Individuals that hold a B1/B2 visa are not eligible to study in the U.S.  Only F and M students are limited to attendance at SEVP-certified schools.  Therefore, the quickest way to be able to study here in the U.S. is to go through the process of obtaining an F1 visa while in your home country. If you would like to obtain an F1 visa in this way, please go back to the previous webpage and select “I am overseas and want to come to Stark State Community College as an F-1 international student.”

If you choose to remain in the U.S. under your B1/B2 visa, you will not be permitted to attend school until after you have applied for and been granted a change of status through USCIS, which can take up to 18 months.

For additional information on Changing to a Nonimmigrant Student Status from B-1/B-2 status by remaining in the U.S.), please go to https://studyinthestates.dhs.gov/students/complete/change-of-status.

Below are the steps for obtaining an I20 for status change by remaining in the U.S.

For admission to SSC:

1. An application must be completed and submitted to SSC using the international application available online.
   – Please enter all 999s for your social security number
   – Under high school, select OH for the state, select any city, then click the dropdown arrow and select My School Isn’t Listed and manually type in the name of your school
2. High school diploma or equivalent and transcripts (English translations may be needed)
3. Any previously attended college/university transcripts (Formal evaluation may be needed to grant credit from schools outside of the U.S.)
4. English proficiency shown by taking and meeting the minimum score requirements on the TOEFL, IELTS, Duolingo, ACT/SAT, or Accuplacer (taken within the last 2 years). This is required for all international students, regardless of language spoken in country of origin. SSC does not offer any ESL programs.
   – TOEFL: minimum score of 61 AND minimum of 18 on both reading and writing sections
   – IELTS: minimum score of 6
   – Duolingo: minimum score of 90
   – SAT: minimum EBRW of 360
   – ACT: minimum English score of 18
   – Accuplacer through SSC (if in the Stark State College area): minimum writing score of 2, minimum reading score of 28

For issuance of I20:

5. Current passport
6. Copy of current visa (please note you will be required to keep your visa in good standing while waiting a change of status through USCIS)
7. Bank statements or letter from the bank that shows the most recent 4 months having a balance of at least $20,752. This can be the student’s account or whomever is sponsoring the student.
   – If adding a single F2 dependent, please add an additional $2,500 (for a total amount of $23,252)
   – If adding more than one F2 dependent, please add an additional $5,000 (for a total amount of $25,752)
8. SSC Financial Affidavit form, completed by the student, acknowledging his/her responsibility of all costs for attendance

Any and all of the above required documentation can be sent directly to Rebecca Danner, DSO, at rdanner@starkstate.edu.

Once all of the above steps have been completed, you will need to follow the procedure for U.S.C.I.S. for submitting an application Form I-539. The form, fees, and instructions for filing the form with U.S.C.I.S can be found at https://www.uscis.gov/i-539.

Currently, tuition for international students is $323.60 per credit hour.  Most degrees are approximately 62-68 credit hours, plus any needed prerequisite courses, fees, labs, supplies, and textbooks. Per U.S.C.I.S. F1 visa student regulations, you must take a minimum of 12 credit hours every fall and spring semester, with no more than one online class at a time.

Also, please note that F1 visa international students are not eligible to receive any financial aid or scholarships through Stark State College.  Stark State is proud to offer its students one of the lowest tuition rates around, but students are encouraged to research outside sources that may offer such assistance. Additionally, please be aware we are a commuter college and offer no on-campus housing. International students are responsible for securing their own housing, and job opportunities for F1 visa students are severely limited and not guaranteed.