Who is Considered an International Student?

International Student Services serves those students that need a student visa to enter the US to enroll in a degree program (F-1 visa) or a UAA-sponsored exchange program (J-1 visa).

Permanent Residents & Non-Student Visas

Permanent Residents, those in the US attending UAA on a non-student visas such as dependents of workers on visas or au pairs, and non-US citizens who wish to study while outside the US are not considered “international students” for admissions purposes and should apply using the regular first-year, transfer, or graduate applications. Persons in these categories do not need to submit a English Proficiency Examination (TOEFL/IELTS) results.

Tourist Visas or Visa Waiver

Persons who entered the US under B-1/B-2 tourist visas or the visa waiver program, should not begin studying at UAA before changing to a different immigration status.

Application Process

Beyond the standard admission requirements, there are additional requirements that must be met in order to become an international student at UAA. Several of these steps involve extra time to complete. Please consider the extra time when choosing the start semester on the admission application.

In addition to completing the University of Alaska Anchorage application, international students are required to:

• provide proof of English proficiency,
• have all international transcripts evaluated through World Education Services, and
• provide required financial documentation.

Graduate Level Programs

For those students who are applying for graduate level programs, each program has specific requirements above those for UAA admission that must be met in order to be considered for acceptance into the program. It is the student's responsibility to be familiar with the program they are applying to and provide the documentation and test scores as outlined for each specific program.

Distance Learning Programs

Distance learning programs do not qualify for a student visa.