Information for International Students

Obtain Passport

Any student who plans to study in a foreign country should first acquire a passport. Eventually, your student visa will be inside the passport, and you will be required to present this document at various stages. It is one of the most important documents to obtain. While it is not necessarily required for the application, it is important to start this process early, as it can be a lengthy one.

If you already have a passport, please check the expiration date! If you have a passport that will expire before your intended graduation date, you might want to renew it. It can be difficult to renew a passport once you are outside of your home country.

Complete an Application

Complete your application to UMFK. All application options, including the UMFK Quick Apply form, can be found on the Apply page.

Apply to UMFK for Free!

Language Proficiency

All international students are required to show proof of English language proficiency. There are several ways an international student can do this!

1. If you are from one of the following countries, where English is considered a primary language, you will be considered proficient:
   1. Australia
   2. English-speaking province of Canada
   3. English-speaking Caribbean Countries
      1. Antigua
      2. Barbuda
      3. Bahamas
      4. Belize
      5. Cayman Islands
      6. Dominica
      7. Guyana
      8. Jamaica
      9. St. Kitts
      10. Nevis
      11. St. Lucia
      12. St. Vincent and Grenadines
      13. Trinidad and Tobago

   4. Ghana
   5. Grenada
   6. Ireland
   7. Kenya
   8. New Zealand
   9. Nigeria
   10. United Kingdom
   11. South Africa

   If you are from one of these countries, you MUST submit a copy of your passport as proof.

2. International students completing secondary school in the United States must submit official transcripts from their U.S. high school, as well as transcripts from any secondary work (grades 9–12, including partial years) completed outside the U.S. Your current U.S. high school may submit their copy of your prior school transcript. *If studying in a 13-year system, academic records for grades 10–13 are required.
3. Proficiency through testing:
   • TOEFL score of 61 (internet) or 500 (paper-based)
   • IELTS score of 5.0
   • SAT Evidence-Based Reading & Writing score of 500
   • Duolingo English Test score of 75

   You may have your official scores sent to matthew.f.dyer@maine.edu directly from your school counselor or order a copy to be sent officially from the CollegeBoard or TOEFL/IELTS website.

   UMFK Institution Code: 3393

4. Proficiency through instruction in English:
   • Your high school transcript clearly states that English is the language of instruction for all subjects.
   • You have successfully passed an English Composition course at a US higher education institution with a grade of C or better.

Submit Credential Evaluation

At UMFK, we require all international applicants to submit a credential evaluation report for high school and university transcripts because we do not do evaluations in-house. There is a fee for this process that can range from around $85 to over $275 (if you have transfer credit). This evaluation report will translate your grades into US equivalencies.

We highly recommend you use one of the following for your credential evaluation:

If you are planning on using another provider, they must be endorsed by either the Association of International Credential Evaluators, Inc. (AICE) or the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES). Please view their list of endorsed providers here:

• AICE: http://aice-eval.org/endorsed-members/
• NACES: https://www.naces.org/members

Note: If you are using WES and are from the Caribbean, CXC results need to be sent directly to WES from CXC (cxc.org)

What evaluation should I order?

• Document-by-document evaluation: students with only a high school transcript
• Course-by-course evaluation: students with a high school transcript AND advanced level work; advanced level work could include A-levels, CXC’s, CAPE exams, etc.
• Course-by-course evaluation: students with college/university work completed outside of the United States.

Admissions Decision

Once your file is complete, your application will move to the review queue. An admissions decision typically takes between 1-2 weeks.

At this time, feel free to routinely log in to your MaineStreet Student Center to check on the status of your application (and confirm that your file is complete). If you need help logging into this account, please contact our help desk at (207) 834-7818 or email help@maine.edu. If you have any other questions at this time, please contact matthew.f.dyer@maine.edu.

Request I-20

Now that you’ve been admitted to UMFK, it is time to work towards obtaining your student visa. This starts by obtaining a form I-20. The I-20 form is one of the many documents required to obtain an F-1 student visa. All international applicants who are requesting an I-20 form (Certificate of Eligibility for F-1 Status) are required to demonstrate evidence of financial ability to support their education and living expenses while at the University of Maine at Fort Kent. Please read the “Financial Affidavit of Support Instructions” to complete the next steps correctly. Once all the necessary documents have been gathered, an international student can request their I-20 by using the “Request I-20” function below.

Here are some important details to keep in mind for the financial affidavit of support:

• An international applicant can only request an I-20 only after being admitted.
• The amount shown on the financial affidavit of support must be equal to or greater than the estimated total indicated in the “Financial Affidavit of Support Instructions” document.
• The names should match on both the affidavit and bank statements.
• The estimate you need to show is in US currency. You can use this online currency converter to see how the currency in your country converts to USD.
• The bank statement(s) provided must be from an account that can be withdrawn from (no life insurance policies, investment statements, retirement accounts, etc.).

Once you have finalized the I-20 request, the University of Maine Fort Kent will review the documents. Should the documents provided by the student prove sufficient, an I-20 will be created and sent via FedEx express along with your acceptance letter and scholarship letter(s) (if applicable). You will also receive an email containing a tracking number for your package along with a scanned copy of your I-20.

An international student will need to obtain an F-1 student visa in order to enter the United States as a student of the University of Maine Fort Kent. Once the I-20 form has been issued by UMFK, the student will need to do the following so secure an F-1 student visa.

The next step is to pay your SEVIS fee. The fee assessed is $350 ¹ (excluding the $85 per person biometric fee charged for yourself and any dependents).

• You will be prompted to enter our school code number which is POM214F00108000.
• You will also be prompted to enter your SEVIS ID number.
  • This can be found in the top right section of your I-20 and begins with the letter “N”. It is crucial that you are connected to a printer so that you can print a copy of the receipt.

Pay SEVIS Fee

Complete the Visa Application

Applying for the F-1 student visa may vary depending on the U.S. embassy or consulate you are dealing with. You will be required to pay a non-refundable visa application fee. There is an online visa application available, which allows you to complete and print the Form DS-160 to take to your F-1 visa interview.

Online Visa Application

Schedule and Prepare for Your Interview

You can schedule your F-1 visa interview with the U.S. embassy or consulate. Wait times for interview appointments vary by location, season, and visa category, so you should apply for your visa early. An F-1 student visa for the USA can be issued up to 120 days in advance of your course of study start date. You will only be able to enter the US with an F-1 visa 30 days before your start date.

Visit the U.S. Department of State’s Visa Appointment Wait Times page in order to check the visa wait times at your nearest embassy.

Estimated Wait Time

The following documents are (generally) required for your F-1 visa interview:

• A valid passport
• The Nonimmigrant Visa Application, Form DS-160
• The application fee payment receipt
• A passport photo
• Original Form I-20, signed
• Acceptance letter
• Scholarship letter, if awarded (academic and/or athletic)
• Receipt from the SEVIS fee
• Copies of the bank statements you provided to UMFK

Additional documents may be requested to prove your eligibility for the F-1 student visa, including academic transcripts, diplomas, degrees, or certificates. Test scores such as the TOEFL, IELTS or SAT may also be requested, as well as proof of your intent to depart the U.S. after your program is complete.

* It is a good idea to check in with your embassy/consulate to see if more documents are required.

Additional Visa Information

Your F-1 visa interview will determine whether you are qualified to receive an F-1 student visa for the USA. Assuming that you have prepared the appropriate documents and meet all of the F-1 visa requirements, your visa will be approved at the discretion of the consular officer.

You may be required to pay a visa issuance fee. Digital fingerprint scans may be taken for records. Your passport may be taken so that you can get your visa and if so, you will be informed when you can get it back, either by pick-up or in the mail.

Keep in mind that visa issuance is not guaranteed. Never make final travel plans until you have your visa approved. If your visa is denied, you will be given a reason based on the section of law which applies to your ineligibility.

Confirmation Deposit

Before we can move to work on the form I-20, international students must first confirm their enrollment by paying a confirmation deposit. This deposit is NOT an additional fee; rather, it is just to secure your place here at UMFK and will be reflected in the first bill.

Confirmation Deposit = $50

To make this payment, please complete ONE of the following options:

• If you need help accessing MaineStreet, please call (207) 834-7818 or email help@maine.edu
• If you pay through Flywire, you must send Matthew Dyer an email. No auto-notification will let him know you chose this option. Flywire payments will take up to a week to be reflected on your UMFK student account.

Purchase Flight Tickets

Once you have your visa, you are free to book your flight arrangements. The closest airport to UMFK is the Presque Isle International Airport (airport code PQI). When your plans are finalized, please email your itinerary to matthew.f.dyer@maine.edu.

Note: This airport is roughly an hour’s drive to Fort Kent.

Aroostook Cab can be reached at (207) 764-1600 to arrange transportation from the airport to UMFK. The cost is approximately $100.

* Athletic recruits are encouraged to check in with their coach for pre-season airport pick-ups.

Fly to the United States

Attend Orientation

Don’t forget to sign up and mark your calendar for Orientation! More information regarding this day can be found on UMFK’s New Student Orientation page. New Student Orientation is a fun-packed series of events and workshops designed to introduce you to the UMFK campus and all that it has to offer to assist in your achieving your academic and life goals.

Check Passport/Visa/Current I-20

As a transfer student, you need to know the status of all of your documents. You should first check the expiration dates on all documents. Please speak with your current DSO (Designated School Official) to learn the status of your I-20. We CANNOT transfer I-20s that are expired/completed/terminated. If this is the case, you may simply need a new I-20 issued from us. If you have any questions, please reach out to the international admissions counselor for guidance (matthew.f.dyer@maine.edu).

Complete an Application

Complete your application to UMFK. All application options, including the UMFK Quick Apply form, can be found on the Apply page.

Apply to UMFK for Free!

Language Proficiency

All international students are required to show proof of English language proficiency. There are several ways an international student can do this!

1. If you are from one of the following countries, where English is considered a primary language, you will be considered proficient:
   1. Australia
   2. English-speaking province of Canada
   3. English-speaking Caribbean Countries
      1. Antigua
      2. Barbuda
      3. Bahamas
      4. Belize
      5. Cayman Islands
      6. Dominica
      7. Guyana
      8. Jamaica
      9. St. Kitts
      10. Nevis
      11. St. Lucia
      12. St. Vincent and Grenadines
      13. Trinidad and Tobago

   4. Ghana
   5. Grenada
   6. Ireland
   7. Kenya
   8. New Zealand
   9. Nigeria
   10. United Kingdom
   11. South Africa

   If you are from one of these countries, you MUST submit a copy of your passport as proof.

2. International students completing secondary school in the United States must submit official transcripts from their U.S. high school, as well as transcripts from any secondary work (grades 9–12, including partial years) completed outside the U.S. Your current U.S. high school may submit their copy of your prior school transcript. *If studying in a 13-year system, academic records for grades 10–13 are required.
3. Proficiency through testing:
   • TOEFL score of 61 (internet) or 500 (paper-based)
   • IELTS score of 5.0
   • SAT Evidence-Based Reading & Writing score of 500
   • Duolingo English Test score of 75

   You may have your official scores sent to matthew.f.dyer@maine.edu directly from your school counselor or order a copy to be sent officially from the CollegeBoard or TOEFL/IELTS website.

   UMFK Institution Code: 3393

4. Proficiency through instruction in English:
   • Your high school transcript clearly states that English is the language of instruction for all subjects.
   • You have successfully passed an English Composition course at a US higher education institution with a grade of C or better.

Submit Official Transcripts

Transcripts from other US universities:

If you are transferring from another US institution, we will need a copy of your official transcripts. If you have studied at multiple US institutions, we will need an official copy from each individual school. You will need to contact the Registrar at your past school(s) to request that they send us the official transcript.

Transcripts should be mailed to the following address:

University of Maine System
Shared Processing Center
PO BOX 412
Bangor, Me 04402-0412

You can also send an electronic copy to the following email address: edocs@maine.edu.

Transcripts from foreign universities:

If you have foreign university credits that you would like transferred to UMFK, you will need to do the following steps BEFORE you are admitted.

In order to receive credit for work done at foreign universities, an international student must request a credential evaluation. At UMFK, we require all international applicants to submit a credential evaluation report for foreign university transcripts because we do not do evaluations in-house. There is a fee for this process that can range from around $85 to over $275 (if you have transfer credit). This evaluation report will translate your grades into US equivalencies.

We highly recommend you use one of the following for your credential evaluation:

If you are planning on using another provider, they must be endorsed by either the Association of International Credential Evaluators, Inc. (AICE) or the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES). Please view their list of endorsed providers here:

• AICE: http://aice-eval.org/endorsed-members/
• NACES: https://www.naces.org/members

Note: If you are using WES and are from the Caribbean, CXC results need to be sent directly to WES from CXC (cxc.org)

What evaluation should I order?

• Course-by-course evaluation: students with college/university work completed outside of the United States.

Admissions Decision

Once your file is complete, your application will move to the review queue. An admissions decision typically takes between 1-2 weeks.

At this time, feel free to routinely log in to your MaineStreet Student Center to check on the status of your application (and confirm that your file is complete). If you need help logging into this account, please contact our help desk at (207) 834-7818 or email help@maine.edu. If you have any other questions at this time, please contact matthew.f.dyer@maine.edu.

Request I-20 Transfer

All international applicants who are requesting an I-20 transfer are required to demonstrate evidence of financial ability to support their education and living expenses while at the University of Maine at Fort Kent. Please read the “Financial Affidavit of Support Instructions”” to complete the next steps correctly. Once all the necessary documents have been gathered, an international student can request their I-20 transfer by using the “Request I-20 Transfer” function below.

Here are some important details to keep in mind for the financial affidavit of support:

• An international applicant can only request an I-20 transfer only after being admitted.
• The amount shown on the financial affidavit of support must be equal to or greater than the estimated total indicated in the “Financial Affidavit of Support Instructions” document.
• The names should match on both the affidavit and bank statements.
• The estimate you need to show is in US currency. You can use this online currency converter to see how the currency in your country converts to USD.
• The bank statement(s) provided must be from an account that can be withdrawn from (no life insurance policies, investment statements, retirement accounts, etc.).

Once you have finalized the I-20 transfer request, the University of Maine Fort Kent will review the documents. Should the documents provided by the student prove sufficient, you will need to complete the Transfer-In form. Both you and your current DSO will complete this form. Once it is finished, please email it to the international admissions counselor (matthew.f.dyer@maine.edu).

Transfer-In Form

You will receive an electronic copy of the new I-20 once the transfer has been complete. You should then start to make your travel plans to come to UMFK.

Confirmation Deposit

Before we can move to transfer an I-20, international students must first confirm their enrollment by paying a confirmation deposit. This deposit is NOT an additional fee; rather, it is just to secure your place here at UMFK and will be reflected in the first bill.

Confirmation Deposit = $50

To make this payment, please complete ONE of the following options:

• If you need help accessing MaineStreet, please call (207) 834-7818 or email help@maine.edu
• If you pay through Flywire, you must send Matthew Dyer an email. No auto-notification will let him know you chose this option. Flywire payments will take up to a week to be reflected on your UMFK student account.

Purchase Flight Tickets

Once you have your new I-20, you are free to book your flight arrangements. The closest airport to UMFK is the Presque Isle International Airport (airport code PQI). When your plans are finalized, please email your itinerary to matthew.f.dyer@maine.edu.

Note: This airport is roughly an hour’s drive to Fort Kent.

Aroostook Cab can be reached at (207) 764-1600 to arrange transportation from the airport to UMFK. The cost is approximately $100.

* Athletic recruits are encouraged to check in with their coach for pre-season airport pick-ups.

Attend Orientation

Don’t forget to sign up and mark your calendar for Orientation! More information regarding this day can be found on UMFK’s New Student Orientation page. New Student Orientation is a fun-packed series of events and workshops designed to introduce you to the UMFK campus and all that it has to offer to assist in your achieving your academic and life goals.