International Student Admission Steps
The Blinn College District is only eligible through SEVIS to issue I-20’s to F-1 Visa applicants and students. Other visa types may enroll, but may have specific requirements and restrictions.
Students can now submit admissions items via their myBLINN portal under the Admissions Forms icon. Some documents are temporarily accepted via the portal, but official documents will be required once the student arrives for the start of the term. See details about submission requires below.
Contact the International Student Office if you have questions while completing the process: international@blinn.edu.
All new students must apply to the College District. Blinn utilizes the ApplyTexas application system, also referred to as the Texas Common Application. Once a student has created an account, the student should choose the two-year application, then select Blinn College.
Blinn no longer accepts a paper application. All applicants must apply through ApplyTexas.
Submit the Apply Texas Application for the term for which you wish to receive your I-20. If the F-1 International Admissions deadline has passed for this term, we recommend you submit the application for the next available Fall or Spring term. F-1 students are only accepted for Fall or Spring terms. Submitting an application does not guarantee you will receive a Form I-20, you must complete the international admissions requirements by the admissions deadline to receive a Form I-20.
Make sure the name on your Apply Texas application matches the name as it appears on your passport.
International students who do not need an F-1 visa do not have an admissions deadline, but must complete the admissions process by the registration deadline. See Academic Calendar.
- New F-1 Students: Students who do not currently have a visa but are seeking the F-1 visa to study at Blinn College. Applicants applying from their home country typically fall into this category. This also includes students that previously had an I-20 but it is no longer active.
- Transfer F-1 Students: Students who are currently enrolled at another U.S. institution and have a valid F-1 student visa. This also includes students transferring directly to Blinn from an authorized English language institute (ELI) or U.S. high school.
- Co-Enrolled International Students: International students with an unexpired I-20 who wish to take one or more courses at Blinn College while remaining in full-time status at another college or university on an F-1 visa.
- Other Visa Type Students: International students who hold a different visa type beyond F-1; such as F-2, E-2, J-2, H-4. B-visa holders are not able to enroll under an active B-visa status and must change to a different visa status prior to enrolling in classes. Each visa type may have specific restrictions and regulations depending on the nature of the visa.
- Pending Asylum Students: Individuals who have an I-589 Application for Asylum pending with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)
Follow the admissions requirements per your checklist based on your student type above. For students needing a Form I-20: submit the initial admissions requirements by the admissions deadline for your term in order to receive a Form I-20. Documents submitted after the admissions deadline will automatically be processed for the next available term.
Submit the Following Documents Via Your myBLINN Portal:
Click the Admissions Forms Icon on your myBLINN Portal to submit admissions documents securely. We will not accept the documents below by email.
Some of these items are only needed for specific non-citizen categories, refer to your admissions checklist by student type to determine if these are required for your admissions category.
- Copy of Passport
- Copy of Visa
- Copy of I-94 record
- Copy of USCIS I-797 filing receipts
- Copy of USCIS I-797 approval notices
- Copy of Work Authorization (EAD) card
- Transfer Form I-20+
- Bacterial Meningitis Shot Record
- Unofficial High School (in progress transcript showing final year of secondary school or letter on school letter heads indicating anticipated completion date) Final high school transcripts will be required to be evaluated, see Foreign Transcripts section below.
- Unofficial Confirmation of Financial Resources (official wet signed bank documents required at time of arrival
- Unofficial English Proficiency TOEFL/IELTS scores (official score reports must still be sent directly to Blinn College via the English Proficiency company)
Submit the Following Items Directly to Blinn College:
Some of these items are only needed for specific non-citizen categories, refer to your admissions checklist by student type to determine if these are required for your category.
- English Proficiency Requirements
- Foreign Transcript Evaluation
- Official Bank documents
For more information about each of these requirements see the subcategory below.
All F-1 students must meet the minimum English proficiency requirements before receiving their Form I-20. We have expanded the English proficiency requirements for the Spring 2023 term so students can find a test that meet their needs.
Accepted English Proficiency Tests and Minimum Requirements
| Test | Minimum Requirements | Test Information | Results Available |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duolingo English Test | 95 | englishtest.duolingo.com/applicants Instructions for sharing results: englishtest.duolingo.com/sharing Search Blinn College District |
48 hours |
| IELTS | 5.5 | http://www.ielts.org/usa IELTS *Academic & Online accepted Search for School: Blinn College Address: International Student Program office P.O. Box 6030 Bryan, TX 77805 (E-delivery service accepted) |
Paper: 13 days Online: 3-5 days Mail: Up to 14-21 days due to high demand |
| iTEP Academic-Plus | 3.5 | https://is.gd/itep_BlinnCollege | 24 hours |
| Pearson PTE | 44 | http://www.pearsonpte.com Search: Blinn College District |
48 hours |
| TOEFL iBT | 61 | www.ets.org/toefl *iBT Academic test only, TOEFL Essential not accepted. Send using destination code: 6043 Blinn College ETS Data Manager Accepted |
ETS Data Manager: 4-8 days Mail: 14 -21 days |
You may be exempt from the English proficiency requirements if:
- You are an F-1 visa student seeking to co-enroll at the Blinn College District while attending another institution.
- You are exempt from taking the Texas Success Initiative (TSI) assessment test based on your SAT or ACT scores. See the TSI exemptions list.
- You transferred to the Blinn College District from a regionally accredited private or independent institution of higher education and have received a C or better in English 1301. Credit for English 1301 from a foreign institution will not be accepted as an exemption for English proficiency requirements.
- You are from a country whose native language is English. See Approved Country Exemption List
Note: English proficiency requirements do not take the place of the Texas Success Initiatives (TSI) assessment and do not exempt students from having to take the TSI assessment. Please see The Blinn Admissions website for TSI requirements.
All transcripts from high schools, colleges, and universities from other countries must be evaluated by an approved NACES-certified evaluation service, and the results must be submitted directly to the Blinn College District. See requirements and approved evaluation companies on the Foreign Transcript Requirements page. Unofficial copies of evaluations will not be accepted directly from students via email or at the front counter. We will also no longer accept official foreign transcripts directly from school officials by email.
⚠️Important Processing Timeline
Transcript evaluations can take 3 to 6 months to complete. Because this timeline depends on how quickly your original documents are received, reviewed, and processed, we strongly recommend beginning the evaluation process as soon as you apply to Blinn College. Early action is the best way to prevent delays in admission decisions, visa processing, course registration, and athletic eligibility.
Students must show proof of financial resources to cover the cost of one academic year in the United States. This includes being able to cover the cost of tuition, living expenses, books, and travel. We must collect evidence of the student’s financial ability before issuing the I-20. All students regardless of their resources must confirm the same amount. See the Cost of Attendance page for the instructions on how to complete this requirement and to download the Confirmation of Financial Resource form for easy completion.
Financial Resource Document Requirements:
- Must be dated within 6 months of the start of the intended term.
- Must be in USD or show a confirmed conversion to USD by the bank official.
- Must contain a specific amount of funds available (cannot be estimated figures or general terms such as "more than", "well above", or "seven figures").
- Must be personal available funds and cannot be company assets, bonds, property, or investments.
- Bank statements are not accepted unless they contain a bank official's signature or stamp and business card with the individual's contact information.
We are currently accepting unofficial financial documents online with the understanding that the original wet signed documents must be submitted by the beginning of the term.
The Blinn College District is a post-secondary institution, and a student must have completed high school in their country to enroll in college coursework. However, we understand that in some countries you may not have received your official high school completion documents prior to needing to apply for your visa. Therefore for purposes of issuing the Form I-20, the student can submit an incomplete unofficial high school transcript showing the student is enrolled in their final year of secondary education or an official letter on school letterhead stating the student’s secondary education enrollment dates and the date the student is expected to complete. These documents must be in English or be accompanied by a certified English translation to be accepted. Students will submit these documents through their myBLINN portal under the Admissions Forms icon using the Unofficial Foreign High School Transcripts Form. However, the student will still be required to meet the foreign official transcript requirements as listed above and will be given until the Day of Record of their beginning semester to provide the foreign official transcript evaluation showing completion of high school.