This page contains the application requirements for all international GRADUATE students except for Canadians and Americans living abroad.

Students outside the U.S. may take fully online programs, but international students studying within the U.S. must maintain a full load of in-person courses during each required semester. International students seeking to study on campus must carefully select their courses with guidance from their advisor to ensure a full in-person load while they are in the U.S. It is critical to plan ahead to schedule enough in-person courses to maintain a full load.

Here are criteria to consider for obtaining a student visa:

  • Each fall and spring semester, an international student must be taking at least 9 credits (this will change to 8 in the fall 2023), 6 of which must be in on-campus rather than online courses, in order to get a visa to study in the U.S.
  • A "semester" refers to a full 16 week term, so students taking sessions in fall 1 term and fall 2 term can add those credits together to get to 9 credits (8 starting in the fall 2023).
  • Taking courses in the summer is optional. International students are not required to take credits in the summer if summer session is not part of their program of study.
  • If a class spans a semester and is offered online for most of the semester but culminates in an intensive period on-campus (such as a 16 week online class culminating in a one week on-campus experience), an international student can obtain a visa for the one week period, but not for the online portion.
  • Students are not required to have a full in-person load during their final semester. However, they must be fulfilling at least one in-person requirement for their degree. 


To apply: Please follow the application steps listed below. Our team is here to serve you; please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions.

Steps to apply (in any order)

STEP 1

To apply to Calvin, we need to receive the following:

  • Calvin University Application
  • IELTS/TOEFL/Duolingo. See our testing guidelines for more information about which test you should submit.
  • Official undergraduate university transcripts
    • Note: Official transcripts need to be sent to Calvin University directly from your undergrad institution to prove validity; we cannot accept transcripts sent/uploaded by prospective students themselves. Institutions should send official transcripts to us at either admissions@calvin.edu or mail to Calvin University Admissions, 3201 Burton St SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546, USA.
  • Please note that you need a valid passport to study in the U.S. We encourage you to send us a scanned copy of the ID page of your passport, or begin the necessary paperwork to obtain or renew your passport.
STEP 2

Complete the International Graduate Declaration of Finances Form.

Note: We require all supporting documents to be original or certified copies.

STEP 3

Provide supporting financial documentation (income and bank statements) via e-mail. We require:

  • Income statement – This can be a statement issued by your employer, person in charge of company finances, or it can be government issued tax document with the income amount listed.
  • Savings statement – Amount in your savings, checking or investments.
  • Sponsor’s letter of intent (if applicable) – This is a letter written by your sponsor indicating the amount they pledge towards your educational costs for each year.
  • Sponsor’s savings statement (if applicable) – This bank statement must be recent and should demonstrate that your sponsor can cover at least two years of their pledged amount from savings. If this is a checking account, the transaction history must not exceed 3 months.