Prospective International Students

How to Apply

International students are admitted to Foothill College four times per year (fall, winter, spring and summer) to study in the U.S. on an F-1 visa or online from abroad. Applicants must choose one term when applying and can request a deferral if unable to begin studies that term. See our Admission Dates page for more details and our deferral policy.

 

To be eligible for admission, you will need to submit the following:

1. Application (required)
Create an account in our international admission portal and complete the online application: https://applyinternational.fhda.edu/apply/

You will be prompted to select your desired start term and guided to upload/submit the following items through the admission portal (no physical documents are required).

2. Copy of Passport (required)

3. Proof of English Proficiency (required)
Upload a copy of original English proficiency test result, taken within the last 2 years. The followinge exam scores are accepted:

TOEFL - 61 iBT (Foothill ETS code is 4315) or 46 PbT (Paper-based Test) 
IELTS - 5.5 
iTEP - Level 4  
EIKEN - 2A
Duolingo - 95 DET  (50 DET older version) 
Pearson PTE Academic - 45 
Cambridge - 175+ on advanced or proficiency exam
GTEC CBT - 1100

For complete list of ways to meet/waive our English proficiency requiement, see here.

4. Financial Statement (required only for students applying for an F-1 visa)
Upload an original/official bank letter or statement from you or your financial sponsor* that meets our requirement of annual estimated cost and is dated within the last 6 months. The document must be in English, although funds do not have to be shown in USD.
Samples of Acceptable Bank Letters

*You will be asked to provide financial sponsor details (name and relation to you) on the application form. No further forms or documentation are required from your sponsor.

5. Transcripts (required)
If you are under 18 years old, you must submit proof of high school completion or equivalent. All documents must be in English or officially translated into English. For students who have attended any school in the U.S., please submit a transcript from all schools you have attended. Unofficial transcripts are accepted, but screenshots, education plans, or schedule summaries are not accepted in place of transcripts.

6. Application Fee (required)
We require a $75 USD application fee to review your application and determine your eligibility. You will be directed to compelete an online payment of the application fee upon submission of the application. 

This fee is non-refundable.

7.  Minor Student Authorization (required, if applicable)

If you are under 18 years old, we require authorization from your parents or legal guardian that you can attend Foothill College. This form will also be available to you for completion in the admission portal after you are admitted.

FHDA Minor Authorization Form

8. Dependent Form (required, if applicable)

If you have dependents who will accompany you as an F-1 visa holder, you will be asked to complete this form in the admission portal. Note that your financial statement will need to show additional funds for each dependent.

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 Please Note:

• Foothill College does not evaluate foreign transcripts for course waivers or to transfer credits. Transcripts submitted with your application are for admission purposes only. If you wish to apply for credit transfer, your transcript must be evaluated by a third party before submitting to Foothill College evaluations department for review. For more information, please visit foreign transcripts.

• If you are an F-1 student from another school and you are applying for transfer to Foothill, review F-1 transfer steps here.