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Change to F-1 Status

Any person from outside the country who wants to be a full-time student in the USA needs to obtain an F-1 (student visa) status.

Change of Status (COS): Inside the U.S.

To apply for a change of status to F-1 status in the United States, you must be officially accepted to JCCC and have obtained an I-20. You are required to submit certain documentation to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to apply for F-1 status in the U.S. The change-of-status processing time varies from several months to a year. Verify processing times on the USCIS website. IISS recommends consulting with an immigration attorney for COS eligibility (see American Immigration Lawyers Association). Notify IISS of any USCIS receipt, approval or denial notices once you have applied.

If your change of status in the U.S. to F-1 has been approved and you plan to travel outside of the U.S., you must apply for an F-1 visa to be able to come back to the U.S.

Travel while your application for change of status is pending will result in a denial from USCIS. Consult your immigration attorney before you travel outside the U.S.

Change of Status: Travel/Re-entry

To apply for a change of status to F-1 status by traveling outside of the U.S., you need to be officially accepted to JCCC and have obtained an I-20. Once the I-20 is obtained, you may depart the U.S. and attempt to apply for a U.S. visa stamp. If the visa stamp is approved, you may attempt to enter the U.S. in F status. Once entry is granted, you hold F-1 status.

Change of B-1/B-2 Visa Status to F-1 Status

B-1/B-2 status visa holders are not allowed to enroll in a program of study until they receive approval for change of status to F-1. It is recommended that B status holders wait 90 days after entry before engaging in the admission process at JCCC. You should not enter with a B-1/B-2 visa and plan to study in the U.S. immediately.

Change of J-1/J-2 Visa Status to F-1 Status

Anyone with a J-1/J-2 status who is “subject to a two-year residence requirement” is not eligible to apply for change of status to F-1 from inside the U.S. Consult with their program sponsor.

Required Steps to Be Admitted to JCCC and Receive Form I-20

Processing of your application and submitted materials will take a minimum of 5 business days from the date submitted.

Students interested in our English for Academic Purposes (EAP) program need to start the program in fall or spring. This is due to course availability and sequencing.

If you are NOT from one of the following countries, you are required to meet a minimum standard of English language proficiency as part of your admission to JCCC:

  • Commonwealth Caribbean (does not include the Dominican Republic, Haiti or the Dutch Isles)
  • English-Speaking Canada
  • United Kingdom
  • Australia
  • South Africa
  • New Zealand
  • Republic of Ireland

This may be done by submitting one of the following to IISS@jccc.edu:

  • Unofficial* transcript from an accredited U.S. college or university documenting completion of:
    •  12 or more credit hours (non-ESL courses) with a cumulative GPA of at least 2.0
      OR
    • the equivalent to JCCC’s English 106 (Introduction to Writing) with a grade of C or better
      OR
    • the equivalent to JCCC’s English 121 (Composition I) with a grade of C or better.

      *You will later be required to submit an official transcript to JCCC Admissions.
  • ACT English sub-score of 19 or higher (email to iiss@jccc.edu)
  • TOEFL score of at least 57 (must be less than two years old; email to iiss@jccc.edu)
  • IELTS score of at least 5 (must be less than two years old; email to iiss@jccc.edu)
  • Accuplacer ESL score of at least 89 (test in the JCCC Testing Center)
  • Documentation proving that you have been education in (for a minimum of three years) and graduated from an English-speaking country listed above (email records to iiss@jccc.edu).

Please be aware that your score on the TOEFL, IELTS or Accuplacer test will determine if you must take English for Academic Purposes (EAP) classes at JCCC prior to taking classes in your area of study. 

Entrance into: TOEFL IELTS ACCUPLACER
Regular college credit classes iBT 65 or higher 6 or higher 115 or higher
English for Academic Purposes (Level 4)
*one semester		 iBT 61-64 5.5 102-114
English for Academic Purposes (Level 3)
*two semesters		 iBT 57-60 5 89-101

Fill out the Certificate of Finances form and submit it online. This form will help you determine the amount of funds you need to show and will direct you to upload the appropriate documents. You must demonstrate proof that you or your financial sponsor has funds available to cover the cost of one academic year of study and living expenses, which is $24,670.  Provide a bank statement or other official bank letter/document that is less than 6 months old and includes the name of the person funding your education.  Please see the acceptable proof of funds page for further details. Financial documents should be current and up-to-date when interacting with government officials (Depart of State, Customs and Border Protection, etc.) In addition to bank documents, you will also be instructed to upload the Financial Sponsorship Agreement Form (PDF), as well as a Room and Board Sponsorship Form (PDF) if applicable.

If you are processing a change of level I-20 to become a degree-seeking student (after finishing the EAP program), you will be required to verify updated financial documents.

Federal regulations and Johnson County Community College policy severely limit the types of financial assistance available to international students. College admissions policy requires that international students (those with F-1 and M-1 visas) have enough resources to meet their expenses. Students with these visas are not eligible for federal student aid. Scholarships are not generally available. Off-campus employment is not authorized. For these reasons, all F-1 students must provide proof of having sufficient monetary funds to cover the cost of their educational and living expenses while at JCCC.

Cost of Attendance:

Tuition $5,688
Books/Supplies $1,560 (estimated)
Housing/Meals $9,780  (estimated)
Personal Expenses $6,050  (estimated)
Accident/Illness Insurance $1,592 (estimated)
Total $24,670
*An extra $6,000 is added for estimated expenses if a student starts in the summer semester.


The JCCC Board of Trustees can change the cost per credit hour without notice.

JCCC is in Overland Park, KS, a residential suburb of Kansas City. Like most community colleges, it does not have dormitories or housing on campus. Typically, students arrange their own housing in the community and travel by car to campus as public transportation is limited in Overland Park. For more information about housing go to Housing in the Community.

Dependents:

If you plan to come to the U.S. with an F-2 dependent, you will be required to submit documents for your dependents and add an additional $5,000 (USD) per dependent to your bank documents. F-2 visa holders may study but only part-time (no more than 11 credit hours per semester).

Email to iiss@jccc.edu a copy of your diploma, certificate or any other official document showing completion of your secondary school education and that you are eligible to advance to higher education in your home country. Documents must be translated to English and attached to the original document.  The documents do not need to be translated by a professional translator. 

Send a copy of your passport information page to iiss@jccc.edu.

F-1 Student Agreement

Emergency Contact Form

For any type of visa that is not eligible to study before change of status to F-1 approval, complete these additional tasks in order to enroll: