The following
forms and documents must be provided if you are seeking
admission to Tidewater Community College pursuant to an
I-20. All forms and documents must be sent to the International
Student Services Office at the Virginia Beach Campus
for review of admissibility. If your application and accompanying
documents are accepted for international admission, an
I-20 will be issued either for English as a Second Language
or for an Academic Program. Please read the requirements
listed below very carefully.
Be sure to include your PERMANENT FOREIGN ADDRESS in your home country, your intended program of study at TCC, and your email address.
* All financial documents must be original and submitted in English and U.S. Dollars.
You must provide evidence of the guaranteed financial support of a sponsor to cover all of your school, living and personal expenses and health insurance while studying at TCC. The F-1 financial statement must be current (no more than six months old). Financial support must indicate a sponsor's liquid assets. Retirement Accounts (IRA's) or retirement CD's are not accepted evidence of liquid assets. Open lines of credit are not accepted as a financial resource.
Please make sure that your sponsor completes and signs the Affadavit of Support section on page 5. Your sponsor must also indicate the specific dollar amount of support that he or she will provide for you for each year of study at TCC. The Bank Verification section is signed and sealed by your sponsor's bank officer. If your sponsor's bank official will not complete this section, you may submit a separate, official bank letter in English and U.S. dollars. Bank letters must indicate the sponsor's name, account number the same information requested in the Bank Verification section on the I-20 Application. Generic bank letters are not accepted. Bank documents in a foreign language will NOT be accepted.
TCC is authorized by the Student and Exchange Visitor Program to admit F-1 students and issue the Form I-20 ONLY for the academic programs listed on page 4 of the I-20 Application and Financial Statement form. Please select (1) the academic program from that list that you wish to study at TCC. The program that you indicate on the I-20 Application Form is the program you will be admitted to TCC to begin upon arrival. Application for an I-20 for an academic program requires a current, official International TOEFL report with an equivalent minimum score of 61 (iBT); individuals who submit International TOEFL reports with scores below 61 (iBT) will be admitted for ESL instruction.
As a reminder, all documents submitted pursuant to your admission to TCC as an F-1 visa student become the property of the college. Please make your personal copies of documents before you submit them to the International Student Services office!
(TCC Institutional TOEFL Code: 5787)
Applicants from outside the United States or F-1 transfer students must submit a recent, original TOEFL report sent directly from TOEFL/ETS to TCC to demonstrate English proficiency. Hand carried TOEFL reports cannot be accepted. A minimum TOEFL score of 133 (computer based) ,450 (paper test) or 45 (Internet Based) is required for admission to TCC and and I-20 for one year of ESL instruction. Applicants with a current, original TOEFL score of 173 (CB), 500 (PB) or 61 (IB) are eligible for admission to TCC and an I-20 for an academic program, but will still be required to take an ESL placement test upon arrival to the college. When sitting for the TOEFL exam, please give the test administrator TCC’s TOEFL institutional code: 5787.
VISA HOLDERS SEEKING A CHANGE OF STATUS TO F1 WITHIN THE UNITED STATES: Applicants seeking a change of status to F1 and admission to TCC pursuant to an I-20 must submit a TOEFL score of 450 (PB), 133 (CB), or 45 (IB) or achieve the Intermediate II ESL level in Reading, Writing/Grammar and Oral Communications on the Compass/ESL test to be accepted as an F-1 visa student for ESL study.
5. Documentation of Completion of Secondary Studies
F1 applicants must be 18 years of age and provide documentation of completion of secondary studies. Please provide an official COPY of your secondary school diploma with an official English translation if the document is not in English. Applicants who have NOT completed secondary studies will not be accepted for Academic Studies or for English as A Second Language Study.
All F1 students and their dependents are required to provide proof of continuous health insurance coverage for each semester by the last day of the drop/add period. Proof of international student health insurance is mandatory. Students who fail to provide evidence of insurance for the entire semester will be blocked from college transactions. A description of the minimum coverage required for F-1 visa students is located on page 2 of the I-20 Application and Financial Statement for F-1 Students at section #3.
The International Student Services office no longer accepts health coverage from the International Student Organization (ISO). Brochures for accepted companies that meet the ISS requirements are available at the International Student Services office.
TCC does not evaluate
foreign transcripts for transfer credit. Click link
for information on private
academic credentialing agencies that are approved
by TCC.
After your international admission to TCC is complete and an I-20 is issued for Initial Attendance (overseas applicants and change of status applicants), you must pay a non-refundable SEVIS I-901 fee at least 3 days before your scheduled interview at a U.S. embassy or before submitting documents to the Vermont Service Center. For information on paying the SEVIS I-901 fee, visit the ICE website at http://www.ice.gov/sevis/i901/index.htm .To pay the I-901 fee, go to www.fmjfee.com . |
F1
TRANSFER STUDENTS SUBMIT THE ADDITIONAL REQUIRED DOCUMENTS LISTED BELOW:
This form must be signed by the Designated School Official at your current school and mailed to the International Student Services office at TCC. A hand carried original or copied document will not be accepted.
9. Immigration Documents
Current I-20 Form : Submit a copy of your current
I-20 issued by the school you are transferring
from.
10. Transcripts from current school
F1 transfer students must submit official transcripts from current institution as part of admission documents. A TOEFL score of 173/500/61 is required for admission to an academic program.
For admission to ESL study, transfer students must submit a current, original TOEFL report with a score of 450/133/45, or achieve Intermediate II ESL level in Reading, Writing/Grammar, and Oral Communications on the Compass/ESL test.
IMPORTANT! F1 transfer students accepted
for admission to Tidewater Community College are required
to report to the International Student Advisor at TCC before being eligible to transfer to another school. Please
be sure of your decision to attend TCC before
your electronic SEVIS record is released to the International
Student Services office.
This school is authorized under Federal Law to enroll non-immigrant alien students
F-1 visa students at Tidewater Community College may only enroll in classes required for the course of study listed on the form I-20 that are located at TCC’s four comprehensive campuses (Chesapeake, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Virginia Beach) and the Visual Arts Center. (Please note: students may continue to enroll in one 3 credit online course per semester to count towards full-time enrollment.) Enrollment in classes at any off-campus location is not permitted, and is considered to be a violation of status. There is no exception to this policy.
