International Students

Stratford University welcomes applications from international students (all visa holders). The University accepts first time international students as well as transfers from other institutions. In addition to domestic student admissions requirements, international students may be required to complete additional requirements for English language skills, transcript translation, transcript evaluation, and a student visa to study in the U.S. 

The application process requires the following steps for international undergraduate students. Interested students may submit documents in person, via fax, e-mail, or U.S. post. For application documents, please contact the Office of Admissions at the appropriate campus.

• Application: All applicants must complete an Application for Admission and pay the non-refundable application fee. This may be completed on the University’s website or in the Office of Admissions.
• Enrollment Agreement: Complete the Enrollment Agreement which includes emergency contact information, acknowledgement of University policies, and student information release.
• English Requirements: Meet English language requirement, if English is not the primary language.
  • Students test out of an ESL program with an Oxford Online Placement Test score of 80.
  • Submit an original copy of an official TOEFL or IELTS test result. This is required for all students whose native language is not English. Stratford University requires a minimum TOEFL (IBT) of 79 or TOEFL (CBT) of 213 or a minimum IELTS of 6.5 or a minimum PTE score of 53 to consider a student for full admission. Applicants who score lower than the minimum may be considered for conditional Pathway program(ESL+DEGREE). .Exceptions: Citizens of the UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand are not required to submit proof of English language proficiency. Applicants who have studied one or more years of higher education in these countries, as well as the U.S., may be eligible for a waiver of proof of English language proficiency. Such an applicant should provide a copy of the student visa and diplomas/transcripts, Letter of recommendation, or employment verification for verification. Students who are already in the U.S. and will be joining Stratford University as a transfer student or change of status will be exempt from the language proficiency requirements. 
  • A TOEFL waiver may be granted if the student can provide proof of satisfactory completion of an ESL or college level English course taken at a recognized postsecondary institution or graduation from a secondary or postsecondary educational institution or if the student concurrently registers in an ESL program.
• Financial Requirements: All international students must provide a copy of bank statement/balance certificate as well as an Affidavit of Support (AOS) or Letter from their sponsor (if applicable) The amount reflected on these documents should be sufficient to cover tuition and estimated living expenses for one academic year at Stratford University. The sources of support must be from dependable sources. Stratford University is unable to assume financial responsibility for its students. Unfortunately, there is no financial aid available for students from abroad. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the Student to meet all expenses incurred while in the United States. Note: If needed, Applicants may be requested for the original affidavit of support and bank statement to be mailed prior to issuing I-20.
• Passport: All applicants are required to submit a copy of a valid Passport. Applicants applying within the United States of America will also need to submit a copy of the visa and I-94.

• Transcripts: Any student entering an undergraduate program must provide an official evaluation indicating they have (at least) the equivalent of a standard high school diploma. Students submitting international educational credentials must provide an official evaluation from an evaluation agency that is a member of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services - NACES (www.naces.org) or the Association of International Credential Evaluators – AICE (www.aice-eval.org), or completed by the American Association of College Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO). The third-party evaluation must indicate the student has the equivalent (or better) credential as required for admission to their preferred program.
• Transfer Credits: Students who would like their credentials evaluated for transfer credit must provide a course-by-course evaluation completed by one of the agencies noted previously (members of NACES or AICE, or by AACRAO), along with the original or certified copy of the transcript.

• International students may be interviewed before an I-20 is issued to them. This interview may be conducted in person or through video conference.

All admissions application documents should be scanned as one multi-page PDF (the size of the PDF file should be within 5MB) and sent to the International Student Office (isouaadmissions@stratford.edu) for initial applicants and to campus ISO (isofc@stratford.edu) for transfer applicants. The student is required to produce their supporting documents to the ISO. Failure to produce original documents may result in termination of SEVP status. The final decision is made by the PDSO (primary designed school official).

Notification of Admission: Notification of admission varies, but, in general, from the date the admission application is complete, it can take 1-2 weeks for a decision to be made. Acceptance letters and other information will be sent to the applicants by the ISO. The package includes; acceptance letter and Form I-20\. These documents are sent via mail. Applications received from within the U.S. may be processed within 24-48 hours. Admitted students receive notification of their acceptance from the International Student Office. Notification of admission generally takes one to three weeks from the date the application is received. These packages include the acceptance letter, I-20, orientation information, and other information of value. These documents are mailed via UPS. Students interested in having their acceptance package mailed by expedited means should contact the University with credit card information. The cost for expediting documents can be found in the catalog addendum. 

The Form I-20 and acceptance letters will not be issued until all of the required documents are completed. Once the acceptance letter and I-20 are issued, the Student will need to apply for an F-1 visa at the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate in their home country. The American Consulate may issue an F-I Visa, which will be attached to the applicant's passport.

Pending Applications: Students who are making progress completing their application process and simply lacking documents or have files with incomplete information are classified as "pending" students. No acceptance letters may be sent to pending students until their file is complete. ISOUA makes exceptions on case by case basis and sends conditional acceptance letters (no I-20) to certain cases, such as students waiting for a provisional certificate or for a student loan.

Rejected Applications: Students who do not meet minimum admission standards will not be accepted into Stratford University. Students in this category will be notified of their denial of acceptance.

Conditional Acceptance: Applicants not meeting the admissions requirements may be issued conditional acceptance. This exception can only be made by the ISO. Applicants who receive conditional acceptance based on English requirements will either need to test out upon their arrival, complete an ESL program, or satisfy Dean/directors through an interview.

With admission notification, proper documentation, and payment of Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVP) fees, students can apply for their F-1 visa at the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate in their home country using the signed admission letter and an I-20 issued from Stratford University to support their visa request. Due to the implementation of SEVP, home country address, city of citizenship, and city of birth must be recorded before a student visa may be issued. The U.S. consulate issues an F-1 visa, which must be attached to the applicant’s passport.

Under the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) rules, a student affiliated with Stratford University must supply the University with up-to-date contact information including telephone number, address, e-mail address, and emergency contact information. If this information changes, it is the student’s responsibility to notify the University within ten days. Students who fail to maintain records could lose their status as a student.

F-1 students transferring from another institution in the U.S. also need to complete a transfer verification form and submit their documents to the International Student Office after they have received their acceptance documents. All courses reviewed for transfer must meet Stratford University’s policies before transfer credit can be awarded.

Accepted students are required to report to the University no more than 30 days prior and no less than one week prior to the beginning of the first term of attendance. During this time, they receive advising, orientation, and complete the course registration process. All international students must be enrolled full-time on-campus study each term. International students must maintain a zero balance when transitioning between terms.