Admissions

Many of the steps below are required to be completed before arriving in the US, such as applying for the F-1 visa and the online orientation. Some steps below, such as course placement assessments, are highly recommended to be completed before arriving in the US.

You can arrive up to 30 days before the program start date on your I-20. Do not attempt to enter the US more than 30 days before your program start date.

Receive and review your Form I-20
You will be issued a Form I-20 along with your acceptance letter to Saint Paul College 5-10 days after you receive your email notifying you of your admission. When you receive your I-20, please check your I-20 for accuracy, and print and sign your I-20 after you receive it. You will need your I-20 to apply for the F-1 visa, and to enter the US.You must keep your I-20 with you while in the US. You will receive new I-20s while in the US each time something on your I-20 is updated. You should save each I-20 you receive in a safe place. We highly recommend making a copy.

Pay the I-901 SEVIS Fee
New students must pay the SEVIS fee before applying for the F-1 visa. This fee is charged by the US Department of Homeland Security and it is not administered by Saint Paul College. This fee cannot be waived. Your SEVIS ID is on the upper left of page 1 of your I-20. This fee is currently $350. Pay the SEVIS fee here: www.fmjfee.com

Complete Visa Application and Schedule Interview
Locate the closest US Embassy or Consulate to you at www.usembassy.gov. This is where you will apply for your visa. Detailed instructions on completing the visa application and visa interview instructions can be found in the Pre-Arrival guide emailed to you along with your I-20 and linked at the bottom of this page.

Notify Saint Paul College of Visa Interview Date and Result
Please email international@saintpaul.edu with the date of your interview once you schedule your interview. After your interview, please notify us if your visa application was approved or denied. When you receive your F-1 visa, you must send a picture or scan to international@saintpaul.edu.

Complete the online International Student Orientation
The online International Student Orientation is separate from your in-person orientation at Saint Paul College and must be completed beforehand. This orientation is self-guided and contains important pre-departure information, as well as information about being a student at Saint Paul College.

To access the online orientation, go to: www.college2success.com/saintpaul.

• Log-in with your Star ID and password
• Click “New International Student Orientation” to start the orientation

It is highly recommended that you complete the online orientation before departing the US.

Arrange Transportation and Housing
Saint Paul College does not have any on-campus housing, and students are responsible for finding their own housing. It can take 3 to 4 weeks to secure an apartment, so we recommend arriving early if you do not have housing arranged. You can arrive up to 30 days before your program start date on your I-20. The college also does not provide or arrange transportation or offer airport pick-up. Airport transportation options can be found in the Pre-Arrival guide emailed to you along with your I-20 and linked at the bottom of this page. Find housing resources on the International Student Services page under “Resources for International Students”.

Review Financial Obligations
You submitted an F-1 Student Agreement Form and Financial Certification Statement as a part of your application. In doing this, you demonstrated to Saint Paul College that you have the funds to support you financially during your time at the college and it is your responsibility to ensure you have access to those funds.

To maintain your status as an F-1 international student at Saint Paul College, you are required to register full-time for at least 12 credit hours each Fall and Spring semester (18 credit hours for students in the EAP program high intermediate and advanced levels), purchase the required health insurance, and pay your tuition.

Please be prepare to pay approximately $4,000-$5,500 to the college for your first semester of tuition, books, and health insurance.As an international student, it is critical that you have the funds to support yourself throughout the duration of your studies at Saint Paul College.

On-campus work opportunities at Saint Paul College are extremely limited. There are no off-campus work opportunities for F-1 international students in the first year of study and the options that become available after the first year of study are also limited and not guaranteed.

Saint Paul College scholarships are available to apply for after the first semester. These scholarships range from $500 to $1,500 per semester and are not guaranteed. These college scholarships should not be used as a primary source of funding.

Saint Paul College does not recommend relying on any type of employment or college scholarship as a means of long-term financial support.

Ultimately, it is each student’s individual responsibility to ensure that they have the funds to pay for tuition, living expenses, mandatory health insurance, and any other expenses while a student at Saint Paul College. Failure to financially prepare may result in the need to leave the US early without completing your academic program and/or the loss of F-1 legal status.

Complete course placement assessments
Please note that course placement assessments can be completed online before arriving to Minnesota or in-person at Saint Paul College.All Saint Paul College students are required to have course placements for Reading, English, and Math before registering for classes. These course placements are received by taking course placement assessments. Your course placements will tell you what classes you can take. Based on the results of the assessments, you may be required to take classes outside of your major.

• The Reading/English assessment is completely online. Take the course placement assessment for Reading/English.
• The Math ACCUPLACER assessment can be taken either online from anywhere you are able to access a computer, or on-campus at Saint Paul College.
  • If you would like to take the Math ACCUPLACER online: please send an email to international@saintpaul.edu with the subject line “Math ACCUPLACER Online”. You will be issued a voucher to take the assessment through “Examity”. This voucher is valid for three months. There is a $25 USD fee to take the assessment online and you are responsible for this fee.
  • If you would like to take the Math ACCUPLACER in-person at Saint Paul College: You should plan to come to Saint Paul College campus to take the assessment sometime between your arrival to Minnesota and the start of the semester. There is no fee to take the assessment in-person.

You must have course placements for Reading, English, and Math before you can register for classes. We recommend completing these assessments no later than two weeks before the start of your first semester at the latest.

Pay the required health insurance fee
International students are required to purchase the system-approved health insurance before registering for classes. You must purchase the insurance each semester. The charge for your first semester will be added to your account a few weeks before the start of the semester. This must be paid in full to register for your classes. This fee can be paid in your eServices account under “Bills & Payment” or in-person at the Tuition Office window. Once you have paid your health insurance fee, contact the Tuition Office to have the registration hold removed. If you attempt to register for classes before you have paid the health insurance fee, a hold may block you from registering. Health insurance that remains unpaid may result in your classes being dropped.

Report to Saint Paul College
Schedule your new student check-in meeting with the International Student Coordinator. You should plan to schedule your meeting sometime between your arrival to Minnesota and at least one week before your New International Student Orientation. Please bring your Form I-20, passport, visa, and I-94 record with you to your appointment.

• To schedule your New Student Check-In meeting, log-in to Navigate with your StarID and password.
  • Select to schedule a meeting with the International Student Coordinator, and select “New Student Check-in Meeting” as the purpose.
  • All New Student Check-In meetings will be located on-campus at Saint Paul College, in office 1302 inside the One Stop.

Register for classes
Your Pathway Advisor (Academic Advisor) or EAPP Advisor will assist you with registering for the classes you need to make progress in your degree. You will meet with your Pathway Advisor (Academic Advisor) after receiving course placements in Reading, English, and Math and paying the required health insurance fee. As an F-1 student, your class schedule must meet certain requirements each Fall and Spring semester. You can either schedule a meeting with your Pathway Advisor or EAPP Advisor to register for classes, or visit the Advising office during drop-in hours. It is recommended to schedule an appointment. To schedule your Advising appointment to register for classes, log-in to Navigate with your StarID and password.

Attend New International Student Orientation
Attend your New International Student Orientation! Please see below for International Student Orientation information. You will receive the orientation agenda via email prior to the orientation.

Orientation is required for all students. Failure to attend the scheduled New International Student Orientation for your starting semester will result in your classes being dropped.

Required Immunizations
All Saint Paul College students, including international students, must have a measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) immunization on or after 12 months of age, and tetanus and diphtheria (TD) immunization within the last 10 years.

If you do not have these immunizations, you will need to either get the immunizations before you leave your home country, or get them while you are in the US within the first 2 months of arrival.

If you already have your immunizations and have not yet submitted them, please submit them via the Student Immunization Record eForm.

Transfer your SEVIS record
Once you receive your Saint Paul College admission letter, present this admission letter and the SEVIS Transfer Eligibility form you filled out for your admission to your P/DSO at your transfer-out school and ask them to release your SEVIS record to Saint Paul College.

Part II of the SEVIS Transfer Eligibility Form is optional for P/DSOs.Saint Paul College’s SEVIS School Code is SPM214F55031000.

The timing of your SEVIS record transfer is important for keeping active F-1 status. It’s important to consult with Saint Paul College International Student Admissions and/or your DSO at your transfer-out school if you have questions about your SEVIS record transfer.

Saint Paul College does not want a terminated or completed SEVIS record transferred to us without prior notice from the transfer-out school and a conversation with the student about the circumstances that led to the loss of F-1 status.

Receive transfer-pending Form I-20
Once your SEVIS record is released to Saint Paul College, you will be issued a transfer-pending Form I-20. You must print and sign your I-20 immediately after you receive it. We highly recommend you always make a copy of your I-20 and save it.

After you complete your next steps listed below, register for classes, and attend the New International Student Orientation, you will be issued a new continued attendance Form I-20.

Complete the online International Student Orientation
The online International Student Orientation is separate from your in-person orientation at Saint Paul College and must be completed beforehand. This orientation is self-guided and contains important pre-departure information, as well as information about being a student at Saint Paul College.

To access the online orientation, go to: www.college2success.com/saintpaul.

• Log-in with your Star ID and password
• Click “New International Student Orientation” to start the orientation

It is highly recommended that you complete the online orientation before departing the US.

Arrange Transportation and Housing
Saint Paul College does not have any on-campus housing, and students are responsible for finding their own housing. It can take 3 to 4 weeks to secure an apartment, so we recommend arriving early if you do not have housing arranged. You can arrive up to 30 days before your program start date on your I-20. The college also does not provide or arrange transportation or offer airport pick-up. Airport transportation options can be found in the Pre-Arrival guide emailed to you along with your I-20 and linked at the bottom of this page. Find housing resources on the International Student Services page under “Resources for International Students”.

Review Financial Obligations
You submitted an F-1 Student Agreement Form and Financial Certification Statement as a part of your application. In doing this, you demonstrated to Saint Paul College that you have the funds to support you financially during your time at the college and it is your responsibility to ensure you have access to those funds.

To maintain your status as an F-1 international student at Saint Paul College, you are required to register full-time for at least 12 credit hours each Fall and Spring semester (18 credit hours for students in the EAP program high intermediate and advanced levels), purchase the required health insurance, and pay your tuition.

Please be prepare to pay approximately $4,000-$5,500 to the college for your first semester of tuition, books, and health insurance.As an international student, it is critical that you have the funds to support yourself throughout the duration of your studies at Saint Paul College.

On-campus work opportunities at Saint Paul College are extremely limited. There are no off-campus work opportunities for F-1 international students in the first year of study and the options that become available after the first year of study are also limited and not guaranteed.

Saint Paul College scholarships are available to apply for after the first semester. These scholarships range from $500 to $1,500 per semester and are not guaranteed. These college scholarships should not be used as a primary source of funding.

Saint Paul College does not recommend relying on any type of employment or college scholarship as a means of long-term financial support.

Ultimately, it is each student’s individual responsibility to ensure that they have the funds to pay for tuition, living expenses, mandatory health insurance, and any other expenses while a student at Saint Paul College. Failure to financially prepare may result in the need to leave the US early without completing your academic program and/or the loss of F-1 legal status.

Complete course placement assessments
Please note that course placement assessments can be completed online before arriving to Minnesota or in-person at Saint Paul College.All Saint Paul College students are required to have course placements for Reading, English, and Math before registering for classes. These course placements are received by taking course placement assessments. Your course placements will tell you what classes you can take. Based on the results of the assessments, you may be required to take classes outside of your major.

• The Reading/English assessment is completely online. Take the course placement assessment for Reading/English.
• The Math ACCUPLACER assessment can be taken either online from anywhere you are able to access a computer, or on-campus at Saint Paul College.
  • If you would like to take the Math ACCUPLACER online: please send an email to international@saintpaul.edu with the subject line “Math ACCUPLACER Online”. You will be issued a voucher to take the assessment through “Examity”. This voucher is valid for three months. There is a $25 USD fee to take the assessment online and you are responsible for this fee.
  • If you would like to take the Math ACCUPLACER in-person at Saint Paul College: You should plan to come to Saint Paul College campus to take the assessment sometime between your arrival to Minnesota and the start of the semester. There is no fee to take the assessment in-person.

You must have course placements for Reading, English, and Math before you can register for classes. We recommend completing these assessments no later than two weeks before the start of your first semester at the latest.

Pay the required health insurance fee
International students are required to purchase the system-approved health insurance before registering for classes. You must purchase the insurance each semester. The charge for your first semester will be added to your account a few weeks before the start of the semester. This must be paid in full to register for your classes. This fee can be paid in your eServices account under “Bills & Payment” or in-person at the Tuition Office window. Once you have paid your health insurance fee, contact the Tuition Office to have the registration hold removed. If you attempt to register for classes before you have paid the health insurance fee, a hold may block you from registering. Health insurance that remains unpaid may result in your classes being dropped.

Report to Saint Paul College
Schedule your new student check-in meeting with the International Student Coordinator. You should plan to schedule your meeting sometime between your arrival to Minnesota and at least one week before your New International Student Orientation. Please bring your Form I-20, passport, visa, and I-94 record with you to your appointment.

• To schedule your New Student Check-In meeting, log-in to Navigate with your StarID and password.
  • Select to schedule a meeting with the International Student Coordinator, and select “New Student Check-in Meeting” as the purpose.
  • All New Student Check-In meetings will be located on-campus at Saint Paul College, in office 1302 inside the One Stop.

Register for classes
Your Pathway Advisor (Academic Advisor) or EAPP Advisor will assist you with registering for the classes you need to make progress in your degree. You will meet with your Pathway Advisor (Academic Advisor) after receiving course placements in Reading, English, and Math and paying the required health insurance fee. As an F-1 student, your class schedule must meet certain requirements each Fall and Spring semester. You can either schedule a meeting with your Pathway Advisor or EAPP Advisor to register for classes, or visit the Advising office during drop-in hours. It is recommended to schedule an appointment. To schedule your Advising appointment to register for classes, log-in to Navigate with your StarID and password.

Attend New International Student Orientation
Attend your New International Student Orientation! Please see below for International Student Orientation information. You will receive the orientation agenda via email prior to the orientation.

Orientation is required for all students. Failure to attend the scheduled New International Student Orientation for your starting semester will result in your classes being dropped.

Required Immunizations
All Saint Paul College students, including international students, must have a measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) immunization on or after 12 months of age, and tetanus and diphtheria (TD) immunization within the last 10 years.

If you do not have these immunizations, you will need to either get the immunizations before you leave your home country, or get them while you are in the US within the first 2 months of arrival.

If you already have your immunizations and have not yet submitted them, please submit them via the Student Immunization Record eForm.

Review your Form I-20
You will be issued a Form I-20 along with your acceptance letter to Saint Paul College 5-10 days after you receive your email notifying you of your admission. When you receive your I-20, please check your I-20 for accuracy, and print and sign your I-20 after you receive it. You will need your I-20 to file Form I-539 to USCIS and apply for change of status.

You must keep your I-20 with you while in the US. You will receive new I-20s while in the US each time something on your I-20 is updated. You should save each I-20 you receive in a safe place. We highly recommend making a copy.

Pay the I-901 SEVIS Fee
New students must pay the SEVIS fee before applying for the F-1 visa. This fee is charged by the US Department of Homeland Security and it is not administered by Saint Paul College. This fee cannot be waived. Your SEVIS ID is on the upper left of page 1 of your I-20. This fee is currently $350.Pay the SEVIS fee here: www.fmjfee.com

Apply for Change of Status to USCIS (File Form I-539)
Click here for the official SEVP webpage on Change of Status (click “Changing to a Nonimmigrant Student Status” for the process).

This is a link to the I-539 form mentioned: https://www.uscis.gov/i-539.Be sure to check your email associated with your USCIS application regularly. You may need to report to a biometrics appointment, and failure to report may result in an automatic denial of your change of status application.

It can take USCIS between 3 and 9 months (in some cases longer than 9 months) to make a decision on your change of status application. Please email international@saintpaul.edu if your program start date on your I-20 has passed, and you have not yet heard from USCIS to request a deferral of your I-20 to the next semester.

Notify Saint Paul College once your change of status is approved (or denied)
Email international@saintpaul.edu when your change of status is approved or denied.

When your status is approved to F-1, you must send a copy of your approval notice to international@saintpaul.edu.

You are required to enroll in a full course of study in the next available semester after USCIS approves your change to F-1 status. In some cases, this means enrolling in full-time courses in the summer semester. Contact international@saintpaul.edu if you have questions about your situation.

Complete the online International Student Orientation
The online International Student Orientation is separate from your in-person orientation at Saint Paul College and must be completed beforehand. This orientation is self-guided and contains important pre-departure information, as well as information about being a student at Saint Paul College.

To access the online orientation, go to: www.college2success.com/saintpaul.

• Log-in with your Star ID and password
• Click “New International Student Orientation” to start the orientation

It is highly recommended that you complete the online orientation before departing the US.

Arrange Transportation and Housing
Saint Paul College does not have any on-campus housing, and students are responsible for finding their own housing. It can take 3 to 4 weeks to secure an apartment, so we recommend arriving early if you do not have housing arranged. You can arrive up to 30 days before your program start date on your I-20. The college also does not provide or arrange transportation or offer airport pick-up. Airport transportation options can be found in the Pre-Arrival guide emailed to you along with your I-20 and linked at the bottom of this page. Find housing resources on the International Student Services page under “Resources for International Students”.

Review Financial Obligations
You submitted an F-1 Student Agreement Form and Financial Certification Statement as a part of your application. In doing this, you demonstrated to Saint Paul College that you have the funds to support you financially during your time at the college and it is your responsibility to ensure you have access to those funds.

To maintain your status as an F-1 international student at Saint Paul College, you are required to register full-time for at least 12 credit hours each Fall and Spring semester (18 credit hours for students in the EAP program high intermediate and advanced levels), purchase the required health insurance, and pay your tuition.

Please be prepare to pay approximately $4,000-$5,500 to the college for your first semester of tuition, books, and health insurance.As an international student, it is critical that you have the funds to support yourself throughout the duration of your studies at Saint Paul College.

On-campus work opportunities at Saint Paul College are extremely limited. There are no off-campus work opportunities for F-1 international students in the first year of study and the options that become available after the first year of study are also limited and not guaranteed.

Saint Paul College scholarships are available to apply for after the first semester. These scholarships range from $500 to $1,500 per semester and are not guaranteed. These college scholarships should not be used as a primary source of funding.

Saint Paul College does not recommend relying on any type of employment or college scholarship as a means of long-term financial support.

Ultimately, it is each student’s individual responsibility to ensure that they have the funds to pay for tuition, living expenses, mandatory health insurance, and any other expenses while a student at Saint Paul College. Failure to financially prepare may result in the need to leave the US early without completing your academic program and/or the loss of F-1 legal status.

Complete course placement assessments
Please note that course placement assessments can be completed online before arriving to Minnesota or in-person at Saint Paul College.All Saint Paul College students are required to have course placements for Reading, English, and Math before registering for classes. These course placements are received by taking course placement assessments. Your course placements will tell you what classes you can take. Based on the results of the assessments, you may be required to take classes outside of your major.

• The Reading/English assessment is completely online. Take the course placement assessment for Reading/English.
• The Math ACCUPLACER assessment can be taken either online from anywhere you are able to access a computer, or on-campus at Saint Paul College.
  • If you would like to take the Math ACCUPLACER online: please send an email to international@saintpaul.edu with the subject line “Math ACCUPLACER Online”. You will be issued a voucher to take the assessment through “Examity”. This voucher is valid for three months. There is a $25 USD fee to take the assessment online and you are responsible for this fee.
  • If you would like to take the Math ACCUPLACER in-person at Saint Paul College: You should plan to come to Saint Paul College campus to take the assessment sometime between your arrival to Minnesota and the start of the semester. There is no fee to take the assessment in-person.

You must have course placements for Reading, English, and Math before you can register for classes. We recommend completing these assessments no later than two weeks before the start of your first semester at the latest.

Pay the required health insurance fee
International students are required to purchase the system-approved health insurance before registering for classes. You must purchase the insurance each semester. The charge for your first semester will be added to your account a few weeks before the start of the semester. This must be paid in full to register for your classes. This fee can be paid in your eServices account under “Bills & Payment” or in-person at the Tuition Office window. Once you have paid your health insurance fee, contact the Tuition Office to have the registration hold removed. If you attempt to register for classes before you have paid the health insurance fee, a hold may block you from registering. Health insurance that remains unpaid may result in your classes being dropped.

Report to Saint Paul College
Schedule your new student check-in meeting with the International Student Coordinator. You should plan to schedule your meeting sometime between your arrival to Minnesota and at least one week before your New International Student Orientation. Please bring your Form I-20, passport, visa, and I-94 record with you to your appointment.

• To schedule your New Student Check-In meeting, log-in to Navigate with your StarID and password.
  • Select to schedule a meeting with the International Student Coordinator, and select “New Student Check-in Meeting” as the purpose.
  • All New Student Check-In meetings will be located on-campus at Saint Paul College, in office 1302 inside the One Stop.

Register for classes
Your Pathway Advisor (Academic Advisor) or EAPP Advisor will assist you with registering for the classes you need to make progress in your degree. You will meet with your Pathway Advisor (Academic Advisor) after receiving course placements in Reading, English, and Math and paying the required health insurance fee. As an F-1 student, your class schedule must meet certain requirements each Fall and Spring semester. You can either schedule a meeting with your Pathway Advisor or EAPP Advisor to register for classes, or visit the Advising office during drop-in hours. It is recommended to schedule an appointment. To schedule your Advising appointment to register for classes, log-in to Navigate with your StarID and password.

Attend New International Student Orientation
Attend your New International Student Orientation! Please see below for International Student Orientation information. You will receive the orientation agenda via email prior to the orientation.

Orientation is required for all students. Failure to attend the scheduled New International Student Orientation for your starting semester will result in your classes being dropped.

Required Immunizations
All Saint Paul College students, including international students, must have a measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) immunization on or after 12 months of age, and tetanus and diphtheria (TD) immunization within the last 10 years.

If you do not have these immunizations, you will need to either get the immunizations before you leave your home country, or get them while you are in the US within the first 2 months of arrival.

If you already have your immunizations and have not yet submitted them, please submit them via the Student Immunization Record eForm.