International Students

Emperor’s College is very fortunate to have a culturally diverse student body in both its masters and doctoral degree programs of acupuncture and Oriental medicine. The myriad of backgrounds brings life to campus and rewards each student with a strong community of like-minded individuals from which to draw.

Students from Canada, China, Korea, Japan, Mongolia, England, Germany, Russia, Finland, Sweden, Ecuador, Iran, India and elsewhere call Emperor’s College home, and we hope you will soon, too.

All courses in the masters and doctoral programs are taught in English. Applicants from a non-English speaking country may be required to demonstrate competency in the English skills needed for success by taking the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) exam. Emperor’s College TOEFL code is 8409.

Emperor’s College is authorized under federal law to enroll non-immigrant alien students who meet our general admissions requirements and to comply with all federal guidelines under the United States Immigration and Naturalization Service.

Apply as an International Student

In addition to the standard admissions and application process, International students need to submit the following:

• Official academic transcripts translated into English
• A comprehensive course-by-course evaluation by an academic credential evaluation service that is a member of NACES
• Demonstration of English proficiency as stated below.
• A non-refundable application fee of $150
• An I-20 Request Form with a photocopy of your passport
• Evidence of financial resources sufficient to complete the academic program.

Foreign Transcripts

In addition to providing translated versions of official academic transcripts to Emperor’s College, applicants must have all foreign academic transcripts evaluated by a NACES-member credential evaluation service. Here are four credential evaluation services for your consideration. We encourage you to look into each and see which works best for your circumstances.

WES (World Education Services)

IERF (International Education Research Foundation)

A2Z Evaluations

GCE (Global Credential Evaluators)

In addition to the official evaluation, you will need 2-4 copies of your official transcripts from your foreign university (as outlined below). For some countries/schools, the process of requesting official transcripts can be quite difficult, so we try to make sure students with an international academic background are made aware of this ahead of time and can prepare accordingly.

• One (1) sent directly to the credential evaluation service for its evaluation (admissions)
• One (1) sent directly to Emperor’s College (admissions)
• One (1) sent to the California Acupuncture Board (CAB) for your application to take the California Acupuncture Licensing Examination (CALE) (post-graduation; if you intend to take the CALE)
• One (1) sent to the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM) for your application to take the national NCCAOM Certification Examination accepted by 43 other U.S. states (post-graduation; if you intend to take the NCCAOM)

English Language Competency

All courses are taught in English. English language competency is required of all students seeking admission to the program. This must be demonstrated by one of the following means:

1)      The student must have completed four years at a US high school demonstrably delivered in English.

2)      The student must have completed high school or a two-year (60 semester credits or 90 quarter credits) baccalaureate – or graduate-level, English-based education in an institution: a) accredited by an agency recognized by the US Secretary of Education, or b) in the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada (Except Quebec), New Zealand, Ireland, and other eligible countries determined by ACAHM. In all cases, English must have been both the language of instruction and the language of the curriculum used;

3)      Test of English as a Foreign Language Internet-Based Test (TOEFL iBT) total score 61. Emperor’s College TOEFL code is 8409.

4)      International English Language Testing System (IELTS) overall band score 6.

Contact Admissions for other acceptable options that will satisfy English Requirement Proficiency.

All students matriculating must demonstrate English language competency as a condition of admission.

International Student Visas (F-1 Visa)

The F-1 Visa is a non-immigrant student visa that allows foreign students to pursue education in the United States.

• Foreign students are expected to comply with all regulations of the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) in addition to the regulations of Emperor’s College.
• A foreign applicant who wishes to accept an offer of admission to Emperor’s College must commit to full-time enrollment by submitting a deposit of $2,000 (applied to first quarter tuition), payable in U.S. dollars, within 30 days of notification of acceptance.
• An I-20 Certificate of Eligibility for an F-1 Student Visa will be issued to the foreign student after the College receives the commitment deposit.
• International students must bring their I-20 to their interview, along with their certificate of finances and proof of payment of your SEVIS I-901 fee. Information on how to pay the SEVIS fee can be found at the government website here.
• The United States Immigration and Naturalization Service require that all F-1 students maintain a full-time program of study.
• Emperor’s College requires 14 units per quarter, regular class attendance, and a satisfactory progress towards completion of the degree objective.
• Students who wish to enroll must declare their intent to study at Emperor’s College to the INS before leaving their home country and should not expect to change visa status after arrival in the United States. Emperor’s College cannot offer legal assistance to anyone attempting to change visa status.

If you have additional questions about Student Visas, please find more information on the U.S. Department of State website.