An international applicant is one who is not a United States Citizen or a United States Permanent Resident.

Follow regular application procedures

• Undergraduate Application Procedures
• Graduate Application Procedures

Information specifically for International Applicants

Application Deadlines for International Applicants

All application items, including preI20 items, must be submitted by the deadlines listed above.  Complete files not received by the deadline may result in postponement for the next quarter.

*July 1 if currently in the United States and eligible to engage in full-time studies

**March 1 if currently in the United States and eligible to engage in full-time studies

Academic Requirements by Country
For access to admission requirement information by country click here.

Transcripts
Must be submitted in the original language (and if not English, an English translation must be attached

Applicants who have completed secondary school outside the United States must present high school completion as outlined by the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admission Officers(AACRAO) guidelines for the particular country.  [Refer to the Admission Profile for your country]

Transcript Evaluation
All international transcripts and/or examination results are initially reviewed by the Office of Admissions & Records.  In some cases, to determine acceptance eligibility transcripts and/or examination results may need to be evaluated by an external credential evaluation service.  For undergraduate applicants however, after acceptance, all college or university transcripts and examination results are required to have an external evaluation—a course-by-course evaluation. 

The external credential evaluation service currently used by La Sierra University is Educational Credential Evaluators, Inc. (ECE).   A fee is charged by ECE for this service.   The ECE website is:  http://www.ece.org/.  Follow the instructions for submitting a request for a course-by-course evaluation.  The evaluation must be done on all college or university transcripts and examination results.  Failure to include one of the institutions attended, may require another evaluation with additional fees.  Indicate that the evaluation results need to be mailed to:  Office of Admissions & Records, La Sierra University, 4500 Riverwalk Parkway, Riverside, CA  92515.  If you have any questions regarding this process, please contact Maritza Aoyagi, Records Specialist, in the Office of Admissions & Records.  Her email is maoyagi@lasierra.edu.

English Proficiency
Applicants who were educated in a country other than the United States [excluding Canada, the UK, Australia, or New Zealand], must submit scores for the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)˜test must have been taken within the last five years. If no scores are submitted, the applicant will be tested prior to enrollment. If the TOEFL score is below 550 or 90%ile average on the Michigan Language Test, English as a Second Language courses will be required. Those applicants who have taken the GCE O level or equivalent examinations and have received a passing grade with credit in English will be eligible for regular English placement testing rather than ESL testing.

I-20 Form
The I-20 Form for the Student Visa will be issued once the applicant has been formally accepted by the University and all preI20 items are received and approved.  Contact the PreI20 clerk in the Office of International Student Services for further information on the preI20 process.  The email is prei20@lasierra.edu.

International Seventh-day Adventist Transfer Scholarship
La Sierra University awards the above scholarship to international graduate students who have graduated or transferred from a Seventh-day Adventist academy, college, or university OR who are members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Complete the form and submit it to the Admissions Office.

International Student Seventh-day Adventist Transfer Scholarship

If you have any questions in regards to this pre-I-20 process, please
contact Admissions at prei20@lasierra.edu.