International Admission Requirements

International Students

An international student or applicant is a citizen of a country other than the United States:

1.      who is authorized to stay in the United States for a temporary period as a non-immigrant, or

2.      who has applied for a change of status to become a permanent resident of the United States but has not been issued an alien registration card effective as of the date Block 1 classes begin for the trimester in which they are enrolled. Please see page 322 for additional information.

International students are eligible for admission to degree programs but may only be admitted as non-degree seeking students if pursuing a degree at another institution. That institution must provide written verification of enrollment in a degree program.

GSU is authorized under federal law to enroll non-immigrant alien students studying under an F-1 visa. Although applicants on J-1 visas may enroll, the university does not participate in the exchange visitor program and is not authorized to issue form DS-2019, which is required to extend the J-1 visa status.

Applicants on F-1 visas, or any other temporary visas, are not eligible to be classified as residents of the State of Illinois for tuition purposes, regardless of actual length of residence in the State of Illinois.

The applicant on an F-1 student visa must plan to pursue a full-time program of academic study at Governors State University (nine credit-hours per semester for master’s degree students and 12 credit-hours for undergraduates).

Early application is essential to allow for review of documentation and for entry visa processing. All transcripts, letters, and other admission material become the property of GSU.

NOTE: Governors State University requires that all F-1 students have adequate health insurance.

REQUIREMENTS FOR ADMISSION

Applicants must:

1.      submit satisfactory educational records;

2.      submit official TOEFL report with one of the minimum acceptable score on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) listed below or complete coursework from ELS Education Services Inc.’s Language Centers (ELS). For ELS, students must complete through a minimum level of 112.

For the TOEFL, a minimum acceptable score is as follows:

3.      provide evidence of financial support to meet all financial needs for the duration of their studies at GSU.

HOW TO APPLY FOR ADMISSION

Applicants must:

1.      submit an application for admission as a degree-seeking student;

2.      submit official academic credentials. These may include any or all of the following:

a. national examination results;

b. certified copies of all transcripts (marksheets) issued by the university;

c. certified copy of Provisional Certificate from university;

d. complete records of all college, university, or other post-secondary work;*

3.      for master’s degree students only, submit a $25 application fee;

4.      for doctorate in Physical Therapy students only, submit a $50 application fee

5.      submit official TOEFL score report or evidence of successful completion of ELS; and

6.      submit evidence that adequate funds are available to meet all financial needs for the duration of studies at Governors State University. All information must be in exact U.S. dollar amounts.

*Official documents must be accompanied by certified English translations. These records must be certified by an official of the educational institution issuing them or by an appropriate United States or national government official.

Applicants who have an original evaluation from the Educational Credentials Evaluator (ECE) in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, may submit that instead of the official documents.       

Additional Information

F-1 visa students who wish to transfer to Governors State University must submit a copy of the current school I-20 form, transcript, or a letter from the current school showing dates of enrollment and eligibility to transfer.

The Office of International Services is available to assist students in obtaining visas and legal documents. 

Additional information is available on its website at www.govst.edu/internationalservices.

Since the university is a commuter institu­tion, students are responsible for arranging their own housing and transportation to and from the campus. Many students live in the immediate area or in Chicago and commute either by car or train to Governors State University. For further information, please contact the Office of International Services.