International FAQs

First, submit the application for admission. Next, submit all the required documents and transcripts. If you have questions, contact the UPIKE Office of International Student and Scholar Services anytime.

Application Deadlines: June 15 for fall semester and November 1 for spring semester.

Click here to pay the $50 required application fee.

You will receive regular updates by mail.

We require that applicants submit translation documents directly to WES or Josef Silney & Associates in the original language, together with a precise and word-for-word translation completed by a knowledgeable or licensed translator. In the course of the evaluation, WES and Josef Silney & Associates evaluators, who are multi-lingual, verify the translation.

Applicants who need to have their documents translated are referred by WES or Josef Silney & Associates to a reliable translation service to make their arrangements directly with that service or with another translator of their choice. All documents must be submitted directly to WES or Josef Silney & Associates.

All high school and post-high school transcripts and secondary education (not U.S. accredited) completed outside of the United States must be evaluated by an independent international credential evaluation. Certified copies of all high school and post-high school academic records with English translation should be sent to one of the services listed below:

World Education Services (WES) 

Josef Silney & Associates, Inc.
International Education Consultants: Foreign Credential Evaluation and Translation

Please tell WES or Josef Silney & Associates to send your transcript evaluation directly to: Diann Whittier, UPIKE Office of International Student and Scholar Services, 147 Sycamore Street, Pikeville, KY 41501.

SEVIS stands for Student and Exchange Visitor Information System — a U.S. government system that manages data and application processes for all nonimmigrants on F-1 visas.

To arrive at an equitable assessment of individual achievement, there are many variables in the process of grade conversion to U.S. equivalencies. Therefore, we require the evaluation to make grading scales, including their definitions and distributions, meaningful in a U.S. context.

No, international students are not required to take the SAT or ACT, but it is recommended, if available. However, a sports conference may require it, for example, the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). The student should coordinate with individual team coaches to ensure that the student-athlete meets criteria to play sports.

The two tests have different formats. The SAT has three sections: critical reading, math and writing, and the ACT has four components: English, math, science and reading.

No, you do not have to take the TOEFL/IELTS if one of the two years has been within the last five years. However, you must submit a transcript that shows you have attended high school in the U.S.

TOEFL or IELTS is required of students whose countries’ official native language is not English.

Test of English Proficiency.

IBT stands for Internet-based test.

An official TOEFL score of 68 (minimum) is required for undergraduate applicants or a score of 79 (minimum) for graduate students is required for admission.

An overall band score of 6.5 on the IELTS is required for admission.

The TOEFL/IELTS score is valid for two years.

Unfortunately, no. The fulfillment of the English language requirement is one of the elements required to issue you a visa document. If your TOEFL/IELTS score does not meet the requirement, the document cannot be issued and you will not be able to enter the country. It is imperative that the student re-take the test right away.

The English language requirement may be waived if the applicant is a native of or studied in full-time status for at least one academic year within the last five years in the U.S., the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand or English medium universities in Canada or South Africa. Students who studied in English in other countries, for example, India, Pakistan, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Singapore, etc., are not exempt from the English language requirement.

Most international students attending UPIKE hold student (F-1) visas. After you are admitted to UPIKE you will receive a notification of admission and a Certificate of Eligibility (Form I-20). In order to obtain a student visa, present the Certificate of Eligibility (Form I-20) to a United States embassy or consulate. The U.S. Department of State offers more information about obtaining a student visa. If you are attending a college or university in the United States, you must obtain a new Form I-20 from UPIKE. Be sure to complete the International Student Transfer Form from the UPIKE Office of International Students and Scholar Services. Your SEVIS record must be released from your former school to UPIKE. If you have specific questions about student visas, you can contact UPIKE.

Yes, all international students are required to have health insurance. If you don’t have health coverage, a health insurance plan can be offered at UPIKE.

Yes. UPIKE will consider transfer applications from international students who have not completed more than two years of a university degree program. International transfer students are eligible for scholarships on the same basis as any other student.

Any student who is not a U.S. citizen or permanent resident of the United States is considered an international student at UPIKE.

International students do not pay more tuition than domestic students. All International students will receive a $7500 institutional scholarship.

No, International students cannot study part-time. U.S. immigration law requires that all international students on F-1 student visas maintain full-time enrollment.

Yes. According to U.S. law, on-campus employment is the only legal employment for international students.

No. The university seeks to admit a diverse group of international students each year. The quantity and quality of applications from different countries will vary from year to year, and so will the admissions. There is no predetermined number of candidates that will be admitted from any particular country.

Contact Stefan Morales, UPIKE International Student Services at international@upike.edu.