Full-Time F1 Students

Step 1: Submit a complete application packet

• APPLICATION DEADLINES

  APPLY NOW!

  Orange Coast College offers 3 applications intakes per academic year

  
  

  Applicant Type	Spring 2023	Summer 2023	Fall 2023
  ​ Initial (Applicants who currently do not hold an F-1 visa or active I-20 record)	Friday,  December 9 , 2022*	Friday,   May 12, 2023	Friday,   July 14, 2023**
  Transfer (Applicants currently attending a U.S. University, College, High School or Language School with an active 1-20)	Friday, January 13, 2023	Friday,   June 2, 2023	​Friday,   August 18, 2023
  I-20 Report Date  (Date international students are required to arrive in the U.S.)	Tuesday, January 17, 2023	Tuesday, June 6, 2023	Tuesday,   August 22, 2023
  Navigate OCC Orientation ​	Tuesday, January 24, 2023	TBA	​TBA
  First Day of Instruction	Monday,  January 30, 2023	Monday, June 12, 2023	​Monday, August 28, 2023

   

  *Currently open for: Students intending to enroll in only remote classes, passport holders of Canada, and students out of I-20 active status but holding a valid F-1 visa

  **It is recommended that students interested in applying for on-campus housing to submit applications no later than May 2023. 
• 1. APPLICATION FORM

  Orange Coast College offers more than 130 degree and certificate programs, and a complete list can be found on our  Academic Divisions. 

  • OCC Application Form (PDF). Complete all sections of the application. If you do have a student ID, please leave it blank. 
  • Provide a workable email address such as Gmail, Yahoo, or Outlook. 
  • Complete the  OCC Third Party Authorization (PDF) (if applicable). This form is to be used exclusively by International Students only. If you are not an international student, please visit the  OCC Enrollment Center -FERPA (Family Educational Rights & Privacy Act) for more information.
  • Restricted Majors for International Students:
    • All  Allied Health programs except for Nutrition.
    • Certificates of Specialization cannot be declared as a primary major and must be done while concurrently pursuing another Associate's Degree or Certificate of Achievement. Review our Major List for more info.
• 2. APPLICATION FEE

  The non-refundable application fee is $55.00 USD. Please visit OCC Bursar's - Global Engagement Center to pay your application fee. You may use our mailing address and phone number as your U.S. billing information since our payment portal doesn’t accept international billing information. Then, submit a copy of your payment confirmation to occinternational@cccd.edu.  

  Address: 2701 Fairview Road, Costa Mesa, CA 92626

  Phone: 714.432.5940

  *How to Pay Your Application Fee instructions
• 3. FINANCIAL SUPPORT DOCUMENTS

  The current cost of attendance: $27,470 per year. Fees are subject to change without prior notice. Visit Estimated Annual Tuition & Fee for detailed information about our current requirements.

   

  Required documents

  1. Sponsorship Form (PDF)
  2. Financial Statement Form (PDF) or Bank Statement of $27,470 in available funds and dated within the last five months. We accept the following documents:
     • Official bank statement from a checking or savings account. We do not accept Investment Accounts as proof of funding. You may submit multiple bank statements from more than one sponsor as long as the total amount equals our minimum amount. Each sponsor must sign the sponsorship form.
     • Bank letter signed by the financial institution showing an exact amount in U.S. dollars of available funds, not estimated. 
     • The financial verification form must be stamped and signed by a bank official, Financial Statement Form (PDF)
     • Sponsored by an Embassy, Cultural Mission, Government, or Private Company: include a letter or affidavit on the organization's official letterhead verifying your sponsorship.
     • We do not accept investment account such as stock, bonds, or life insurance as proof of financial support.
• 4. ACADEMIC TRANSCRIPTS

  Submission of academic transcripts are required to determine:

  • Proof of English Proficiency.
  • Proof of high school completion for minor students entering OCC under 18 years of age.

  Submit copies of your academic transcript with your admissions application for review. This may include high school or secondary school transcripts, university or college transcripts, or transcripts from an ESL program.  

  Academic transcripts do  NOT need to be translated in English or mailed or received by the institution you attended for admissions review. However, this may be requested by the admission staff after the initial review of your application and application documents. 

   

  Country Specific Information for High School Transcripts:

  • India* and Pakistan – Submit class X and class XII board marks
  • Hong Kong – Submit HKDSE marks
  • Malaysia – Submit SPM marks
  • New Zealand – Submit NCEA Level 2 certificate
  • UK and Singapore – Submit GCE O-Level or IGCSE marks.
  • South Korea - Academic transcript or GED certificate

  *Update as of May 1, 2021 for applicants from India: We acknowledge that the COVID-19 crisis has resulted in the postponement of the board examination schedule. Therefore, Orange Coast College will not require submission of the Class XII boards exam marks to enroll and receive a form I-20 for the Fall 2021 semester. 
• 5. ENGLISH PROFICIENCY

  ALL English language test results and language school levels submitted are subject to verification and approval of the Global Engagement Center. Changes to requirements are subject to change without prior notice.

   

  REVIEW OF HIGH SCHOOL OR UNIVERSITY TRANSCRIPT

  Review of academic transcripts to determine if the primary language of instruction of a student's school (high school/secondary school or university or college is English. 

  If English was not the primary language of instruction of an applicant's previous school (high school/secondary school or university or college), then the applicant must meet the English proficiency by ONE of the following:

  ENGLISH PROFICIENCY TESTS

  A valid test result should not be older than 2-years from the date an application for admission is submitted.

  • Duolingo Test for English  - 90
  • TOEFL -  Internet-Based 61 or Paper Based 500 (TOEFL code: 4584)
  • IELTS - 5.5
  • Eiken - 2A (if the score is a 2, a minimum raw score of 2150)
  • iTEP - 3.5
  • PTE (Pearsons Test for English) Academic - 45
  • Michigan English Test (MET) - B2
  • Cambridge English Language Assessment - B2
  • GTEC CBT - 1051

   

  STANDARDIZED ADMISSIONS TESTS

   

  The SAT or ACT is NOT required for admission to Orange Coast College but can be used to meet the English proficiency requirement:

  • SAT - 480 Evidence-based  Reading and Writing
  • ACT - 18 Writing

  ENROLLMENT AT AN INTENSIVE ENGLISH LANGUAGE SCHOOL*

  Proof of completion of an acceptable ESL level from ONE of the following intensive English Language Schools*:

   

  

  IEC @ OCC - Orange Coast College's Intensive English Language School: Level Advanced B. 

  • American English Language School (AELS): Level 5
  • American Language Institute Cal State Long Beach: Level 4
  • AOI College of Languages: Level 6
  • Coastline Community College: Level 4A (Grammar, Read, & Write) and 4 (Listening/Speaking Skills)
  • Education First (EF): Level B2-2
  • ELS Language Centers: Level 109
  • FLS International: Level 14
  • HELP (Hawai'i English Language Program): 400 Level 
    
  • IEC @ DVC: Advanced B
  • IEC@OCC: Advanced B
  • Kaplan International: Advanced
  • Language Systems Institute: Level 6 and a recommendation letter
  • LASC: EAP (English of Academic Purposes)
  • Poly Language Institute: Level 6 and a recommendation letter
  • UCI Extension – Irvine English and Certificate Programs: Level 5

  ​​*Students currently enrolled at the language schools listed above may receive conditional acceptance to Orange Coast College.

   

• 6. IMMIGRATION RELATED DOCUMENTS
  Initial Applicant - students who are currently residing in their home country

  1. Copy of the biographical data page of your passport

   

  Transfer Applicant - students who are currently studying in the U.S. on an F-1 visa.

  1. Copy of the biographical data page of your passport, F-1 visa, and most recent I-94 document
  2. Copy of all pages of all the I-20s you have from all schools you have attended in the U.S.
     
  3. Copy of your Employment Authorization Document (EAD) card (if applicable)
     
  4. Status Evaluation Form (PDF), completed by your current school DSO. This form is to verify whether your F1 status is active or not. We will not contact your current school to request for your SEVIS Records until you are fully admitted to Orange Coast College. 

   

  Spouse and Child(ren) - F-2 Visa

  Your dependents, i.e legal spouse and an unmarried minor child(ren) under age 21, can accompany you (the primary visa holder) to the U.S. with their F-2 visa. To request their F-2 I-20 forms, please email the following documents to occinternational@cccd.edu along with your application packet:

  1. Copy of the biographic data page of their passports
  2. Marriage certificate and child birth certificate
  3. Proof of financial support: you must add a minimum of $6,000 per dependent to the Total Cost of Attendance.
• FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions

  What type of applicant am I?

  Initial Students:   students who are currently living outside of the U.S.

  • First Time College Student outside the U.S. and needing to apply for an F-1 student visa.

  • Returning student currently residing abroad.

  • Applicant who is currently in the U.S. on another non-immigrant visa type and needs to change visa status to F-1. 

  • Students whose SEVIS record was terminated by their last school of attendance.

  Transfer Students:   students who are currently studying in the U.S. with an active SEVIS record. This includes students attending a U.S. high school, colleges, or language program.

  What is the Report Date?

  Date you MUST arrive in the United States as listed on your Form I-20. Per US immigration regulations, students may arrive no more than 30 days of the report date.  You must remain in the local area when you arrive in the US to prepare for enrollment and attend orientation. 

   

  What is the Mandatory Orientation?

  Program for incoming international students to be "oriented" to the OCC campus. Attendance is mandatory for all new international students.

   

  Housing

   

  

  Orange Coast College is the first and only community college in Southern California offering on campus student housing. "The Harbour at Coast" will accommodate a little more than 800 students in apartment style-living. Applications for Fall 2020 are available now! Apply as an international student today to take advantage of a unique opportunity to experience college residential life.

  Off-campus housing and homestay options are available as well.

   

  Transfer Credits to OCC 

  If you would like to transfer your credits from overseas institutions to Orange Coast College, you should have your transcripts evaluated by the Academic Credentials Evaluation Institute, Inc. Once you have been accepted to OCC and your transcripts have been evaluated, you will be able to meet with an academic counselor. Bring your transcripts and evaluation report to the counseling appointment. The counselor will then review your transcripts with you and inform you which and how many credits will transfer.

   

  Transfer Credits from Previous College-Level Coursework in The U.S.

  The official transcripts that you submit for your application will be forwarded to the Graduation Office, if you are accepted.  At that time, the Graduation office will review your transcripts to determine which classes will transfer to OCC and how much credit can be obtained.  

   

  Advanced Standing Credit

  Orange Coast College grants college level credit for IB (International Baccalaureate and  AP (Advanced Placement). 

   

  Financial Aid and Scholarships

  International students are not eligible for Financial Aid or any OCC subsidized tuition program, i.e. the Pirates Promise Program. Scholarships are only offered to currently enrolled students. Before you apply, please review the   cost of attendance for international students.  

   

  Deferring Application 

  If you have decided not to attend OCC for the semester you applied for, you may defer your admission to a future semester by emailing  occinternational@cccd.edu  with your name, application ID and the semester you wish to attend. Only the student can request an admission deferral. If you are working with a 3rd party, the authorized 3rd party must include the student's email in the request. 

Step 2: Follow Up Email

Step 3: Getting Accepted