Enrollment involves five processes: admission, visa approval by the U.S. government, orientation, advisement and course registration. Once you have decided on a program and campus, contact the Designated School Official (DSO)/International Student Advisor at that college and request an admissions application. Once accepted, you will receive a welcome packet containing a SEVIS I-20 form, which you will use to obtain your student visa at a local U.S. embassy or consulate. These details are outlined thoroughly in the Apply for F-1 Student Admissions page of this web site.
Some Lone Star College System programs (nursing, veterinary technology, other health science programs, etc.) have special enrollment requirements.
Entrance into these programs is competitive, and they have a separate application and admission process for each program. Acceptance at a Lone Star College System college does not guarantee acceptance into one of these programs. In most cases, you will need to complete your English and other academic prerequisites before applying to one of these specialized programs. For more information, contact your DSO/International Student Advisor.
Yes. Lone Star College offers ESOL courses. Depending on the campus, courses ESOL courses start at either Level 1 or Level 2. If you are applying for F-1 admission to Lone Star College, you can apply to study ESOL only or can take ESOL courses to prepare for college-level study if you are planning on pursuing an Associate's degree, if necessary. Minimum English proficiency is required for admission even if you are planning on enrolling in the ESOL program. Visit the English Proficiency Requirement Web page.
Yes, minimum English proficiency is required to ensure that students can benefit from our courses. You can demonstrate English proficiency in a variety of ways. Please see our English Proficiency page for more information.
In order to protect your privacy and documents, we are unable to accept application documents via fax. However, you can scan and email your application materials to the Designated School Official (DSO)/International Student Advisor at the Lone Star campus you wish to attend. Please email scanned documents as PDF or JPG attachments in one complete packet to the Designated School Official (DSO)/International Student Advisor at the LSC campus you chose in your New Student Online Application by the specific deadline. If you send your documents to a campus other than the one you indicated, your application may be delayed or denied. Original documents should be kept and presented when applying to the U.S. embassy or consulate and may be required by Lone Star upon request.
New Students: Your application and required documentation must be on file with the DSO/International Student Advisor at the LSC campus you wish to attend by the following dates:
- July 1st - Fall Semester (August Start)
- November 15th - Spring Semester (January Start)
U.S.-Based Transfer Students: Your application and required documentation must be on file with the DSO/International Student Advisor at the LSC campus you wish to attend by the following dates:
- August 15th - Fall Semester (August Start)
- December 15th - Spring Semester (January Start)
Applicants requesting a change of status to F-1 (COS): If you are requesting a change of status to F-1, you must submit all required documentation to Lone Star College at least 30 days before the expiration date on your I-94 card. If we receive your materials less than 30 days before, we will not be able to process your request.
No, international students should be prepared to pay all expenses, both educational and living. View the tuition page for an estimate cost for one academic year. >>More
Payment is due before the first day of class. More information about due dates and payment plans is available online. >>More
No, we do not have on-campus housing for any students, domestic or international.
Yes, placement testing is required and ensures that you will be enrolled in appropriate classes according to your abilities in English and math. All Lone Star College System students are subject to the academic requirements of the State of Texas and Lone Star College System.
Yes, degree-seeking students who have college or university credits outside the U.S. and wish to transfer their credits to Lone Star College System must submit a course-by-course evaluation from one of the approved evaluation services listed on our International Transcripts page.
An F-1 international student must enroll in and maintain a minimum of 12 credit hours per semester, at least nine of which must be in a face-to-face setting, as required by USCIS rules and regulations.
Some Lone Star College System programs (nursing, veterinary technology, etc.) have special enrollment requirements.
USCIS allows international students to work on-campus for up to 20 hours per week. However, the number of available positions is extremely limited. Work off-campus is only allowed in special cases with authorization by the DSO/International Student Advisor and USCIS.
Yes. U.S. Social Security numbers are approved for people who are authorized to work in the United States. These numbers are used to report your wages to the U.S. government and to determine eligibility for Social Security benefits. If you are temporarily in the United States to attend college, with a non-immigrant F-1 student classification without an on-campus work authorization, you cannot apply for U.S. Social Security Number. The Social Security Administration will not assign you a number just to enroll in college or school. Please talk to your DSO/International Student Advisor before applying for social security.
