Information for International Applicants

International applicants should review the FAU Graduate College resources and information for prospective international students at International Student Services.

A step-by-step guide to graduate admissions for international students may be found at International Admissions Overview.

For international students, transcripts must evaluated by a third party organization. For more information, see Foreign Student Credential Evaluation Services.

For the I-20, you will need your acceptance letter, any offer of funding, and personal financial information. You can find more information on this here.

The I-20 is half of your visa; the other half is from your embassy.

The Embassy grants visa and passport and the I-20 is basically a visa letter issued by the college. Please be aware that even if visa doesn’t expire for several years, if the I20 expires before, the visa is no longer valid. The College only issues I-20s if you have enough funding for a full academic year (tuition and living expenses). It will add any other family members (parents, spouses, children) to your expenses.

To prove funding: get a letter from the bank that shows you have enough money (make sure the letter is dated and that it shows the currency equivalency). The bank account can be your account, your parents’, or your guardian’s (if it’s a guardian’s account, you must have a letter from the bank and from the guardian that says that money is available to you).

You need medical insurance proof in order to register for classes. Contact Student Health Services. For more information about FAU's student insurance plan, see Enrollment and Waiver Process for International Students.

Housing on campus can be really useful for at least the first year as you get your bearings. Also, if you don’t have a vehicle, on campus housing is convenient.

You need to get your Social Security number in order to be paid. You must wait ten days after you land to apply. After ten days, go apply for social security number, and then update records with HR.

If you need an extension on your I20, the same process must be repeated.

If you have a GTA, you’ll have to attend the International student teacher orientation. If the schedule conflicts with the English Department GTA orientation, let them or your advisor know, and a makeup session will be scheduled for you.