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Office of International Admissions and Services
June 19, 2013

Thank you for your interest in the University of Texas-Pan American. The following information will help you complete the International Admissions Application. This application is for undergraduate, international students only. Graduate students must fill out a Graduate Application and submit it to the Graduate Office. All students who are not U.S. citizens or who have not been approved for U.S. Permanent Resident status are considered international students and should complete an international student application on the website mentioned below. Please read all information and be sure to fill out all spaces as missing information will slow down the processing of your application..

Apply for Admission

Application Checklist: These items must be submitted before any application will be considered complete

Undergraduate International Application Instructions

  • International Student Application - www.applytexas.org
  • Official Transcripts and copies of diplomas, mark-sheets or grade-sheets
  • Transcript evaluation report completed by Foreign Credential Services of America evaluation service (see below for more information); no other credential evaluations services accepted
  • ACT or SAT Standardized test scores (see below for more information)
  • TSI (Texas Success Initiative) Exam Scores (THEA and  ACCUPLACER offered at UTPA Testing Center)
  • Evidence of sufficient financial support for one year of study and living in the U.S. (see below for more information)
  • Copies of passport and any U.S. immigration documents that you may have

 

Note: "Graduate” applicants need to contact the Office of Graduate Studies for an international graduate application and instructions.  

 

Additional Requirements  for Enrollment

 

Proof of Meningitis Vaccination
New Texas law requires all first-time students, including transfer and returning students to submit evidence that the student has had a vaccine, against bacterial meningitis prior to enrolling or to provide other documentation establishing why such a vaccination is not required.

 

 

All first-time students, entering freshmen, transfer students and those who are returning after having stopped out for a fall or spring semester, must provide one of the following documents to the Office International Admissions and Services (OIAS):

 

 

  • A Bacterial Meningitis Immunization Record" signed by a health practitioner evidencing that the student has been vaccinated against bacterial meningitis. Confirmation of the MCV4 (Menactra) vaccine will satisfy as the requirement. The MPSV4 (Menomune) vaccination may not be accepted unless administered or boosted within the past 5 years. Vaccinations must be administered no fewer than 10 days prior to the student's first day of enrollment. Students will not be permitted to enroll until a full 10 days have passed since the date of the vaccination.
 
  • A "Refusal of Immunization for Medical Reasons" signed by a physician who is licensed and registered to practice medicine in the United States which states the physician's opinion that the required vaccination would be injurious to the health and well being of the student.
 
  • A "Texas Department of State Health Services Conscientious Exemption" signed by the student stating that the student has declined the vaccination for reasons of conscience, including religious belief. 

 

  • A Conscientious Objection form for a student NOT LIVING IN ON-CAMPUS HOUSING. For new students (age 18 years or older) at institutions of higher education and NOT living or residing in on-campus housing, who wish to file an affidavit stating that the student declines the vaccination for bacterial meningitis for reasons of conscience, the student may use the official Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board’s form, accessible from the website at the link below. The student must print the form, have it notarized, and file it with the institution’s Registrar’s Office or other designated department or unit.

 

  • The Texas Higher Education Coordinating board form must be completed, notarized, and provided to the designated school official at the institution the student will be attending. It is the student’s responsibility to complete the form and have it notarized. To download the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board affidavit visit http://www.thecb.state.tx.us/index.cfm?objectid=A641CD0D-E56A-A36A-1BCB39FF80781178.
 
  • A Conscientious Objection form for a student LIVING IN ON-CAMPUS HOUSING, or under age 18. For new students living in on-campus housing, which includes student housing facilities located on the campus of a institution of higher education, such as dormitories, sorority and fraternity houses, privately owned residence halls, and apartments, the student must use the official Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) form. The DSHS form may be ordered electronically. It is then mailed from DSHS to the student and it may take up to two weeks to receive the form.

*This form must also be used by students under the age of 18, regardless of whether they are living on or off campus.*

The DSHS form must be completed, notarized, and provided to the designated school official at the institution the student will be attending. It is the student’s responsibility to complete the DSHS form and have it notarized. Information about requesting the DSHS affidavit form is available by http://www.dshs.state.tx.us/immunize/school/default.shtm#exclusions.

 

Other Exceptions: 
Students who meet one of the following specific exceptions permitted by the law
do not have to provide proof of the vaccination:
 
  • New students who are thirty years of age or older on first day of the semester
  • New students who are enrolled only in on-line or distance classes
Deadlines for Undergraduate Students
  Graduate Student Deadlines are located on the Office of Graduate Studies web site.

Deadlines for international students are different than those for regular admissions deadlines due to the additional time needed to obtain immigration documents and to make travel arrangements.

All required documents and all test scores must be on file in the Office of Undergraduate Admission no later than the international admission deadlines:

July 1 (for fall semester)

November 1 (for Spring semester)

April 1 (for Summer 1)

May 1 (for Summer 2)

If you are currently enrolled in a U.S. institution on a visa that permits study, the deadlines for transfer admission are

August 1 (for fall semester)

December  1 (for Spring semester)

May 1 (for Summer 1)

June  1 (for Summer 2)
Official Transcripts/mark-sheets/grade sheets

A transcript is a document issued by secondary schools, colleges, and universities listing the name of the school, student’s name, years of attendance, course studied, and credits and grades received. The transcript may also list degrees completed. Often a transcript has a legend on the back that explains the grading scale and abbreviations.

All applicants must possess the equivalent of a U.S. high school diploma based upon a combined elementary and secondary pattern of 12 years. UTPA admissions requirements in regards to foreign transcripts:

o    Foreign High Schools:
 All foreign high school transcripts are required to be submitted to Foreign Credential Services of America (FCSA) the evaluating agency.
o    Foreign Universities:
All transcripts from foreign universities are required to be submitted to Foreign Credential Services of America (FCSA). This includes any transcripts from Mexico or Canada.
o    Copies may be submitted to FCSA (do not submit to UTPA)
o    If copies are submitted originals must be submitted to OIAS upon arrival to UTPA
o    All evaluations, translated documents and copies of transcripts will be sent to UTPA directly from FCSA
o    Click on the FCSA link for instructions and application form: www.fcsa.biz

 
Exams of English Proficiency

The international applicant, whose native language is not English, must complete and have submitted the scores of official exams of English proficiency. Students who have, in the last two years, completed at least 30 hours of university level academic studies in one of the countries listed and that will transfer to UTPA.

If you are from an English-only speaking country or if you graduate from a high school in the U.S. or in an English-only speaking country you will receive a waiver of the TOEFL.

TOEFL exempt countries

American   Samoa

Australia

Bahamas

Barbados

Belize

Canada (except Quebec)		 Dominica

Grenada

Grand Cayman

Guyana

Ireland

Jamaica

Liberia		 New Zealand

Sierra Leone

Trinidad/Tobago

United Kingdom

U.S.  Pacific Trust



Only test scores that are received directly from a national testing agency or from the UTPA Testing Center are acceptable for admission purposes.  Since it normally takes 8-10 weeks for test results to arrive at UTPA from the testing company,  you should plan to take the tests well in advance of the appropriate application deadline to insure that scores will arrive on time.  

UTPA will not accept residual TOEFL scores from exams taken at another institution.  Undergraduate students scoring between 500 and 550, but otherwise meeting department requirements, will be required to take prescribed courses in English. 

UTPA accepts only two of the following exams of English proficiency:
1.       TOEFL: Test of English as a Foreign Language
o    Scores must be sent directly from Educational Testing Services (ETS) to UTPA
o    Student copies will not be accepted
o    Must be U.S. national TOEFL or institutional UTPA will not accept residual or institutional TOEFL exams taken at another U.S. institution
o    The minimum acceptable total score is 500 for paper/pencil tests and 173 for computer-based tests
o    Test scores are only valid for two calendar years. If the test date was more than two years ago, the applicant must retake the examination and request that an official report from ETS be sent to UTPA
o    The test bulletin of information and registration forms are usually available at American embassies and consulates, offices of the United States Information Agency, or online at www.ets.org
o    The institution code to forward your scores to the University of Texas-Pan American is 6570
o    Students who have completed two semesters of freshmen composition and earned a “C” or better are exempt from the TOEFL
2.       IELTS: International English Language Testing System as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)
o    Scores must be sent directly from IELTS to UTPA
o    Student copies will not be accepted
o    The minimum acceptable score is 6
o    Test scores are only valid for two calendar years. If the test date was more than two years ago, the applicant must retake the examination and request that an official report from IELTS be sent to UTPA
o    The test bulletin of information and registration forms are usually available at American embassies and consulates, offices of the United States Information Agency, or online at www.ets.org
o    Students who have completed two semesters of freshmen composition and earned a “C” or better are exempt from the IELTS

 

ACT (American College Test) or SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test)

The ACT is offered in most countries of the world; you may find testing locations at the following website: http://www.actstudent.org/regist/outside.html
  • Test scores for ACT are for the Fall 2009 minimum score of 17
         and for the     Fall 2011 minimum score of 18
     
  • Test scores for SAT for the Fall 2009 minimum score of 810  
     and for the     Fall 2011 minimum score of 860

TSI (Texas Success Initiative)THEA             
                                                                                                              
Student must take the THEA, ACCUPLACER, ASSET, or COMPASS prior to enrolling in college level coursework unless otherwise exempt. Although the exam is not required for admission purposes students cannot enroll in classes until the exam has been taken

 
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