Application Instructions

Proof of Financial Support and the International Student Financial Support Form

If you intend to apply for nonimmigrant student F-1 or exchange visitor J-1 status, or if you are currently in the U.S. and hold one or will be changing to one of these visa categories, you are required to complete the International Student Financial Support Form in its entirety. This information must be documented by a certified statement from your (if personal resources are to be used) and your sponsor’s bank or other financial institution indicating the amount of funds available and the length of time the account has been active.

In addition, your sponsor’s employer (if applicable) should provide a letter verifying that income from employment is adequate to provide the support that is promised. All certified statements and letters must be dated not more than one year prior to your desired admission date. Since you are also likely to need this documentation to show proof of financial support at the U.S. Consulate or Embassy and again at the U.S. Port of Entry, you should keep several copies of any financial documentation that you send to Miami.

If you intend to transfer funds from your home country, it is important that you are familiar with current exchange control regulations and that you determine the amount in U.S. dollars that can be transferred to the U.S. in support of your studies at Miami University. If dependents are to accompany you to Miami University, you must also provide documented evidence of their financial support. The estimated amount needed for a spouse is $4,000 each year and $1,500 each year for each dependent child.

Common Application School Report

If your school does not have a secondary school counselor, please have a teacher, tutor, or headmaster complete this part of the application. Miami University understands that due to differences in educational systems, information requested such as class rank, cumulative grade point average, and high school CEEB/ACT code may not be applicable or available. Therefore, these portions of the School Report do not need to be completed in their entirety. However, the evaluation section on the second page of the School Report must be completed by either a counselor, teacher, tutor, headmaster, or other school official who is familiar with you and your scholastic abilities. International applicants who have been out of school for a number of years need only the evaluation section of the School Report to be completed in full, or they may substitute a letter of recommendation for the School Report form.

Official Academic Records (First-Year Admission)

To be eligible for first-year admission at Miami, you must have completed your formal secondary education in a pre-university curriculum that culminates in the award of a secondary school diploma or certificate that is generally recognized as the educational qualification necessary to gain admission to higher studies in your own country.

If you have not yet completed your studies at the secondary school level, you must submit up-to-date academic records that can be evaluated for provisional acceptance. We will make our final decision on regular acceptance when you submit your final records and proof of secondary school graduation. Most students apply during the last year of their secondary education.

Academic records must be submitted on official stationery of the school(s) you attended and are to include the name and address of the institution. If English is not the language of instruction at the school(s) you have attended, you must submit the official records in the original language accompanied by a literal (not interpretive) certified English translation. This translation must bear the actual signature in ink and the seal or stamp of an official translator (if not issued by school authorities).

The academic records must list the courses you have completed in each year during all previous years of secondary study. The grades or marks earned in each subject as well as your dates of attendance must also be listed on the academic records. If you have already been awarded a secondary school diploma or certificate, you must submit proof that you have earned this educational qualification.

To be considered official, all academic records, including copies of certificates or diplomas earned and all external examination results, must bear the original seal or stamp and signature in ink of the person who is authorized to certify or issue such documents. Copies of documents may also be certified as true copies by a recognized educational authority in your home country. Miami University reserves the right to request that any or all academic records be sent directly from the issuing institution. Notarized copies of academic records are not acceptable.

IMPORTANT: If you are currently enrolled or attended a post-secondary institution such as a university or college, you MUST apply as an Undergraduate Transfer student by completing the International Transfer Application. Students who fail to follow instructions may be withdrawn from the university and/or have their scholarship cancelled.

ACT/SAT Test Scores (First-Year Admission)

American College Testing Program (ACT) or Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT): You must take and submit ACT or SAT official test scores if you are a student athlete who must comply with NCAA eligibility requirements, a first-year (freshman) applicant from Canada, or if you have attended a U.S. high school or secondary school in another country that follows a U.S. high school curriculum.

Miami's ETS code for SAT and TOEFL is 1463, and our ACT code is 3294. If you take any of these tests, official score reports should be sent directly to Miami University from the testing agency.