International Undergraduate Admissions

Begin Your Franciscan Journey Today!

Graduate International Student Information can be found here.

Franciscan University of Steubenville is a Catholic liberal arts institution committed to the education of the whole person within an environment of Christian faith.

As an internationally known center for Catholic renewal, the enrollment includes students representing all 50 U.S. states and 17 foreign countries. This adds a diverse mixture of cultures and backgrounds to student life and provides a dynamic atmosphere for personal and spiritual growth. As a passionately Catholic university, we seek to reveal the beauty of the universal Church by inviting students from all walks of life, backgrounds, national origins, and ethnicities to study at our Ohio campus.

Franciscan University operates on a semester-system academic calendar. In a 12-month year there are two semesters, each containing 15 weeks of class instruction plus examination periods. The fall semester begins in late August and ends in mid-December.  The spring semester begins in early January and ends in early May. Summer classes are also available.

Scholarships and financial aid for international students are limited. Undergraduate international students may be eligible for the International Student Grant for 50% off the cost of tuition, a savings of about $17,500 USD for the 2025-2026 academic year! Ask your admissions counselor for more information about scholarships.

Please Read This Entire Checklist Before Completing the Undergraduate Application Forms

Please fill out all forms and submit them with all the necessary documents to the Admissions office by May 1 for admittance in the Fall semester and November 1 for admittance in the Spring semester.

We cannot begin to process your application until we have received all of these forms.

If, after reading through this page, you have additional questions about the admissions process, please contact:

Vanessa Edwards
International Admissions Counselor
[email protected]
+1-740-317-5090

Once you have been accepted to the university, the International Immigration office will work directly with you on the next steps.

Juliana DeLuca Daugherty
Assistant Vice President for Student Life Service & Events
[email protected]
+1-740-284-5867

Application Checklist

All of the below must be submitted without exception before we will begin to process your application.

The international undergraduate admission requirements differ somewhat from domestic student requirements, so please review them carefully.

Please contact [email protected] if you need help or have questions throughout the Franciscan admissions process.

Section 1: Application Materials, Fees, and Records

1. Application for Admission

The Application for Undergraduate Admission must be filled out, in English, completely and accurately.

Due to the time required to complete processing of the application for international admission, and for the student to make visa and financial arrangements, deadlines have been established, after which applications cannot be processed.

The application deadline for Fall Semester Admission is May 1 and for Spring Semester Admission is November 1. The care with which you follow the application instructions may be a factor in the admissions decision.

All forms must be completed in English.

Please print in ink (or type) and be sure that the information given can be easily read.

If there is insufficient space on any form, please use additional sheets of paper. It is important that you give complete and accurate information.

The care with which you follow the application instructions may be a factor in the admissions decision.

International students are considered to be undergraduates, if the applicant has not earned a degree equivalent to a U.S. bachelor’s degree.

2. Academic Records

Consideration of an application for admission cannot be given until the Admissions office receives all required credentials.

Proper transcripts (or certificates) must be submitted of all academic records or examination results documenting each year of study from the first year of secondary school and for all post-secondary or university-level work; these documents must be signed by the appropriate school official.

Only original or certified copies will be accepted. Original documents will be returned upon request. Applicants are required to submit an official credential evaluation for a fee as part of their application, i.e. World Education Services (WES) or SpanTran. This fee would be paid by the applicant directly to the credential evaluation company. Franciscan University will accept a Course-by-Course Evaluation/Report. Please see a full list of approved National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) credential evaluation companies online here.

A Course-by-Course evaluation identifies and describes each diploma or certificate, indicates the periods of education, provides an equivalency for each document, lists all courses (subjects) with U.S. semester credits, and gives a grade point average (GPA) on a 4.0 scale. Estimated cost of credential evaluations: $160.00-$200.00 USD. This fee must be paid by the applicant directly to the credential evaluation company.

Send the application and all credentials to:

Admissions Office

Christ the Teacher Hall

[email protected]

Franciscan University of Steubenville

1235 University Boulevard

Steubenville, Ohio 43952-1763

U.S.A.

3. English Translations of Academic Records

If official credentials are in a language other than English, a certified English translation must be included. One option is World Education Services, which provides academic credential evaluation services for a fee. For more information on their services, visit their website at www.wes.org.

4. Letters of Reference

Two letters of reference are required and must be submitted by persons not related to you by birth or marriage. It is preferred that these letters are completed by the headmaster or principal of your secondary school or teachers or professors who have good knowledge of your past academic work. 

Download the Letter of Reference standard form.

Section 2: Testing Requirements and Materials

Required Standardized Tests

All applicants must submit scores from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), unless the applicant is a citizen of Canada (except Quebec) or the Admissions office has agreed to waive the requirement.

Minimum test scores are dependent on which version of the TOEFL a prospective student takes.

If you are taking the paper-based test, the minimum score required is 550.
If you are taking the computer-based test, the minimum score required is 213.
If you are taking the internet-based test, the minimum score required is 80.

Note: International students who come to the University from some English-speaking countries may still be required to submit TOEFL test scores. Although English is the lingua franca of many countries, some students from English-speaking countries arrive at Franciscan University with minimal English language proficiency. Please contact the Admissions Office at Franciscan University as soon as possible to determine whether you are required to submit TOEFL scores with your application materials.

TOEFL information and registration forms are available in many locations outside the United States, usually at U.S. embassies and consulates, the offices of the U.S. Information Agency, and other U.S. educational commissions and foundations.

Candidates who cannot obtain information locally on TOEFL, SAT, or ACT should write:

Educational Testing Service, Box 955,

Princeton, New Jersey, 08540, U.S.A.,

or visit the web site at:

www.ets.org.

Applicants are also encouraged to submit scores on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) or the American College Test (ACT). If the applicant meets our minimum SAT or ACT test score minimums, the TOEFL requirement will be waived.

Section 3: Financial Information and Materials (to be submitted to International Immigration Office)

1. Certification of Finances

The purpose of the Certification of Finances is to provide universities with complete and accurate information about the funds available to international applicants who wish to study in the United States. This form will be necessary both for Franciscan University records and as legal proof of finances for your visa interview with the U.S. Consulate.

A Certification of Finances form must be filled out completely and accurately. Signatures are required, and bank statements must be submitted. It is very important that this form is filled out correctly.

Directions Notice:

There are four sources of funds listed on the form: Personal or Family savings, Parents, Sponsors, or Your Government.

Next to the appropriate source, write the amount which that source has promised to give you, and make sure that support will last for all the years you will study.

After you have filled in the horizontal blocks, you must total the blocks vertically.

The totals at the bottom of each column: First Year, Second Year, Third Year, and Fourth Year should each equal the total cost of attending Franciscan University, an estimated $47,925 US Dollars per academic year.

*These costs are subject to increase.

After the columns and rows are filled out completely, you need to complete “Section 9” which asks for signatures of bank officials to verify that the financial resources are available.

You should be familiar with the regulations of your government about sending money to you in the United States and make arrangements to have the necessary funds available at the designated times.

All checks for payment of tuition and fees should be made payable to Franciscan University of Steubenville in U.S. Dollars. 

Funds may also be wired through your bank. Instructions for wiring funds will be provided after acceptance to the University Download the Certification of Finances Form here.

2. Affidavit of Financial Support

If you are able to secure a private sponsor to aid you with your educational expenses, you will need to have an Affidavit of Financial Support filled out by the sponsor.

Your sponsor must provide documentation to prove his/her ability to support you financially. You will need to submit one affidavit for each sponsor.

Download the Affidavit of Financial Support here.

3. Financial Arrangements

An international student must show evidence that he/she is able to finance his/her tuition, room, board, books, and travel to and from the United States before an I-20 can be issued by the University.

The student is also responsible for paying the costs associated with each subsequent semester or term at the time of registration for that particular semester or term. Before obtaining a visa and leaving his/her country, a student must be able to furnish the United States Embassy or Consulate with evidence that he/she has a minimum of the total U.S. currency (listed below) available for each of the academic years required for completion of his/her education.

An estimate of your expenses for the 2025-2026 academic year is as follows:

$35,000 tuition (full-time undergraduate)
$10,800 room & board
$1,125 fees (includes $225 orientation fee)
$1,000 textbooks (estimate)
$47,925 TOTAL

* These are estimates for the 2025-26 year.

** Based on Tuition and Fees schedule found here. Prices are updated annually.

*Housing Deposit: New undergraduate international students must make a non-refundable seat deposit of $500 at the time of their acceptance to secure on campus housing.

Each succeeding academic year, the housing deposit will be $500.00 payable prior to the spring housing fair. The housing deposit will be applied to your account for the Fall semester of the academic year.

International students should contact [email protected] for information about other associated admissions costs and fees.

4. Employment

According to the regulations of the United States Immigration and Naturalization Services (INS), those who enter the country with “F-1” student visas may not accept off-campus employment.

This regulation does not apply to on-campus work-study programs that are available. Dependents of students are not allowed to work under any circumstances.

Please do not expect to work in order to meet educational expenses.

5. Academic History Ladder

The Academic History Ladder is a list of your entire educational history, including the schools you have attended, the dates attended, the school location, and the type of diploma or certificate granted at the completion of each level.

Since different countries have different educational systems around the world, it is often difficult to evaluate the documents precisely. For that reason, we request that you provide a year-by-year account of your educational experience.

Official copies of secondary/high school and college/university documents should be sent with this form and include an official English translation. At your request, official copies will be returned after they have been evaluated.

Primary/elementary certificates or transcripts are not needed to accomplish the Academic History Ladder.

Download the Academic History Ladder Here.

Section 4: Student Acceptance, Visa, and Health Information

Only International Students who want to come on campus to study need to apply for an International F-1 Student Visa. International Students who apply for online study do not need to apply for an International Student Visa.

1. Letter of Acceptance and Student Visa Information

If a student’s application for admission to Franciscan University of Steubenville is approved, an official letter of acceptance, a Certificate of Eligibility (Form I-20), and a prerequisite for a visa interview form will be sent by the University to the accepted applicant.

Admission is for a specific term. If the student is unable to enroll for the term indicated in the notice of acceptance, the International Programs Office must be notified.

Under no circumstances should an applicant depart for the United States unless he/she has received an official acceptance letter, a Form I-20, and a visa from the U.S. Embassy or Consulate in his/her home country. 

A student who arrives on campus without first receiving these documents does so at his/her own risk. A student’s presence on campus will not influence the decision of the Admissions Committee regarding his/her admission.

IMPORTANT: International students seeking to study in the United States are required to complete Form I-901 and pay a $350 usd SEVIS fee before they will be permitted to enter the country. Students who must obtain an F-1 visa to attend will need to complete the Form I-901 before they schedule their appointment with the U.S. embassy or consulate. To submit your Form I-901 and pay the $350 SEVIS fee, visit www.fmjfee.com

2. Passports, Visas, and Arrival in the United States

Should you be accepted, an I-20 authorization form will accompany a letter of acceptance to the University.

Before departing for the United States, you should present these to the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate. You should request a multiple entry (not a single-entry) visa, since you may wish to visit non-U.S. countries during your stay in the U.S. DO NOT come to the University with a B-1/B-2 (tourist) visa.

REMINDER: International students seeking to study in the United States are required to complete Form I-901 and pay a $350 usd SEVIS fee before they will be permitted to enter the country.

Students who must obtain an F-1 visa to attend will need to complete the Form I-901 before they schedule their appointment with the U.S. embassy or consulate. To submit your Form I-901 and pay the $350 SEVIS fee, visit: www.fmjfee.com

3. International Student Health Insurance

Beginning with the 2013-14 school year, the University will no longer require that international students participate in the Lewer health insurance.

We encourage you to decide how you are going to provide for accidents or illnesses requiring visits to physicians, health clinics, or the hospital emergency room while you are a student here. As always, our Health Center on campus will be staffed by a certified nurse practitioner Monday – Friday during normal business hours.

No insurance is necessary to receive basic health-related services at the Health Center, however, if you are referred off campus for further lab testing, physician specialists, X-rays, etc., you will be responsible to pay for those services.

International students are strongly encouraged to obtain proof of insurance that includes the following:

Medical/Hospitalization
Medical Evacuation
Repatriation of Remains

International students must provide the international office with proof of coverage for all of the above.

Contact Us

Office of Admissions

Franciscan University of Steubenville
1235 University Boulevard
Steubenville, OH 43952

[email protected]

4. International Student Information Sheet

The International Student Information Sheet provides our office with your Passport and contact information.

Download the International Student Information Sheet here.

Pursuant to the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act (Clery Act), Franciscan University of Steubenville publishes an Annual Security and Fire Safety Report (ASR). The ASR includes fire and crime statistics as well as institutional policies concerning campus security, alcohol and drug use, crime prevention, reporting of crimes, discrimination, sexual misconduct, and other matters. The ASR is available at https://safety.franciscan.edu/campus-safety-and-security/security-fire-safety-report/. Upon request, a paper copy of the ASR may be obtained at no cost at the Department of Public Safety located on the Steubenville campus at 1519 Parkview Circle (Assisi Heights) or via telephone at 740-283-6333.