Any person wanting to be a full time student in the USA needs to obtain a student visa for the USA. Most students are issued an F-1 visa.
In order to apply for an F-1 visa, a student needs to be officially accepted to a certified U.S. institution and obtain a “form I-20” from the school to take to the F-1 visa interview.
Application Deadlines
| To come in the Fall semester (classes begin in August) |
July 1 |
| To come in the Spring semester (classes begin in January) |
Dec. 1 |
| To come in the Summer session (classes begin in June) |
May 1 |
Applications and materials submitted after the listed admissions deadlines may not be processed for the current term as immigration regulations may be negatively impacted. Standard processing is 5 business days from the date submitted.
Required Steps to be admitted to JCCC and receive a form I-20
1. Apply to JCCC
Within 3 to 5 business days of applying to JCCC, you will receive an email which contains your 8 digit JCCC student I.D. number and provides information on how to log into your MyJCCC account. Once you receive this email, you will be able to proceed with completing the other admissions steps found below and submitting the required documents to the IISS office.
Not all programs are I-20 eligible - check with the IISS office to verify eligibility.
2. Submit Proof of Meeting English Proficiency Requirements
You must submit an official TOEFL or IELTS score unless you are from one of the following countries:- 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
If you are not from one of the countries listed above, you are required to have a minimum TOEFL score of 57 or an IELTS score of 5 to be admitted to JCCC. Test scores cannot be older than two years. If English is not your native language, but you’ve been educated (a minimum of three years) and graduated from an English-speaking country listed above, your language proficiency requirement will be waived.
Please be aware that your score 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 |
| Regular college credit classes | iBT 65 or higher | 6 or higher |
| English for Academic Purposes (Level 4) *one semester |
iBT 61-64 | 5.5 |
| English for Academic Purposes (Level 3) *two semesters |
iBT 57-60 | 5 |
3. Submit Bank Documents (Statement and Letter)
You must show that you or your financial sponsor has the equivalent of $24,670 (USD) available to cover the cost for one academic year of study and living expenses ($30,670 (USD) if you are applying for admission for the summer semester).
A bank statement and/or a bank letter written on bank letterhead containing this minimum balance must be provided along with an English translation (does not need to be translated by a professional translator). These financial documents must be less than 6 months old and must include the name of the person funding your education, which is either you or a financial sponsor. Balances from equity portfolios in taxable accounts cannot be submitted to meet the financial requirements for the issuance of an I-20. Financial documents should be current and up-to-date when interacting with government officials (Department of State, Customs and Border Protection, etc.)
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 | $5,472 |
| Books/Supplies | $1,560 (estimated) |
| Housing/Meals | $9,780 (estimated) |
| Personal Expenses | $6,050 (estimated) |
| Accident/Illness Insurance | $1,808 (estimated) |
| Total | $24,670 |
| *An extra $6,000 is added for estimated expenses if a student starts in the summer semester. | |
Optional: If housing and meals will be provided for you at no cost, you should also submit a Room and Board Sponsorship Form.
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.
4. Submit Certificate of Finances
Along with the bank documents, you will also need to submit the Certificate of Finances form. For detailed information on financial requirements and sponsorship review the information for acceptable proof of funds.
5. Submit Proof of Having Completed Secondary School
You will need to submit a secondary school completion diploma, certificate or any other document showing completion of your secondary school education (transcripts, leaving certificate, secondary exam score etc.) 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.
6. Submit Copy of Passport to IISS
You are required to send the IISS office a copy of your passport information page. This is required to ensure the name on your I-20 matches the name on your passport.
Pre-Arrival Form
After Arriving in the U.S.
Upon arriving in the U.S., you will need to complete some additional tasks which include:
- Check in with the IISS office in COM 306 and bring passport, visa, and I-20
- Math Placement Test
- JCCC New Student Orientation
- Meet with an Academic Counselor
- TB Testing (depending on country of origin)
- IISS New F-1 Student Orientation
Submitting Documents to IISS:
The fastest and preferred way for applicants to submit the required documents is through the IISS email: iiss@jccc.edu.
Documents may also be mailed to:
JCCC International and Immigrant Student Services Office
12345 College Blvd., Box 30
Overland Park, KS 66210-1299 USA
**Do not mail the IISS original copies of your documents.**
Or faxed to: (913) 469-7681
F-2 Visa holders:
If you plan to come to the U.S. with a dependent, please notify the IISS office as 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).
IISS follows college policy for the Student Code of Conduct and Discipline. Any student found in violation of our code of conduct or discipline may be reported the Deans Office to follow disciplinary procedures. This includes, but is not limited to, the submission of falsified documents for immigration purposes or academic history.
