International Students

Admissions and support information for international students

The international applicant who wishes to study at Miami Dade College shall have completed secondary education and be eligible for admission to college-level studies. International applicants should begin their admissions process at the earliest possible date in advance of the intended term of enrollment. Three to six months lead time is recommended to assure enrollment as requested. View the academic calendar for application deadline dates.

You must submit the following items to the International Student Services Office at least ninety (90) days prior to the beginning of the term for which you are applying:

Apply online

Note: Please keep in mind the following when completing your application:

  • Check our various Academic programs, there is something for every one.
  • Make sure you have indicated the program of study you wish to pursue at the college.
  • An incomplete application and/or missing required documents will delay the admission process.

Documentary evidence of means of financial support must be provided to the College for admission purposes and issuance of the Certificate of Eligibility (Form I-20).

The official bank letter must be issued on bank stationery and addressed to Miami Dade College indicating that you have or your sponsor has an account of at least $33,000 for Associatedegrees and $37,000 for Bachelor degrees * (equivalent in American dollars) and that this money is to be used to support you while you study at MDC. See Sample. The bank letter must be certified authentic (notarized) by a bank official from that bank, in English, and with U.S. dollars equivalent noted in the letter. The bank letter must be dated no more than 6 months from the term deadline date. The name of the student applying must appear on the bank letter. If not, an additional notarized support letter will be required.

The support letter from the sponsor must indicate the name of the student being sponsored, state clearly the sponsor’s intent to use the funds for the student’s expenses at MDC. Please ensure the signature and address of the sponsor are notarized with an official seal. Acceptable sources of financial resources are savings accounts, checking accounts, money market accounts and certificates of deposit.

Students’ funds must be available for withdrawal from a U.S. bank or other source prior to the first day of class, to cover all living and educational expenses for the first twelve (12) months of study in the U.S. at MDC. The average cost of all the expenses is $33,000 for Associate degrees and $37,000 for Bachelor degrees per academic year. The estimated minimum cost per year for rent, food, transportation and incidentals is $21,600. Students with dependents need to provide an additional $7000 per dependent.

*Certain programs require additional funds.

All foreign and United States educational institutions attended must be listed on the application for admission. This includes secondary schools and graduation date, plus all post-secondary education including technical institutes, colleges and universities.

High school graduates only, must show evidence of a foreign equivalency of a United States high school diploma meeting the entrance requirements for admission to a recognized institution of higher education in their country with original documentation showing all the requisite seals and apostilles if your country issues them. The College reserves the right to request a certified official English translation, if the language used in the documents is not English.

Please submit your original high school transcripts (record of your classes and all grades) and your diploma/graduation documents with the corresponding seals and apostilles. For example, GCE/CXC, Bachiller, and Baccalaureate are such documents. View the Foreign High School Required Credentials for your country.

In order to assist students who have foreign high school documents but do not have the appropriate seals or apostilles on the documents, and are unable to get them, the following additional option will now be accepted effective immediately: an evaluation stating that you have the equivalent of a high school diploma from your respective country by a National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES), or Association of International Credential Evaluators (AICE) member organization. View the list of NACES and AICE member agencies. Credential evaluations are not free, and students are responsible for the cost of the selected service.

University students, please submit complete original transcripts with original English translation from a certified translator. Additional high school documents may be required. All documentation must have all the requisite seals and apostilles from the Ministry of Exterior Affairs or Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the country where the transcripts were issued. No exceptions. Acceptance of transfer courses are subject to approval by the College.

For institutions in the United States, please contact your high school or former college/university to request official transcripts to be sent to: Miami Dade College, Transcript Processing Services, Room R 301; 11011 SW 104TH Street; Miami, FL 33176. Transcripts must be addressed and forwarded directly from your high school or former college/university to Miami Dade College to be considered official transcripts.

Official transcripts must indicate the name and address of the educational institution, subjects studied, grades earned with grading system explanation, time period for each subject, examinations passed, and certificates, diplomas and degrees received at all secondary, college, university, and professional schools attended.

It is also helpful to have a catalog or syllabus from each post-secondary foreign institution attended for transfer credit evaluation purposes. To view a list of certified evaluators, please refer to the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services NACES® Members. and Association of International Credential Evaluators AICE member agencies.

Submit a copy of your current Passport biography page.

A US$50.00 one-time, non-refundable application fee payable to Miami Dade College by money order or check in U.S. currency.

Educational Documents for International Students