Admission of International Students

Florida National University is authorized under United States Federal Law, Immigration and Naturalization Act, Sections (101) (a) (15) (F) (I), and (101) (a) (15) (M) (I) to enroll non-immigrant alien students. Registration of students on an I-20 Visa must be for at least a period of four (4) months the equal of one semester or 12 credits; this applies equally to the bachelor degree, associate of science and associate of arts degree programs, the career education diploma program, or the certificate program. In order to process an I-20 Visa the applicants are required to fulfill the following admissions procedures:

1. Application for admission, including all admissions credentials, must be received at least 30 days prior to the semester in which the applicant plans to enroll.
2. High school academic transcript(s) must be official.
3. Transcript(s) in languages other than English must include an official certified English translation.
4. Students must demonstrate English proficiency when enrolling in a career program. (TOEFL of 62 and above with each section with an acceptable level (intermediate or fair and above)/IELTS 5.5/PTEA 44)
5. Foreign schools attended must have proper accreditation by the Ministry of Education of their country or a USA accrediting commission.
6. Documented evidence of means of financial support must be provided to FNU for admission purposes and for issuance of the Certificate of Eligibility (I-20-M-N) form. This evidence is also required by the American Embassy or Consulate when applying for a student visa to enter the United States.
7. International students must have funds available for paying fees when they register for their classes each semester. Financial aid in the form of grants or loans from federal or state sources is not available to international students.
8. Students must arrive in the USA a week prior to the start date.

   NOTE: International Students applying for admission without a copy of their high school diploma or certificate of completion, but they have transcripts from a foreign university, can be admitted as long as the foreign documentation provided is original and valid. Students that are exiles from Cuba or any other country under political repression, in most instances are not allowed to obtain copies of their educational credentials as the government prohibits such a practice of releasing records much less sending them to another country. If students come with documentation from a foreign university, the above guidelines apply to them since that indicates that they have had to complete high school prior to entering their programs of study.

   In the case that a student cannot provide a high school diploma, and he/she states that it was completed in his/her country; we recommend that an equivalency test be taken.

An international student studying in the US needs to remember there are restrictions by the terms of the visa. International students must know all the requirements and restrictions concerning their visa! The following links provide a wealth of information on the different types of visas and the requirements/restrictions for each.

https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/complete-correct-form-i-9/complete-section-1-employee-information-and-attestation/foreign-academic-students

https://www.internationalstudent.com/study_usa/way-of-life/working-in-the-usa/

For Graduate Programs:

1. International students must have earned a bachelor’s degree with a GPA of 2.50 or more.
2. Original US equivalency evaluation (not the translation) for the bachelor’s degree program provided by an accredited foreign credentials evaluation agency. Evaluations should be post-secondary, course-by-course with GPA evaluation.
3. International MBA students must participate in the Curriculum Practical Training (CPT) as an integral part of the core curriculum for international students. This requires a practicum offered by sponsoring employers having cooperative agreements with FNU or a letter from the employer specifying the job responsibilities. CPT must run in conjunction with the academic curriculum and needs to start prior to the completion of the MBA program. Curriculum Practical Training will not delay the completion of the academic program and must meet the stipulated regulations governing International Student Visas. Students are responsible to find a suitable CPT program that must be documented as part of the student’s application for entry into the MBA program.