International Graduate Applicants

APPLICATION INFORMATION

The deadline to submit the fall 2012 graduate application is January 5, 2012.

Online applications for Fall 2012 will be avaliable November 1, 2011.

Note: All international students who require an F-1 visa to study in the United States will receive the necessary immigration-related information upon paying the graduate enrollment deposit.

Requirements for International Graduate Applicants

All graduate students are required to submit an application, personal essay, resume, recommendations, transcripts, and portfolio (portfolio is optional for the MBA in Design Strategy program). Please refer to the Graduate Admissions page for specific application instructions for your intended program of study. In addition to these, international applicants must also provide the following materials to complete their application.

Transcripts
Official, sealed transcripts of all previous undergraduate and graduate studies must be sent directly from each college or university you have attended. All transcripts must be in English or accompanied by a certified English translation of the original.

Proof of English-Language Proficiency
Unless English is the official language of your country, you must submit:

• an official Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) score,
• International English Language Testing System (IELTS), or
• Pearson Test of English Academic (PTE Academic)

Test scores are valid for two years from the test date. If more than two years have passed since taking the test, the test must be retaken. You must request an official copy of the scores be sent directly from the testing service to CCA's Enrollment Services Office. Our college code is 4031.

TOEFL
CCA accepts paper-based (PBT) and Internet-based (iBT) versions of the TOEFL exam. CCA international graduate applicants must achieve a minimum score of 100 on the iBT or 600 on the PBT.

IELTS
CCA will accept a minimum International English Language Testing System (IELTS) score of 7.5 or higher for graduate international applicants.

PTE Academic
CCA will accept a minimum Pearson Test of English Academic (PTE Academic) score of 73 or higher for graduate international applicants.

English Proficiency Waiver
International applicant’s whose native language is not English but have studied and graduated from a college in the US, Canada, Great Britain or Australia within the last five years of submitting a graduate application, are eligible to have the English proficiency exam waived. If more than five years have passed since graduating, the applicant must take an English language proficiency exam.

Obtaining a Student Visa Following Official Acceptance to CCA

International students who require a student visa to study in the United States (following official admittance to CCA and having paid the enrollment deposit) must complete the following steps:

Step 1: You must submit an official bank statement from your parent or sponsor that demonstrates your ability to cover the cost of attending CCA for at least one academic year. Download the Cost of Attendance (PDF) report, which provides an estimated total cost to attend CCA in the current academic year (revised annually).

If you have a sponsor(s) by someone other than your parents, a letter of support must accompany the official bank statement. CCA does not provide a special form for this verification of finances. All financial documents are completely confidential. Please send us original bank documents (translated to English) and the total amount must be indicated in U.S. currency.. All financial documents are completely confidential.

Step 2: You also must complete an I-20 Request Form (PDF). CCA will not issue an I-20 until you have been admitted, submitted the bank statement, provided a copy of the first two pages of your passport and completed the I-20 Request Form.

Mail the above documents to the Enrollment Services Office. Upon receipt and review, the International Student Affairs and Programs (ISAP) Office will provide an official CCA I-20. We will send the new I-20 to the address provided on the I-20 Request Form.

Step 3: Bring your new CCA I-20, the I-901 fee receipt, the original bank statement(s), and your CCA letter of acceptance to a U.S. embassy or consulate to obtain a student visa (F-1) for entry into the United States.

Note: each U.S. embassy or consulate around the world may require additional documents to those listed above. Check the website of the U.S. embassy or consulate where you plan to apply for your F-1 visa. A list of all U.S. embassies or consulates is available at www.usembassy.gov.

If you are currently studying in the United States on an F-1 status, you must submit both an I-20 request form (see above) and the Request for Release of SEVIS Record form (PDF). Your current international advisor will need to transfer your SEVIS record to CCA and complete part of the Request for Release of SEVIS Record form.

If you are on a different visa status in the United States (A, B-1/2, F-2, H-1B, L, R, etc.), please know it may take longer to change your visa status to F-1 while in the United States; therefore, we encourage you to inform us early on about your current immigration status, and advise starting the admissions process as quickly as possible.

All graduate international students, in order to maintain F-1 status while studying at CCA, must be registered as full-time students each semester (minimum 15 units for all graduate programs; 9 units for the Visual and Critical Studies Program).

Mailing Instructions

California College of the Arts
Enrollment Services Office—Graduate Admissions
1111 Eighth Street
San Francisco, CA 94107-2247

CCA is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC), the National Association for Schools of Art and Design (NASAD), the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB), and the Foundation for Interior Design Education Research (FIDER).