GENERAL INFORMATION - FOREIGN STUDENTS

The general policies of the university as outlined in this catalog apply to foreign as well as domestic students. However, some special policies are necessitated by federal laws applicable only to foreign students.

A foreign student is any individual attending NMSU while present in the United States on a nonimmigrant student visa. Legal immigrants or refugees must present documentation of their status either to Admissions or to the International Programs (IP) Office.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)

Some of the more important rules as established by the United States Department of Homeland Security are

  1. Each student must maintain full-time student status for both the fall and spring semesters.
  2. Foreign students may not work off campus without authorization. On-campus employment may be authorized under certain conditions.
  3. All foreign students must maintain an up-to-date record in the IP Office. This record must indicate the student's current living address and local phone number.
  4. Prior to admission, a prospective foreign student must demonstrate the following:

UNIVERSITY PROCEDURES FOR FOREIGN STUDENTS

Scholastic Ability

  1. Prospective undergraduates must have completed a minimum of 12 years' schooling and/or submit official diploma or completion certificate.
  2. Official transcripts showing the classes taken and grades earned for the school years 10, 11, and 12 must be submitted. No hand-carried documents will be accepted unless received in a sealed envelope.
  3. The scholastic average for the last three years of high school must be equivalent to 2.5. Foreign students are not admitted on a provisional or probationary basis.
  4. Graduation from a high school in the United States does not automatically qualify a foreign student for admission to NMSU. The student must also submit official transcripts from his or her foreign secondary school.

Financial Support

  1. Each prospective foreign student must submit a current financial support document with his or her application.
  2. This document must show that(a)the person providing the financial support has the necessary funds, and (b) the funds can be transferred from the student's home country to the United States.

No financial aid is available from NMSU. The university reserves the right to demand advance deposit of funds for any period deemed reasonable prior to granting admission. A foreign national can never qualify for residency and must pay nonresident fees.

English Language Proficiency

NMSU requires a score of 500(paper-based)/173(computer-based) or better on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) for all foreign students, both nondegree and degree seeking. Foreign students may also demonstrate English proficiency by satisfactorily completing NMSU's Intensive English as Second Language programs. A waiver of the TOEFL requirement may be considered for

  1. Students who are native speakers of English.
  2. Students completing high school in the United States who (a) have attended the high school for at least two full semesters and (b) have scored in at least the 75th percentile in English on the ACT.
  3. Students transferring from a junior college, college, or university in the United States who have earned a minimum of 30 acceptable semester credits (45 acceptable quarter credits) with a GPA of 2.5 or better. "Acceptable credit" means classes that require a high proficiency in both written and oral English.
  4. Students demonstrating English-language proficiency by methods accepted by International Programs.
  5. Students enrolling in certain programs where English language proficiency is not required.

The university reserves the right to require any prospective foreign student to meet the 500 TOEFL requirement. For complete information concerning the TOEFL examination, applicants should review the following website: www.toefl.org

NMSU conducts an Intensive English Language Program for undergraduates and graduate students pursuing degree programs at NMSU. Foreign students are not admitted to the university for the sole purpose of studying English.

Prior to enrollment, each foreign student is administered an English screening examination. Based on the results, the student is either assigned to one of the special English classes for foreign students or is excused from special English instruction. Foreign students excused from SPCD 111G will be required to take ENGL 111G, including students whose native language is English. The student may then be required to complete one or more regular English classes as required for a particular degree. Completion of basic English courses at other U.S. institutions does not automatically satisfy this requirement.

Admission Restrictions

Although NMSU does not set a quota for the total number of foreign students, there may be several factors that would prohibit admission even though the student meets all general requirements.

  1. The dean of a chosen college and the department head of a chosen major or the provost/campus director of a branch campus may refuse to grant admission.
  2. There may be a disproportionate number of foreign students or a disproportionate number of a particular nationality in one department or college.
  3. Academic advisers, especially in the Graduate School, may not be available.
  4. Foreign nationals may be nondegree if admitted as exchange students, or as part of a special program, or as holders of visas that allow incidental studies related to their current nonimmigrant status.
  5. Non native speakers of English normally are not admitted for summer sessions. There are some exceptions such as students admitted to NMSU's Intensive English Programs.
  6. University branch campuses reserve the right to refuse admission to foreign students if the appropriate immigration and English-language support services are not available.
  7. Preference for admission to the branch campuses is shown to students who graduate from high school in the United States.
  8. University branch campuses reserve the right to set limits on the number of international students admitted to their respective campuses based on the percentage of international students within an academic program.

All application material, including the application for admission, letters of recommendation, transcripts or national examination scores and/or transcripts from colleges or universities(with an English translation), test scores including the TOEFL, and proof of adequate financial support should be on file in the International Programs Office by the following suggested
dates:

March 1* ............................................................................................for fall semester

October 1* ............................................................................... for spring semester

*Contact the academic department for specific deadlines.

Miscellaneous Regulations

  1. All foreign students are required to have coverage at the Student Health Center except when the main campus Student Health Center is not available to them.
  2. All foreign students must have health insurance. Students who do not purchase insurance from NMSU must present evidence of similar coverage to the IP Office. Students without insurance will not be allowed to register.
  3. Upon arrival on campus new foreign students are not permitted to register until all IP requirements are met, including attending orientation and taking the English screening examination. All foreign students, therefore, are required to report to the appropriate office on their campus.
  4. Undergraduate students are required to carry at least 12 credits per semester.