Austin Community College Catalog
International Students

International Student Admissions

Full-time International Students

In order to be considered for admissions to ACC, international students must submit the following:

  • A completed ACC application
  • An official high school or college transcript
  • Official TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) results - Minimum score requirements are: 197 (computer-based), 530 (paper-based), and 71 (Internet-based with a 53 composite reading/listening/writing). Note: TOEFL requirements may be waived for international students who are graduates of high schools located in the United States or students who have successfully completed a recognized advanced-level ESOL program
  • A current statement of financial support
  • A current passport-size photograph
  • A completed Supplemental Application Form
  • A completed Transfer Candidate Evaluation Form (only for students transferring from one U.S. institution to another)
  • $100 nonrefundable application fee
  • Emergency Contact Form

The International Student Admissions Office evaluates a student’s admissions application only after it has received all supporting documents. A Form I-20 A-B is issued once a student is accepted. Form I-20 A-B is required for obtaining a student visa from the student’s home country or for properly transferring from one U.S. institution to another as required by U.S. Department of Homeland Security regulations. All students must present their passport, I-94, and I-20 before registering for classes. Full- or part-time summer school attendance is optional for F-1 students unless it is their first semester of entry into the United States.

Part-time International Students

In order to be considered for admission to ACC as part-time students, international students must submit the following:

  • A completed ACC application
  • An official transcript from the school of primary enrollment
  • A letter from the student’s current institution verifying their current enrollment status
  • Official TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) results - Minimum score requirements are: 197 (computer-based), 530 (paper-based), and 71 (Internet-based with a 53 composite reading/listening/writing). Note: TOEFL requirements may be waived for international students who are graduates of high schools located in the United States
  • A current passport-size photograph
  • A completed Supplemental Application Form
  • TSI verification
  • $100 nonrefundable application fee
  • Emergency Contact Form

The International Student Admissions Office evaluates a student’s admissions application only after it has received all supporting documents. Not all visa categories allow part-time attendance. Students should contact the International Student Office regarding their status.

Summer Visiting International Students

In order to be considered for admission to ACC as summer visiting students, international students must submit the following:

  • A completed ACC application form
  • A passport-size photograph
  • A completed Supplemental Application Form
  • $100 nonrefundable application fee
  • Proof of current full-time enrollment at a U.S. institution (transcript, fee receipt, etc.)

The International Student Admissions Office evaluates a student’s admissions application only after it has received all supporting documents. Acceptance is granted for that semester only, and no Form I-20 A-B is issued.

U.S. Department of Homeland Security Regulations

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security requires international students to enroll in, maintain, and complete at least 12 semester credit hours during the fall and spring semesters. Students are not required to attend summer school, although they may enroll for any number of credit hours desired, provided that number does not exceed the approved maximum. This maximum may be exceeded, however, by approval from the appropriate Student Services dean.

If an international student’s withdrawal from a course during the fall or spring semester results in completion of fewer than 12 hours, the student will be out-of-status except for documented nonacademic reasons. Students must meet with an international student advisor to obtain approval before withdrawing.

Tuition for International Students

International students pay tuition rates set for nonresident aliens. International students may be eligible for Texas resident tuition, regardless of their length of residency, if they are teachers, professors, teaching assistants, or research assistants employed at least half time on a regular monthly salary (not hourly employees) by any Texas public institution of higher education, with an effective date of employment on the official census date of the relevant term. Such employees must submit a statement certifying employment from the director of personnel or payroll of the public institution of higher education of which they are employed. They must submit a statement before each registration in order to be eligible for Texas resident tuition rates. Texas resident tuition status applies to themselves, their spouses, and dependent children. Tuition is subject to change without notice.

Nonresident and Resident Aliens

The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board defines a nonresident alien as follows:

“A citizen, national, or permanent resident of the United States or an alien who has been permitted by Congress to adopt the United States as his or her domicile while in this country, or a foreign student who has not met the state requirements for establishing residency for tuition purposes.”

Each of the student groups listed is considered by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to be nonresident aliens. Each of the student groups listed is considered by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to be nonresident aliens for tuition purposes. For current information on tuition rates, visit www.austincc.edu/support/admissions/tuitionchart.php.

Students under a visa permitting permanent residence, and aliens who are permitted by Congress to adopt the United States as their domicile while they are in this country, have the same privilege of qualifying for Texas resident status for tuition purposes as do citizens of the United States.

Domicile in Texas. Physically residing in Texas for at least 12 consecutive months with the intent to make Texas one’s permanent home. The burden of proof that a domicile has been established lies with the student.

The following categories of international students are eligible to establish domicile in the United States:

  • Holders of visas with A-1, A-2, A-3, E-1, E-2, G-1, G-2, G-3, G-4, G-5, H-1B, H-4, I, K-1, K-2, K-3, K-4, L-1, L-2, NATO 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, O-1, 0-3, R-1, R-2, U-1, U-2, U-3, U-4, V-1, V-2, V-3 classifications
  • Individuals classified as Refugees, Asylees, Parolees, Conditional Permanent Residents (holding I-551 cards that have not expired), and Temporary Residents (holding I-688 cards that have not expired). Note: Students holding I-688A and I-688B cards are not eligible to establish domicile in the United States.

Undocumented Immigrants

Senate Bill 1528 1528 allows undocumented immigrants to qualify for Texas resident tuition status if they meet all of the following criteria:

  • Resided in Texas 36 months leading up to high school graduation or receipt of GED; and
  • Resided in Texas 12 months prior to each enrollment; and
  • If the student is not a Permanent Resident or U.S. Citizen, they must complete a notarized affidavit stating that the individual will file an application to become a permanent resident at the earliest opportunity he/she is eligible to do so.

In addition, Senate Bill 1528 repeals the requirement that students are not eligible for in state tuition if they have earned college credit prior to the fall 2001 semester.

All other undocumented aliens must meet the full-time international student admission requirements and pay the International Student tuition rate.

English for Speakers of Other Languages – Academic

ACC offers English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) courses in three skill areas—oral communication, reading and vocabulary, writing and grammar. The skill areas are divided into four levels: high beginning, low intermediate, high intermediate, and advanced. Students should consult an advisor or ESOL faculty member for an ESOL assessment test to determine proper placement.

Students planning to take ESOL classes should fill out an ACC application, take the ESOL assessment test, and consult an ESOL faculty member or advisor. For information about the assessment test, call 223.3139 (RGC) or 223.4807 (NRG). For information about the ESOL program call 223.3354 or 223.3349 (RGC), 223.6290 (RVS), 223.4014 or 223.4874 (NRG). For information about the ESOL program for deaf students, call 223.6316 (voice, TTY, or Sorenson videophone). Note: International students who wish to enroll in ESOL courses are subject to all international student admissions requirements.

ESOL for deaf students: ACC offers some ESOL classes especially for deaf and hard-of-hearing students. These ESOL classes are for deaf adults whose primary mode of communication is American Sign Language and who want to read and write practical, everyday English as well as gain a better understanding of American Sign Language. ESOL classes for deaf students are taught in American Sign Language and are adapted to meet the unique language needs of deaf students in three skill areas—reading and vocabulary, writing and grammar, and ASL grammar.