International Student Admission

Athens Technical College is approved by the Department of Homeland Security and Student and Exchange Visitor Program School Certification Branch to issue I-20 forms to citizens or permanent residents of foreign countries who wish to enroll in programs of study at the institution. Prospective students who need F or M student visas must complete the following items to gain admission to the college:

• Completed application for admission and the $25 nonrefundable application fee payable with U.S. currency, a credit card, money order, or check issued by a bank in the United States.
• Valid ACCUPLACER, COMPASS, ASSET, SAT, or ACT text scores that are less than five years old on the application deadlines for the semesters applicants seek admission to the college (see COMPASS Placement Examination).
• Official transcripts from high school (or GED) and all colleges attended by the application deadline. All foreign transcripts must be translated and evaluated by one of these college-approved credential evaluation service providers: Josef Silny and Associates, World Education Services Inc., Educational Credential Evaluators Inc., or American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO) International Education Services. Addresses, applications, and information on the companies approved to provide evaluation services of foreign transcripts are available in the Admissions Office. Applicants must pay the costs of having their credentials evaluated. At a minimum, applicants must have the equivalent of a high school diploma.
• Documentation verifying a minimum of $18,441 U.S. dollars is available to finance the first year of education and cost-of-living expenses. Applicants or their sponsors are required to submit this documentation.
• Photocopies of the passport page that shows the full name of applicants. (The full name as listed in the passport must match the full name listed on the admissions application and other documentation required to gain admission to the college as an international student.)

International students transferring to Athens Technical College from other colleges in the United States must notify the transfer-out colleges of the need to transfer their SEVIS records. Applicants transferring from other U.S. postsecondary institutions will need to submit a completed Athens Technical College Transfer Clearance Form and provide a copy of their current I-20 form, I-94 form, and current visa.

Technical College System of Georgia policy specifies that non-citizens cannot receive in-state tuition. In accordance with the Federal Title IV definition, non-citizen applicants are eligible for in-state and out-of-state tuition if they are a United States permanent resident with a permanent resident card (I-551), a conditional permanent resident (I-551-C), or the holder of an arrival/departure record (I-94) from the United States Department of Homeland Security. The I-94 must include one of the following designations refugee, asylum-granted parolee (I-94 must confirm that the applicant has been paroled for a minimum of one year and that the status has not expired), victim of human trafficking,  T-visa holder (T-1, T-2, T-3, etc.), or Cuban-Haitian entrant. Persons with an F1 or F2 student visa, a J1 or J2 exchange visitor visa, or a G series visa do not meet the definition of an eligible non-citizen.

After applicants submit this documentation, the Admissions Office will evaluate their application materials if space is available in programs. The college will assess tuition and fees at a rate that is four times the rate assessed for Georgia residents.

The International Students webpage includes an International Student Admission Guide and various forms needed to obtain student visas and to transfer SEVIS records from other colleges in the United States.