International Exchange & Study Abroad Students

  • If you want to study at Southern Utah University, you must first contact your home university's international office. They will help you begin the process. They will nominate you as an exchange student to SUU and send us the relevant information. 
  • After your nomination is accepted, you will receive a notice to complete SUU's exchange student application. That can be found here:  submit an application to SUU.
  • Once your exchange student application is approved, you will need to submit the paperwork listed below in order to be officially admitted to SUU. We must receive all documents by the provided deadline (June 1 for the fall semester, November 1 for the spring semester), so please be as prompt as possible when submitting them.

Fall nomination deadline: March 15 (Submit all application materials below by April 1)

Spring nomination deadline: September 15 (Submit all application materials below by October 1)

If you have any questions or need help, please contact zoeprettyman@suu.edu or learningabroad@suu.edu.

Documents

  • Pay the $100 admission application fee Include a copy of your payment receipt with your application documents.
  • Housing application The SUU Housing Office will try to assign you to your first choice, but it is not guaranteed. Housing is limited, so please plan to be flexible with your accommodation assignment. Single rooms are especially limited. If you want to consider other housing options, please email us.
  • Pay the $50 housing application fee
  • Immunization records Students from some countries will be required to take a TB (tuberculosis) test when they arrive at SUU. The Cedar City health department administers these tests at SUU. Students who are not current on their MMR (mumps, measles, rubella) vaccine will be required to receive that vaccination when they arrive at SUU. Students will be responsible for paying for the MMR vaccination.
  • Verification of English language proficiency You may submit TOEFL or IELTS scores as your verification, but the tests are not required for exchange or study abroad students. If you don't submit a test score, the verification of English language proficiency form must be completed by a person at your home university who is qualified to evaluate your English proficiency. You must be proficient enough in English to navigate daily life in the U.S., read & comprehend academic texts, understand your rights & responsibilities, and know how to get help, if necessary.
  • Proof of health insurance valid in the United States  All international students must provide proof of health insurance that meets these minimum requirements.
  • Proof of financial support (bank statement) Your bank statement must indicate that you have the necessary funds for studying at SUU. (If you have a family member or other sponsor helping with finances, please have them complete the Sponsor Certification Form.) The minimum amounts are:
    - Exchange Student: $5,000/semester
    - Fee-paying Study Abroad Student: $9,000/semester
  • Academic transcripts Obtain official transcripts (academic records) of the courses you've taken at your home university.
  • A copy of your passport Scan or copy the information page of your passport. Be sure that all information--including all numbers at the bottom, top, and sides--is fully visible. Your passport copy must be completely legible.
  • Learning Agreement On this document, you will list the classes you wish to take at SUU. These classes must be approved by your university. Undergraduates (Bachelor's level) must be enrolled in a minimum of 12 SUU credits during the semester. Master's level degree students must be enrolled in a minimum of 9 SUU credits during the semester. Note: Unless you have been admitted to an SUU Master's program, you must select classes with course numbers below 5000.

When you complete the list of classes, please list at least 3 extra classes and indicate which of the classes are top priority. It may be difficult to enroll in upper-level (3000- and 4000-level) classes, so please give a variety of classes you would like to take. We encourage you to take one or two “fun” classes that you might not have the opportunity to take at your home university. We will do our best to register you for the classes you most wish to take, but seats are not guaranteed. Some classes require prerequisites that may bar you from enrollment, and others might be full.

Visa

After we receive the items listed above, we will prepare your J-1 visa documents. These documents will be sent to your University by regular mail. You can request they be sent by FedEx, in which case you will be charged a $50 fee.

When you receive your documents, contact the nearest United States consulate or embassy and pay the $100 SEVIS fee. They will invite you for an interview to discuss the issuance of your visa. Your home university’s International Office advisor may help you with this process.