A foreign or international student, you would have to either be:

  • Staying in the U.S. with a valid status
  • Staying in the U.S. and already have a current F-1 visa
  • Living overseas

Anyone who lives overseas is considered a foreign or international student. They would have to stay in the U.S. while in college and attend classes full-time to maintain their status, either at one of the Columbia College residencies or with friends or family in close proximity to the college, for convenience.

International students should apply for a visa (as a student or other nonimmigrant classification), from their home country at a U.S. Embassy or with a Consulate, from their home-country. If they are already in the U.S., they can apply at an Embassy. For assistance, contact a Consulate or the Columbia College Admissions Office for questions at (703) 206-0508. Once you are in the U.S. you may need to revert back to this page for status changes and more.

International adults staying in the U.S. with a valid status or nonimmigrant classification, called an R1, B1, B2, etc, will have to apply for a status change in order to attend Columbia College. In order to keep your status, you will have to enroll in full-time classes and maintain full-time school status. Full-time status varies with each college.
F-1 students are one-step beyond that of the above. The F1 application is called the International Student Transfer Form. There are several kinds of F-1 students. An F1 student who has applied for a “Status Change” or needs to apply for one would be a person who lives or stays in the U.S. and has a tourist visa or is an exchange student from another country. An F1 student who is considered a “Transfer” has already filled out one F-1 form and has been attending another college in the U.S. prior to coming to CC. He/she can also be a former student of Columbia College that decides to proceed towards a higher degree at another college. In either case, the student will still need to contact his/her corresponding embassy to get the correct paperwork to fill out while enrolling in Columbia College. If you would like more information on F-1 Visas, go to http://www.ehow.com/about_6516388_f1-visa-information.html.