permanent residents of the United States should
follow the normal admissions procedures and are not considered to be international
students. Acceptance of international students is based on the following factors:
Either the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) is required prior to Admission. The minimum acceptable score on the computer based TOEFL is 213. The minimum acceptable score on the internet based test is 79. These are equivalent to the paper based TOEFL score of 550. The minimum score for the IELTS is 6.5. The testing requirement may be waived for students from countries where English is the primary language or when a student has successfully completed English Composition courses at an accredited U.S. college.
Students must have academic credentials at a level appropriate for entrance in
college level study. The Full Opportunity Program regarding admission to the College does
not apply to international students.
Application Deadline for International Students - Due to the amount of time required
to process international student applications and evaluate academic credentials, applications should be processed as early as possible to insure adequate time for
acceptance to the College. For international students, the application process should be
totally completed with all documentation prior to August 1 for the Fall semester and
December 1 for the Spring semester.
Normally, all students who have earned their educational credentials outside of
the United States must have their records evaluated by an academic credential evaluating agency. Some evaluating agencies that our students have used include: Educational Credit Evaluators (www.ece.org), Joseph Silny and Associates (www.jsilny.com) and World Educational Services (www.wes.org). The student is responsible for all costs associated with this.
Students must be able to certify the availability of $16,000 (U.S. currency) per
each 12 month period to support their cost of tuition, fees, books, room, board, and other
living costs while in attendance at the College.
Health insurance coverage is required. Students must
provide documentation of health insurance coverage while attending
Schenectady County Community College prior to registration. This
is in addition to the accident insurance that is required for all
students.
International students are not eligible for any form of financial aid for attendance
at Schenectady County Community College. Students attending the College on a student visa
must pay non-resident tuition (double the resident tuition) regardless of the length
of time that they have resided in New York State. (See section on Tuition and Fees in the
catalog).
International students who entered the country with an F-1 Visa or who changed their immigration
status to F-1 while in the United States are strongly recommended to report to the Division of Student
Affairs (E222) every semester to assure maintenance of status. All F-1 students who transfer
to SCCC must also apply for an SCCC I-20 (certificate of eligibility) within 15 days of registering for classes.
Students are responsible for the SEVIS fees for F-1 students.
