Study in the heart of San Francisco at Golden Gate University. We are committed to helping international students like you, in F-1 or J-1 immigration status, find academic and career success. We offer a variety of affordable and flexible master's degrees designed to help advance your career.
About 17 percent of GGU's student body is made up of international students. They come from more than 50 countries, making our campus a diverse and welcoming place. Learn from our scholar-practitioners, who have decades of experience at San Francisco's biggest companies, and find your home in the Bay Area.
Choose Your Admission Program: There is a separate application for each of our programs: graduate, certificates and open enrollment. Please note that we do not offer undergraduate degrees for international students.
Create an Account: The first time you visit, you’ll need to create an admissions account.
Start Your Application: Check your application for the materials you will need. Make sure you have everything you need to complete your application.
Apply and Submit: Fill out the required fields, review your application carefully, pay the application fee and submit.
GGU international students are granted admission on a “rolling” basis. GGU does not have an application deadline. Students are encouraged to apply early to allow time for an admission decision, issuing the Form I-20 and visa appointment as necessary. Additional processing time may be needed to obtain government documents required for the admissions decision. Timely submission is important for students currently living outside the United States who will need to apply for an F-1 or J-1 visa in their home country.
RECOMMENDED APPLICATION PRIORITY DEADLINES |
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SEMESTER | TERM START | RESIDING IN THE USA | RESIDING OUTSIDE THE USA |
Spring 2022 | Jan 10 | Dec 10 | Oct 1 |
Summer 2022 | May 09 | Apr 09 | Mar 09 |
International students seeking admission to a Master’s degree program must have earned Bachelor’s degree or higher from a regionally-accredited US institution or the equivalent from a recognized foreign (outside the US) institution.
Applicants must submit official transcripts -- and certified English translations -- from each school previously attended. Examination scores and mark sheets may be submitted if the institutions attended do not maintain transcripts.
Chinese Academic Documents: Applicants must submit credential reports in English for transcripts and degree certificates, issued by the China Academic Degree & Graduate Education Development Center at www.cdgdc.edu.cn. The documents should be sent directly to Golden Gate University, Office of Admissions.
See "English Requirements" below.
A Certification of Finances form must be submitted by all applicants intending to study on F-1 or J-1 visas. This form provides information required by the US Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Download the Certification of Finances Form. This form must be accompanied by a bank letter.
The Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) is required of MBA applicants ONLY. GMAT score reports must be sent from Educational Testing Service (ETS) directly to Golden Gate University. GRE scores are not required for admission into GGU's graduate programs.
GGU has approved the use of Duolingo's online English Test in the place of TOEFL, IELTS and PTE. This policy is for applicants whose TOEFL or IELTS test appointments have been canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
All graduate level applicants whose first (native) language is not English must satisfy the English language requirement to qualify for admission. The alternatives for meeting this requirement are noted below.
Scores at or above the following: |
|
TOEFL Internet-based test (iBT) |
79 |
Duolingo's online English Test |
100 |
IELTS (Academic) |
6.5 |
Pearson Test of English (PTE) |
57 |
* Not all English medium educational systems fulfill this requirement. Qualifying countries are Australia, Anglophone Canada, Great Britain, Ireland and New Zealand.
** Not all countries offering O- and A-level examinations meet British examining board standards. Countries with this standard include: Bahamas, Belize, Brunei, Ghana, Great Britain, Guyana, Hong Kong, Jamaica, Malaysia, Malta, Mauritius, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
For all international students at Golden Gate University, it is the student's responsibility to maintain legal F-1 or J-1 visa status. Visa information provided by the US Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs can be found at the following resources:
Experienced advisors (Designated School Officials, DSOs) at GGU assist students with a variety of immigration related issues including: travel and visa renewals, employment eligibility and other topics. The information provided on this website is meant to serve as a general guideline. It is not considered legal advice.
Immigration regulations are constantly changing, so international students are encouraged to carefully read messages sent by the University Advising Center and review this website for updates. Students are ultimately responsible for understanding and abiding by the guidelines imposed by current immigration status requirements. The University Advising Center strongly encourages students to contact our office with any immigration related questions.
F-1 or J-1 status students are required to abide by various federal regulations to maintain immigration status. A few of these requirements include: providing the University Advising Center with a current address, enrolling in a full course of study, and keeping appropriate immigration documents up to date.
Immigration regulations require F-1 students enroll in a full course of study while completing degree programs in the US. GGU defines a full course of study depending upon the academic level and degree program. The chart below summarizes enrollment requirements.
Full Time Enrollment Requirements |
|
Degree Level |
Units Required |
Graduate | 8+ units per academic term or more |
Doctorate | 7+ units per academic term or more |
Only one online course may used to meet the full time enrollment requirement. Students may enroll in more than one online course after meeting the full time enrollment requirement. Full time enrollment also requires students to be enrolled over the course of the entire term. This means students must enroll in at least one 16-week course or a combination of 8-week terms including both B term and C term.
Students may be authorized to enroll in less than a full course of study if they have academic difficulties, a valid medical condition, or are eligible for a vacation term. Students must receive permission from the University Advising Center Services PRIOR to enrolling in a reduced course load or dropping below a full course of study. Failure to receive permission could jeopardize your immigration status.
Students are eligible for a vacation term after completing two consecutive terms as a full time student at Golden Gate University. Students should inform the University Advising Center of intent to take a vacation term by submitting a Reduced Course Load Form before the beginning of the term.
F-1 and J-1 visa students are required to report a change of address within ten days of moving to a new location. Address updates can be made by logging in to GGU4YOU.
While in the US, international students should always be aware of the following:
F-1 visa status students are eligible to work part-time while school is in session and full-time during approved vacation terms. Part-time work is considered less than 20 hours per week. Many international students who would like to work on campus at GGU are able to secure positions. On campus job openings are posted on GGU Careers.
International students do not require authorization from USCIS to work on campus. Once a job offer has been received, the University Advising Center will help students with the documents needed to apply for a Social Security Number. You will not be permitted to begin work until you have obtained a Social Security Number.
F-1 student visa applicants are required to pay a one-time fee of $350 to supplement the administration and maintenance costs of the Student and Exchange Information System (SEVIS).
If you are traveling to a country other than your own, be sure to check with the consulate or embassy of that country. You may need to apply for a tourist visa.
Anytime you travel, please complete the I-20 Travel Signature Request and leave your I-20 at the University Advising Center at least one week before leaving San Francisco. If you have dependents in the US, they will also need to obtain a travel signature on their dependent I-20 if they plan to travel.
The US Department of State and the Citizenship and Immigration Service have increased the level of review international visitors face at US Consulates and Embassies abroad, US airports, and border crossing posts with Canada and Mexico.
Golden Gate University does not administer a group insurance plan for F1 and J1 visa holders in the Schools of Business, Tax, and Accounting. Students are now responsible for obtaining health insurance coverage independently. For more information about several different insurance options see below.
Although GGU will no longer require that F1 visa holders* show proof of health insurance coverage, we very strongly recommend that you have health insurance while in the United States. It is important to be aware that the United States healthcare system is likely quite different from the system in your home country. Having health insurance coverage while in the U.S. is crucial as costs can be extremely high if you are injured or sick and do not have coverage. For a brief overview of the U.S. healthcare system, please take a look at this International Student Insurance video.
*Note for J1 visa holders: J1 visa holders are still required to show proof of health insurance that meets certain coverage requirements. If you are a J1 student attending GGU through a sponsoring organization, your sponsor will likely provide health insurance coverage. If you will be studying on a J1 visa at GGU and you do not have pre-arranged insurance coverage, the below ISO plan meets government requirements.
The information below can help you start to find the right plan for you. Please note that the time required to enroll in a new plan can vary depending on individual circumstances, therefore it is important to plan ahead and apply early to avoid gaps in your coverage.
If your spouse or domestic partner is employed in the U.S., consider enrolling in a health insurance plan through his or her employer.
Yes, you still need it! In the United States, the cost of health care is not covered by the government as it is in some other countries, so it is important to have a private health insurance plan. Even though you may be healthy, it is necessary to have health insurance in case you get injured or become sick. If you do not have insurance, fall ill or get into an accident, and have to pay for your care completely out of pocket, the cost of care could end up being in the many thousands of dollars. For example, as this International Student Insurance video demonstrates, treating a broken bone can cost $18,000 - $47,000 out of pocket.
Yes, you may be able to continue working with your current doctor by purchasing insurance coverage through Kaiser directly (here) or by selecting a Kaiser plan through Covered California (here).
We spent a lot of time considering whether to continue administering a health insurance plan. We ultimately decided to stop due to feedback from students and our determination that the resources used to administer an insurance plan will be better used to improve our services in other ways.
This is a fixed fee that you pay out of pocket at the time a medical service is rendered (e.g. visiting the doctor, obtaining prescription medicine). Your health insurance company will pay the remaining costs.
This is similar to co-pay in that co-insurance represents a shared cost between you and the insurer for a service rendered. With co-insurance, however, the amount each party pays is not a fixed fee, but rather, is a percentage of the total cost of the service.
A deductible is a specific amount of covered medical expenses that you must incur and pay for out of pocket within one calendar-year before benefits are payable under the health insurance plan.
An example: If your plan has a $150 co-pay for ambulance services, after the deductible, this means that if you are transported by ambulance on January 1, 2016, and an ambulance ride costs $800, you will pay $650: $500 for the annual deductible, plus the $150 co-pay. If you need to be transported by ambulance again in 2016 (which we hope you wouldn't!), you will just pay the $150 co-pay the second time around, since you will have already paid the full deductible.
Depending on your plan, the deductible may be waived for some services.
This is the maximum amount that you will have to pay from your own pocket for medical expenses in a plan year.
Some plans limit the total amount of money they will pay for your medical expenses during your lifetime. This will be listed in your insurance plan description as a "lifetime maximum" or a "maximum lifetime benefit" or "maximum benefit per condition."
Eligibility to transfer academic credits from other institutions is dependent on a number of factors. For more details see:
International applicants admitted to graduate degree programs may be required to complete more than the number of units specified as required for degree completion -- regardless of the extent of previous work -- if determined by Golden Gate University additional academic preparation is necessary.
The university is authorized under federal law to enroll non-immigrant alien students. The university will not issue appropriate documentation until the student has been admitted as a full graduate degree or graduate certificate candidate, and has been financially certified by the university's Certification of Finances approval process.
Students holding F-1 or J-1 student or scholar visas may only attend the physical San Francisco campus.
The US Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement requires international students holding F-1 or J-1 student or scholar visas to be enrolled for consecutive terms of sufficient duration and units, typically consisting of no fewer than nine (9) units per term at the graduate level.
Have more questions about attending GGU as an international student? Talk to our staff who will answer any questions you may have.