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Undergraduate Application Process—International Candidates

Who is international? | The Application | Application Deadlines | First-Year Candidate | Transfer Candidate | Academic Credentials | Recommendations | English Proficiency | Testing | Addressing Correspondence

Who is International?

Status as an international candidate is determined by country of citizenship, not by place of residence. Apply as an international student if you: 

• live outside the U.S. and are a foreign national who is not a Citizen/LPR of the U.S.
• live in the U.S. as a foreign national in a nonimmigrant visa classification (i.e., F-1, A-2, J-1, H-4, etc.)
• do not have a U.S. passport or “LPR-green card.”

The Application

Candidates for first-year and transfer admission can apply to Hiram College using the Common Application for Admission. Adobe Acrobat Reader is required to view/print the Common Application, Application Instructions and associated forms. Adobe Acrobat Reader and the Common Application site are available free of charge. You may open a secure Common Application account, navigate to the application and related forms, save drafts, and return to edit your forms as many times as you wish prior to submission. You may submit the application online or print a copy and send it to Hiram by courier or post. No application fee is required.

Hiram College bases admission on your prior academic preparation and performance, not your intended field of study. However, for issuance of the Certificate of Eligibility- Form I-20 and the visa application, you must list one of the Hiram COllege's official majors in the "Academic Insterests" section of the application for admission. Do this on the application in the section regarding “Academic Interests." If you have multiple interests or are unsure of your intended college major, specify your primary interest from among those you are considering. After you arrive at Hiram, it is possible to change your major and the I-20 can be updated to reflect the change.

If you are unable to apply online or print the application and required forms, please use the Information Request link and specify that you need a paper application. We will send an application packet by post.

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Application Deadlines

Applications received after published deadlines are processed on a space-available basis. 

First-Year Candidates

Transfer Candidates

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First Year (Freshman) Candidate

First-year students enter in fall semester only and must be at least 17 years of age at the time of enrollment at Hiram College.

1. 2011–2012 First-year Common Application
2. Personal essay (minimum 250 words)
3. 2011–2012 secondary school report
4. 2011–2012 international supplement to the secondary school report (To be completed by secondary schools using non-U.S. educational systems. Schools with U.S. or AP curricula need not complete this form.)
5. Secondary school transcripts, lower and senior secondary academic records, external examination results, certificates and diplomas 
6. 2011–2012 home school supplement (home schooled students only)
7. Documentation of English proficiency
8. SAT I or ACT score report (See Testing below.)
9. One teacher evaluation

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Transfer Candidate

Transfer students may apply for entry in fall or spring semester. 

1. 2011 -2012 Transfer Common Application
2. Personal essay (minimum 250 words)
3. Post secondary/university transcript(s)
4. Secondary school transcripts, lower secondary and senior secondary academic records, examination results, certificates and diplomas. 
5. Documentation of English proficiency
6. One college instructor evaluation  

Additionally, transfer applicants who have completed less than 30 semester hours or one year of full-time post-secondary study must submit: 

7. 2011-2012 Common Application final report
8. SAT I or ACT score report (See further details below.)

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Academic Credentials

• Hiram College cannot return materials submitted as a part of the application process.
• Documents such as transcripts, marks sheets, certificates and diplomas must be original or certified true copies. We strongly recommend that candidates send certified true copies of irreplaceable documents. A certified true copy is a photocopy of the original official document to which a school, the Ministry of Education issuing the document, or a U.S. consular official has affixed his/her signature and/or official seal indication that it is an attested, true copy of the original document. 
• Documents not in English must be accompanied by literal translations. One of these must have an original school stamp/seal and signature on it certifying that it is a true copy. 
• If there is a concern regarding school documents, the admission office will contact school officials for clarification. 

First-Year candidates must submit evidence of successful progress toward or completion of secondary school. This can be documented with diplomas, certificates, and/or results of external or school leaving examinations appropriate to your secondary educational program. These may include, but are not limited to SSC/HSC, CXC, Advanced Subsidiary, A-level, WAEC, and other comparable measures.

If you are in the process of completing your final year and final documents and results are not yet available, Hiram will make the admission decision on the basis of current and predicted grades.  The school can report predicted grades on the international supplement to the secondary school report which is available on the Common Application website. Students admitted on the basis of predicted grades will be required to submit original/certified true copies of final credentials after they are issued. If there are questions regarding credentials, please contact the admission office for clarification.

Transfer candidates must arrange for Hiram College to receive documents verifying completion of secondary studies and transcripts from all post-secondary institutions where they have been enrolled.

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Recommendations

A Secondary Teacher or Post-Secondary Instructor recommendation is required from a faculty member who has taught you in an academic subject during the final two years of your education. If a candidate submits the application online through the Common Application, the evaluator may submit their form online. If the application is submitted by email or post, the evaluator must submit their form by post directly to the Office of Admission or give them to the candidate for posting in an envelope with the evaluator’s signature across the sealed flap.

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English Proficiency

Documentation:  International applicants must document English proficiency through any one of the following: 

• Paper-based TOEFL = 550
• Computer-based TOEFL = 213 or above
• Internet-based TOEFL = 80 or above
• IELTS band score = 6.5
• SAT I Critical reading subscore = 460 or above
• ACT English subscore = 22
• PTE Academic score = 60 or above
• GCE A-level English = Grade B or above
• GCSE English = Grade B or above
• Singapore/Cambridge O-level English = Grade B or above
• STPM English = Grade B or above

English Support Classes:  Applicants may be offered admission if they meet any one of the criteria listed below.  They must enroll in English Support Classes during the first year. English classes are taken along with courses from the general curriculum and credits earned meet graduation requirements:

• Paper-based TOEFL = 500-549
• Computer-based TOEFL = 173-213
• Internet-based TOEFL = 61-79
• IELTS = 5.5 – 6.4
• PTE = 50-59

Registration and score reports:  Agencies should send score reports should directly to Hiram College. 

• TOEFL information at www.toefl.org. Hiram’s code is 1297.
• IELTS information at www.ielts.org
• PTE information at www.pearsonpte.com
• SAT information at www.collegeboard.com.  Hiram’s code is 1297
• ACT are accepted in place of the SAT. Information at www.act.org. Hiram’s ACT code is 3280.
  

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Testing

The SAT or ACT Reasoning Test may be required.  Any applicant who is required to submit an SAT or ACT score report will be notified after the application for admission is received by the College.

The SAT or ACT is not required from an applicant who:

• resides in a country where SAT and ACT are not administered,
• has completed one year or more of full-time university-level study,
• is required to enroll in English language support classes at Hiram, or
• holds one of the following (or a comparable credential as determined by the admission office):
• STPM/Malaysia Higher School Certificate
• GCE A-Level (minimum of three subjects)
• Singapore/Cambridge GCE Advanced Level (minimum three subjects)

SAT II examinations are not required.

When registering for an examination, enter Hiram's institutional code number in the appropriate space to have a score report sent directly to the Hiram College from the testing agency.   

• SAT (www.collegeboard.com): 1297
• ACT (www.act.org): 3280

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Addressing Correspondence

For questions or concerns, you may contact us by email at interal@hiram.edu.

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Additional Information

• FAQ
• About Hiram College
• Information Request
• Application Process
• English as a Second Language
• Pre-Arrival Planning
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