Frequently Asked Questions about Office of International Education.
How can I contact someone from my country?
IUP has more than seven hundred international students from more than seventy countries. See a list of student contacts and international club websites. If you cannot find your country listed, please contact intl-affairs@iup.edu and we will try to find someone from your country to contact you.
Here is a list of clubs you may want to contact:
- Bangladeshi Student Association of IUP
- Chinese Student Association (Taiwan)
- Chinese Student Association
- Indian Student Association
- International Student Club
- Japanese Student Association
- Korean Student Association
- Latino Student Association of IUP
- Malaysian Student Association
- Muslim Student Association
- Pan-African Student Association
- Saudi Student Association
When and how do I register for classes?
See How to Register for Classes.
How do international students apply?
International students may apply on line through Indiana University of Pennsylvania. See the procedures for international students to apply to IUP.
When can I expect to find out whether I have been admitted?
Notification of admission varies but, in general, it takes two to four weeks for a decision to be made after the date your admission application is complete.
Once an international student is admitted, his/her acceptance letter is sent to the Office of International Education, which mails out all the acceptance packages to international students. These packages include an acceptance letter, immigration document, and orientation information and are mailed by airmail. Students interested in having their acceptance package mailed via DHL should contact the Office of International Education with credit card information.
Earliest dates for acceptance packages to be mailed to international students:
- Fall enrollment: February
- Spring enrollment: October
- Summer enrollment: February
What do I need to do as an undergraduate international student (student on a non-immigrant visa)?
See undergraduate application requirements.
What do I need to do as a graduate student?
See graduate application requirements.
What is the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language)?
The Test of English as a Foreign Language is required of all students whose native language is not English. Students who have earned a degree from a university in the United States or another English-speaking country may have the TOEFL waived. Please check with International Admissions for TOEFL waivers.
Minimum scores to attend IUP
Paper test
- Undergraduates: 500
- Graduate students and second baccalaureates: minimum 500 but might require up to 600
Computer-Based Test
- Undergraduates: 173
- Graduate students: minimum 173 but might require up to 250
For more information, see TOEFL.
How can I improve my English-language skills?
The American Language Institute (ALI) can provide you with the English skills necessary for academic success. You are encouraged to enroll in ALI if you haven't acquired the minimum TOEFL score to be admitted to IUP or if you need assistance in improving your language skills. The intensive programs are offered in each semester: Fall, Spring, and Summer, with two sessions per semester.
What is the international student financial statement?
All undergraduate students are asked to show the amount of money covering the cost of two semesters at IUP on the financial statement, as well as to provide a bank statement or letter from their sponsor for the first year at IUP.
An international student may use the IUP form for the financial statement: Affidavit of Financial Support.
About Sponsors
If an international student has a sponsor, a person willing to support the student while he or she is studying at IUP, then the sponsor must submit a letter indicating his or her willingness to support the student. The sponsor's financial institution must sign the appropriate section of the IUP application, IUP form for financial statement.
Is there any financial assistance?
See information on financial assistance (Partial Tuition Waiver) for international students.
Are there any on-campus jobs?
International students may work on campus up to twenty hours a week during the semester and up to forty hours a week during winter/spring break and summer. To find out about on-campus jobs, go to the Student Employment Center website. F-1/J-1 visa students are only eligible to work in jobs that are non-work study (federal).
In order to work on campus, international students must have a Social Security number. See procedures for applying for a Social Security number.
Remember, F-1 students may not work off campus without proper authorization from the Office of International Education or the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
What is SEVIS for?
Because of the implementation of SEVIS (Student and Exchange Visitor Information System), home country address, city of citizenship, and city of birth must be recorded before a student visa may be issued. The SEVIS Information Form provides the Admission office with this information: SEVIS information.
How do I obtain an F-1 student visa?
You should apply for a visa at the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate in your home country using the admission letter and an I-20 from the Office of International Education.
How do I obtain a J-1 student visa?
You should apply for a visa at the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate in your home country using the admission letter and a DS-2019 from the Office of International Education.
Can I get some basic information about IUP?
See about IUP on the website.
What do I need to know about America?
