Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
from International Students

1) How do I apply for admission? What are the requirements to apply? Do I need to send recommendation letters? Do I need to write an essay? Do I have to sit for an interview? Do I need to audition?
Letters of recommendation and essays are not required to apply. Interviews and auditions are not required to apply. For a complete list of the items which are required to apply, please visit:
Undergraduate: How to Apply
Intensive English: How to Apply

2) Can I apply online?
Yes. To begin applying online, click on the "Apply Online!" link on one of the following webpages:
Undergraduate: Apply Online
Intensive English: Apply Online

3) Will you waive the US$65 application fee for me? Can I pay the application fee after I arrive in Wichita? Can I get admission without paying the application fee? Will you make an exception for me since I am from a developing country? Can you refund my application fee?
We cannot waive the application fee -- even if you are from a developing country. You cannot pay the application fee after you arrive in Wichita. We will not review any application that arrives without the required application fee. Applications that arrive without the required application fee will be destroyed without being reviewed if the fee is not paid within three months. The application fee is not refundable. 

4) How do I pay my application fee?
Please visit our How to Pay webpage.

5) How much does it cost to go to Wichita State (including living expenses)?
Undergraduate: Total Expenses
Intensive English: Total Expenses

6) Do you offer scholarships? How do I apply for financial aid? Can I get a scholarship before coming to Wichita? How much are your scholarships? Will they cover all of my educational expenses? Can I work on-campus? Can I get a loan or pay by installment?
Check out: Scholarships & Financial Aid

7) I am from Nigeria. Why do I have to pay a deposit? How do I pay my deposit? Is the deposit refundable? How do I get a refund of my deposit?
Wichita State University requires a US$7,000 tuition deposit for all students from Nigeria. Wichita State implemented this policy to help ensure that our Nigerian applicants are bona fide students with the financial ability to study in the U.S. For complete details, check out:
Requirements for Students from Nigeria

8) Do I need to send a bank statement with my application?
No. You do not need to send a bank statement. However, you or your sponsor must complete the Certification of Financial Support that is included with each of our applications. When you apply for a visa, the U.S. Embassy will require that you submit a bank statement showing that you have sufficient funds to study in the U.S. during your first year.
International Undergraduate Certification of Financial Support
Intensive English Certification of Financial Support

9) After I am accepted, do I have to pay my tuition before coming to Wichita?
Some universities require students to pay a tuition deposit before they come to the U.S. For most students, Wichita State University does not require a tuition deposit before they come to campus. Students from Nigeria, however, are required to pay a deposit. Students from Nigeria should be sure to read important details about paying the deposit at:
Requirements for Students from Nigeria

10) I have already been accepted to Wichita State. How much will I pay for my tuition, fees, living expenses, books, and medical insurance when I arrive in Wichita? How do I pay for everything? What is the Installment Payment Plan and how does it work? Can I pay by credit card? Check? Bank draft?
If you are accepted, we will enclose Pre-Departure Information with details on how much to pay (and how to pay). You can also view this information online. To view our Pre-Departure Information online, please click on the appropriate link below and select your desired term of entry. You will then see payment information on page 4 of the Pre-Departure Information.

11) I have not taken the TOEFL. Can I still apply for admission? Can I get conditional admission? What is the TOEFL requirement? Do you accept IELTS results? Is the SAT or ACT required to apply?
TOEFL/IELTS results are not required when you apply for admission and will not affect our admissions decision. If you otherwise meet our academic requirements for admission, you will be given conditional admission. For details, check out our TOEFL and IELTS Requirements.

The SAT or ACT is not required for Transfer Admission. The SAT or ACT is also not required for Freshman Admission but is an option for some students. For details, check out our Admissions Requirements.

12) I have not yet passed the TOEFL or IELTS. Will I have to study in your English program when I arrive in Wichita? What will happen if I arrive and I do not have a high enough TOEFL/IELTS score?
If you have not met our English requirement by the time you arrive in Wichita, we will give you an English test called the "English Proficiency Examination" or EPE after you arrive. This test is US$75 and will measure your listening comprehension, reading comprehension, grammar, and vocabulary. You will also be required to write a short essay as part of the test. For EPE sample questions, please click here. If you pass the EPE, you will be allowed to begin full-time undergraduate study without having to study in our English program. If you fail the EPE, you will be required to study in the WSU Intensive English Language Center.

13) Do you offer a major or specialization in...?
For a complete list of our majors and specializations, check out our Majors.

14) What are your deadlines to apply? Is there still time for me to apply for next intake? Can I apply late?
All application materials must arrive by our published deadlines. We cannot guarantee that applications that arrive after our published deadlines will be processed for the student's desired semester of admission. If it is near our deadline, we recommend that you send the application to us by express mail. If your application arrives late and we cannot process the application for your desired term, we will automatically process your application for the next available term. To find out what our application deadlines are, please visit:
Undergraduate: Deadlines and Start Dates
Intensive English: Deadlines and Start Dates

15) How long will it take to process my application?
It normally takes about one week to review an application but may take longer during peak application times. We cannot consider a student for admission until we have received all required application materials including the US$65 application fee and all official transcripts. If you do not send us all required application materials with your application for admission, there will be a delay in processing your application until we have received everything we need.

16) Will you send my I-20 by express mail?
If you would like to have your admissions documents sent to you by express mail, please enclose an additional US$60 with your application. If you do not include the express mail fee with your application, your admissions documents will be sent to you by airmail at no extra charge. If you pay the express mail fee and you are not accepted, the express mail fee will be returned to you. Because airmail packages to Africa can sometimes take 6 weeks or longer for delivery, we highly recommend that African students pay the express mail fee to ensure fast delivery of their admission documents.

17) If I send you my transcripts by e-mail or fax, will you let me know if I will be accepted? Will you give me an idea if I might be accepted if I give you my educational details in an email message?
There are many factors that Wichita State University takes into consideration when a student applies for admission. For this reason, we cannot determine if a student will be accepted or rejected based upon information you provide in email messages or faxes. The only way to know if you might be accepted is to formally apply for admission and submit all required application materials. For information on how to apply, please visit: How to Apply

18) Can I get transfer credit (exemptions) for subjects that I have studied at another college or university? How long will it take to graduate from Wichita State if I have studied at another school? Can I find out how many exemptions I will receive before I apply?
We cannot tell you about your transfer credit evaluation until after you have applied and have been accepted to Wichita State University. For details on how we award transfer credit, check out: Transfer Credit

19) I have a 3-year bachelor's degree from my country. Can I get admission to your Graduate School? Can I finish my bachelor's degree at Wichita State in only one more year?
The Graduate School will consider some students for admission who have graduated with a 3-year degree. To be considered for admission with a 3-year degree, students must possess a Bologna-compliant degree or a degree from India. For 3-year degrees from India, the institution from which the applicant graduated must be accredited at the highest level (A grade) by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council of India. When the student applies for admission, Wichita State University will automatically check to see if the school meets that accreditation requirement. For this reason, the student does not need to provide proof of this accreditation when he submits his application for admission. If the institution does not have at least an A grade, the student’s application will be automatically rejected since the Graduate School will not consider the student to have the equivalent of a U.S. bachelor’s degree. NOTE: Before the student applies for admission, the Graduate School will not make a pre-determination about whether or not the student has a qualified degree for admission. The only way to know if the student’s degree might qualify is to have the student formally apply for admission to the Graduate School and submit all required application materials.

If the student is not accepted for a graduate program, the student has two options:

1) Complete a master's degree in your country then apply to the Wichita State University Graduate School.
OR
2) Complete a bachelor's degree at Wichita State University. Even though you may have completed a 3-year degree in your country, it may take two years or longer to complete a bachelor's degree at Wichita State (due to the differences in our educational systems). For details on how we award transfer credit (exemptions) for subjects taken at other schools, please visit: Transfer Credit.

20) Do you have residence halls, dormitories, or on-campus housing of any kind? Can I live on-campus? How do I apply for on-campus housing? Do you have a homestay program?
Wichita State University does not have a homestay program. The University does, however, have three large residence halls. After you have been accepted, we will send you a housing application packet with details about living on-campus. In the meantime, you can find out more by visiting: Housing and Residence Life.

21) What is the weather like in Wichita? What is the city like? How far from the airport is the campus? How far is it to downtown?
Check out: Location and Weather.

22) How many students from my country are at Wichita State?
Check out: Number of Students from Your Country

23) Have you received my application? Have you received my money? Have you received my transcripts? Will you e-mail me when you receive something from me?
The Office of International Education receives over 4000 e-mail messages each month. Due to such a heavy volume of e-mail, we cannot personally respond to individual questions about the receipt of applications, money, transcripts, or other application materials. Our computer system, however, will automatically send you an e-mail message when your application arrives and has been entered onto our computer system. After we have reviewed your application (which normally takes about one week after the receipt of all required application materials), we will send another e-mail message to you to let you know your application status. In addition, our computer system will send you periodic reminders and other correspondence by e-mail. For this reason, it is VERY important that you check your e-mail often for updates from Wichita State University. It can take 2 to 6 weeks for an airmail shipment you send to us to arrive (depending on the city and country from which it is sent). Airmail shipments from Africa regularly take 4 to 6 weeks to arrive. Please allow sufficient time for your airmail shipments to arrive before you begin to worry about the arrival of your documents. Remember - we will e-mail you automatically once your application materials arrive and are entered into our computer system.

24) What is my application status? Will you e-mail me if I am accepted?
After we review your application (which normally takes about one week after the receipts of ALL required application materials), we will automatically send an e-mail message to you to let you know your application status. In our automated e-mail message, we will let you know if you have been accepted, rejected, or if we are missing required application materials. In addition, our computer system will send you periodic reminders and other correspondence by e-mail. For this reason, it is VERY important that you check your e-mail often for updates from Wichita State University.

25) How do I apply for a visa?
If you are accepted, we will enclose Pre-Departure Information with your I-20 with details on how to apply for a visa. You can also view this information online at Pre-Departure Information.

26) How do I pay the SEVIS Fee? Can you help me pay the SEVIS Fee? How do I transfer the SEVIS Fee from one SEVIS number to another?
If you are accepted, we will enclose Pre-Departure Information with your I-20 with details on how to pay the SEVIS Fee. Wichita State University cannot pay the SEVIS Fee for you or assist you in transferring the SEVIS Fee from one SEVIS number to another. For details on how to pay the SEVIS Fee and more, check out: SEVIS Fee FAQs

27) What airport should I fly into? Will you pick me up when I arrive in Wichita?
Your final destination should be Wichita, Kansas (Airport Code: ICT). We pick up all students from the airport (for free). After you are accepted, we will enclose Pre-Departure Information with your I-20 with Airport Arrival details. You can also view this information online at Pre-Departure Information.

28) How do I open a bank account in Wichita?
Check out our Pre-Departure Information at Pre-Departure Information.

29) I cannot come for the semester that I was accepted for. How do I request readmission for a later semester? How do I get a new I-20? Is there still time to reapply for the next intake?
To request readmission for a future term, you must complete the form on the following webpage: Request Readmission. You must request readmission before our published deadlines. For details on our deadlines, please visit:
Undergraduate: Deadlines and Start Dates
Intensive English: Deadlines and Start Dates

30) How do I cancel my admission?
To cancel your admission, please email us at international@wichita.edu to let us know.

31) When do classes begin? What date should I arrive? When is orientation?
If you are accepted, we will enclose Pre-Departure Information with your I-20 with details on important dates (such as when you should arrive). You can also view this information online at Pre-Departure Information.

32) Do I have to get a medical check-up before coming to the U.S. Do I need any vaccinations?
For more information about health matters, please visit our webpage for TB Testing, Vaccinations and Routine Medical Care.

33) Why do I have to have medical insurance? What does the University's medical insurance cover? Can I purchase medical insurance in my country?
For details, check out: Medical Insurance.

34) I have a disability. I am blind or deaf. I have a physical impairment. I use a wheelchair. What services do you provide to students who have a disability?
Wichita State University offers a variety of services for students with disabilities. For details, please visit: Office of Disability Services. If desired, you may also email a staff member to ask specific questions by clicking on the link for "Staff" on the left side of the screen.

35) How long will it take for me to complete a bachelor's degree? How long will I be required to study Intensive English?
Most bachelor's degrees require about 4 years to complete (depending on the number of classes you take each semester). The length of time a student may spend in Intensive English is dependent upon several factors including 1) the student's level of English proficiency when they begin their studies, 2) how adept they are at language learning, 3) how much effort they put into their studies, and 4) their desired level of English proficiency.