International Students

College of San Mateo is authorized under Federal law to enroll non-immigrant international students. College of San Mateo does not normally admit persons who enter the United States as visitors (B-1/B-2 visa) to its International (F-1 visa) Student Program. In order to be admitted to the program, an international student must:

  1. complete the equivalent of an American high school education;
  2. demonstrate sufficient command of English to profit from instruction at the college. A minimum score of 56 (internet based) on TOEFL is required;
  3. present evidence of sufficient funds to cover tuition fees and living expenses while attending College of San Mateo. the tuition fee for the 2023-2024 academic year is $358 per unit of credit, $46 per unit enrollment fee and $1 per unit capital outlay fee;
  4. and purchase the health insurance offered through SMCCCD

International students are required to complete 12 units of class work each semester to maintain their status. Additional fees are payable at the time of registration.

Under certain circumstances of unforeseen financial hardship, continuing international students may petition to pay the tuition in three installments. This does not apply to students enrolling for their first semester at College of San Mateo.

A required international student application is available through the SMCCD International website.

For priority admission processing, applications for the Fall semester must be filed by July 1. Applications for the Spring semester must be filed by November 15.

For more information contact 574-6525 or csminternational@smccd.edu.