International Students

• Any student requiring an F-1 visa to study in the US
• A non-immigrant visa holder (such as A2, F2, H4, L2, etc.) who is looking to change their visa status to  F-1
   

• Completed application (Common App [undergraduate only] or SFBU application)
• Official transcripts for all attended institutions OR
  • A weighted cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher is required for Undergraduate admission, however a 2.5 or above is recommended.  
  • For graduate programs, a cumulative GPA of 3.0 is required. 
  • Any translated version must also be attested by the institution or the Ministry of Education.
  • Credential Evaluation of foreign transcripts must be evaluated by a member of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES), or Association of International Credential Evaluators (AICE)
    • High School/Secondary School Transcript(s): We require a general analysis with a GPA credential evaluation.
    • College/University Transcript(s): We require a course-by-course evaluation. 
    • If you are an international student transferring from another undergraduate program and you have earned less than 30 college credits, you must send both your high school/secondary school transcript and your college transcript(s)
    • We accept electronic copies of credential evaluations from listed agencies ((NACES), or Association of International Credential Evaluators (AICE) sent directly from the credential evaluation agency or an original hard document issued by the credential evaluation agency.
• General Education Development (GED) if you are an undergraduate student without a high school diploma
  • A GED score of 456 or above meets the score requirement. Lower scores may require an interview with the Academic team.
• International students currently enrolled at a US high school, college, or university who currently hold an F-1 visa are considered “transfer-in” applicants are required to provide the following:
  • A visa or current university I-20
• International students currently in the US on any of the following non-immigrant visas (e.g., A2, B1, B2, F2, H1B, H4, L1, L2) are considered “change of status” applicants. Such applicants must also provide the following:
  • A visa and most recent I-94.
• Evidence of English proficiency for non-native English speakers (any one of the following):
  • An official IELTS (Academic), TOEFL (iBT), TOEFL Essentials, iTEP Academic, PTE Academic, Duolingo, or Cambridge B2 First test score report. Minimum scores are as follows:
    • IELTS (Academic): 5.5
    • TOEFL (iBT): 59
    • TOEFL Essentials: 6.5 band
    • iTEP Academic: 3.7
    • PTE Academic or PTE Academic Online: 50
    • Duolingo: 100
    • Cambridge B2 First: 168
  • A high school diploma earned, or a for-credit English course passed at an institution located in the U.S., U.K., Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, or Canada
  • A high school diploma earned at an institution in which the language of instruction is strictly English. Applicants from the following countries meet this criterion: Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, Ascension, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, Botswana, British Virgin Islands, Canada (except Quebec), Cayman Islands, Dominica, England, Eritrea, Gambia, Ghana, Gibraltar, Grenada, Guyana, Ireland, Jamaica, Kenya, Kiribati, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Mauritius, Namibia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Papua New Guinea, Saint Helena, Saint Kitts & Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent & The Grenadines, Scotland, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Swaziland, Tanzania, Tonga, Trinidad & Tobago, Tuvalu, Uganda, Wales, Zambia, or Zimbabwe.
• Financial Support Documents
  • A recent financial support document indicating a minimum amount of $40,000 available to pursue your studies in the first academic year at SFBU including:
    • A current bank letter and statement, 
    • A loan letter from a lending institution, OR 
    • Copies of fixed deposits.
  • An affidavit of support or sponsor letter is required if funds are not in the applicant’s name. Upload the financial support document and sponsor(s) letter into a single PDF document.
• Clear copy of your passport
   

• Complete the CommonApp (undergraduate only) or the SFBU application
• Scan and upload PDFs of your unofficial documents to your application portal 
• That’s it! No test scores, essays, recommendations, or fees required!
   

It helps us understand your academic background by: 

• Translating your records into English (if needed) 
• Converting your grades to the U.S. grading scale 
• Explaining how your education compares to U.S. standards

Credential Analysis Report: Electronic version from the credential analysis agency or original hard document issued by the credential analysis agency should be sent to us at: 
 

Mailing Address:
San Francisco Bay University
Enrollment Office
161 Mission Falls Ln
Fremont, CA 94539