Congratulations on your recent admission to Saint Paul College! We are excited to welcome you to Saint Paul, Minnesota. Please review your next steps below.
It’s important to plan ahead. Some next steps must be completed before you arrive to Saint Paul College and before you can register for classes.
If you have any questions about your next steps, please email international@saintpaul.edu.
Skip these steps if you are already in the US on an F-1 visa/status. See “SEVIS Transfer” information below.
You will be issued a Form I-20 along and a Saint Paul College admission letter 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, sign, and date it. If you are younger than 18 years of age, a parent or legal guardian must also sign the bottom of page 1 of your I-20.
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 a new I-20 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. It is highly recommended to make copies.
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. You will be asked for your SEVIS ID when you pay the SEVIS fee. Your SEVIS ID is on the upper left of page 1 of your I-20. The fee is currently $350.
Steps to apply for your F-1 visa
Review this page for an overview of how to apply for your F-1 visa: travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/study/student-visa.html
Visa application tips
Visa interview tips
Be sure to review the “F-1 Visa Interview Tips” document sent to you along with your I-20. In addition, review NAFSA’s Top 10 Visa Application Tips.
If you have any questions before your visa interview, you can contact the EducationUSA Advising Center closest to you: educationusa.state.gov/find-advising-center
Notify Saint Paul College of visa approval
Notify Saint Paul College of your visa interview result by emailing international@saintpaul.edu. If you are approved for the F-1 visa, please email a photo or scanned copy of your visa to international@saintpaul.edu when you receive it in your passport.
The below steps must be completed to register for classes at Saint Paul College. It’s highly recommended to complete these steps as early as possible to ensure you can register for classes on time.
All pre-enrollment steps can be completed online before arrival.
The self-guided online International Student Orientation is separate from your in-person orientation at Saint Paul College and must be completed before you register for classes. It is highly recommended to complete this online orientation before departing for the US, as the orientation contains helpful pre-departure information.
To access the online orientation, go to: www.college2success.com/saintpaul.
All Saint Paul College students are required to have course placements for Reading, English, and Math before registering for classes. Your course placements will tell you what classes you can take. Based on the results of the assessments, you may be required to take some pre-requisite classes outside of your major.
If you have not completed any college-level coursework in the US, and you do not have ACT or SAT scores, you will need to receive your course placements by completing the below course placement assessments:
If you have completed college-level coursework in the US, or you have taken the ACT or SAT test, you may be eligible for an assessment waiver:
Assessment Waiver Request Form
Please do not submit the Assessment Waiver form with transcripts from outside of the US. Your request will be automatically denied.
ou must have course placements for Reading, English, and Math before you can schedule an appointment with your Academic Advisor to register for classes. It is highly recommended that you have these assessments completed no later than two weeks before the start of your first semester.
Your Academic Advisor (Pathway Advisor) or EAPP Advisor will assist you with registering for the classes you need to make progress in your degree. As an F-1 student, your class schedule must meet certain enrollment requirements each Fall and Spring semester.
Academic Advising (Pathway Advising) prefers that you schedule an advising appointment with your assigned advisor to register for your first semester classes. Drop-in advising appointments are short and your advisor may not be able to answer all of your questions in a drop-in session. You must have course placements on file for Reading, English, and Math, before you can schedule your meeting with your advisor*.
To schedule your Advising appointment to register for classes, log-in to Navigate with your StarID and password, or call the Academic Advising office at 651-846-1739. Advising appointments can be done online over Zoom, or in-person at Saint Paul College.
F-1 student enrollment requirements for registration (as determined by the US government):
More information on F-1 status requirements can be found on the International Student Services webpage under “Maintaining F-1 Status”.
*Pathway Advisors are not available for scheduled advising appointments the week before the semester starts or the first week of the semester. The Pathway Advising office is only open for drop-ins during this time. It is important to plan ahead and ensure you have your course placements on file early to be able to schedule an appointment with your advisor.
New students with an initial I-20 may arrive up to 30 days before the program start date on the I-20 (listed as “earliest admission date”). Do not attempt to enter the US earlier than this date. Attempting to enter the US earlier may lead to F-1 status issues after arrival.
All new students, including transfer students, are required to attend the International Student Orientation the week before classes start. Plan to arrive no later than the day before your orientation (orientation dates can be found below).
Saint Paul College does not have any on-campus housing. Students are responsible for finding their own housing. It can take 3 to 4 weeks to secure an apartment, so it is recommended to arrive early if you do not have housing arranged. You can arrive up to 30 days before your program start date on your I-20. Find housing resources on the International Student Services webpage under “Housing Resources”.
The College does not provide or arrange transportation or offer airport pick-up. There are many ways to get from the Minneapolis-St. Paul (MSP) Airport to Saint Paul College and downtown St Paul.
Go to Terminal 1, Ground Transportation.
www.mspairport.com/directions/ground-transportation
You submitted a Financial Certification Statement and demonstrated sufficient funding as a part of your international student application to Saint Paul College. You are expected to have full access to these funds.
To maintain your status as an F-1 international student at Saint Paul College, you are required to register full-time each Fall and Spring semester, purchase the required health insurance, and pay your tuition, in addition to funding for your everyday living expenses.
You should be prepared to pay approximately $4,000-$5,500 to the college for your first semester of tuition, books, and health insurance and have immediate access to these funds upon arrival.
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.
It is your responsibility to ensure you have the funds to pay for tuition, living expenses, health insurance, and any other expenses. 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.
Your “port of entry” (POE) is the first border to the US that you encounter. Usually, this is the first international airport you enter in the US. At your POE, you will go through “customs”, which is short for US Customs & Border Protection (CBP). You may need to wait in a line and this process may take several hours. It’s important to remain calm, be patient, and be respectful.
You should have all of the below documents with you, in your carry-on luggage or personal bag, when you arrive to the US. You will need to present these documents to the CBP officer for entry to the US:
If you are admitted to the US, you will receive an admission stamp in your passport, and you will be issued an electronic Form I-94 “Arrival and Departure Record”.
You should download a copy of your I-94 while still in the airport, if possible, or shortly after you arrive. You can find your I-94 number and record at i94.cbp.dhs.gov (click “Get Most Recent I-94”). When you enter the US on an F-1 visa, your I-94 “Class of Admission” should be “F1” and your “Admit Until Date” should be “D/S”. D/S stands for “duration of status.”
When you have downloaded your I-94 record, email a copy to international@saintpaul.edu. If you cannot find your I-94, or there is an error on your I-94, be sure to contact international@saintpaul.edu as soon as possible. An I-94 is an important document to have while in the US.
International students are required to purchase the system-approved health insurance while enrolled at Saint Paul College. You must purchase the insurance each semester. The fee for your first semester will be added to your student account 3-6 weeks before the start of the semester.
This fee must be paid in full to register for your classes.
If you register before August, you may be able to register before the fee is added. If you register for classes prior to the fee being added, the fee will be due by the Tuition due date for that semester.
Your insurance fee must be paid in full and cannot be paid using the Nelnet Business Solutions (NBS) payment plan.
This fee can be paid in your eServices account under “Bills & Payment”, or in-person at the Tuition Office window. The fee can also be paid using Flywire, if paying internationally. Once you have paid your health insurance fee, contact the Tuition Office or the International Student Services office to have the registration hold removed. Health insurance that remains unpaid may result in your classes being dropped. Find information about using the Health Insurance on the International Student Services page under “International Student Resources”, “Health Insurance”. Information about the Health Insurance is also covered in the online international student orientation, and at the in-person orientation before the semester starts.
Your tuition can be paid as soon as you register for classes. If you register for classes after the tuition due date, you should set up tuition payment within 24 hours of registering for classes.
Your tuition can be paid in full, or by using the Nelnet Business Solutions (NBS) payment plan. Please note that if you decide to use the NBS payment plan for your tuition, you must pay your health insurance fee in-full first.
You are responsible for ordering the books and supplies required for your courses. You can do this through the Saint Paul College Bookstore
If you have questions about your next steps or getting adjusted in Minnesota, if you need support, or if you just want to introduce yourself and connect, you can schedule a meeting with the International Student Advisor at any time before you start your first semester
Schedule an appointment with the International Student Advisor through Navigate. You will need to log-in with your Star ID and password.
If you are having difficulty scheduling through Navigate, you can also email international@saintpaul.edu to schedule an appointment.
After your admission to Saint Paul College, you will receive your Saint Paul College admission letter via email. You should present this admission letter to your P/DSO at your transfer-out school and ask them to release your SEVIS record to Saint Paul College.
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 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 student and transfer-out school and a conversation with the student about the circumstances that led to the loss of F-1 status. If we determine we will be able to accept the terminated or completed record and support reinstatement, Saint Paul College will confirm this directly with the transfer-out school and student via email.
Saint Paul College does not have a separate transfer form. Transfer information for P/DSOs is included on the student’s admission letter.
Once your SEVIS record is released to Saint Paul College, you will be issued a transfer-pending Form I-20. You should print and sign your I-20 immediately after you receive it. After you have completed all of your next steps for enrollment, attend the New International Student Orientation, and start classes, you will be issued a new continued attendance Form I-20 and complete the F-1 transfer process.
NEXT UP IS ORIENTATION
Saint Paul College requires all students to attend orientation, which means you must plan to arrive in Minnesota no later than the day before your New International Student Orientation.
During your orientation, you will have the opportunity to meet other new and continuing Saint Paul College international students, receive important information about your responsibilities as an F-1 international student at the College, be introduced to your new campus community, and receive information about resources that will help you succeed.
Orientation Dates
| Academic Term | Required International Student Orientation |
|---|---|
| Fall 2024 Semester | August 21, 2024 |
| Spring 2025 Semester | January 8, 2025 |
Failure to arrive on-time or complete the required steps above may result in deferment of your admission to the next semester.
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