International J-1 Exchange Student Requirements

J-1 Exchange Visitors

J-1 exchange visitors are students from around the world who come to SVSU as part of an exchange program for a semester or two. These students are not seeking SVSU degrees.

To join SVSU as a J-1 exchange visitor, students must first consult with the International Office at their home institution. For most exchange programs, the home institution has a separate application and nomination process. Once exchange students have been approved and nominated by the home institution, they must submit the SVSU International Partnerships application.

Apply

Submit the SVSU International Partnerships application.

Upload Documents

Upload clearly scanned copies of the required items in your application portal checklist:

Passport
A clear color copy of the passport information page.
College Transcript
Scanned copies of transcripts should be uploaded in the application. The scanned copies that are uploaded by the student are considered unofficial. Admission can be granted based on these scanned copies, however, official transcripts must be provided upon arrival to campus. Alternatively, transcripts that are sent to transcripts@svsu.edu by authorized university personnel are considered official.
Evidence of Financial Support
Applicants should upload a bank statement, dated within the last six months, which shows enough funding to cover the cost of the exchange program. Students should speak with the Study Abroad Advisor at their home institution to determine this cost.

English Language Proficiency

TEST	MINIMUM SCORE
Duolingo	85 overall score Send via Duolingo English Test
IELTS	5.5 overall band score Send via your IELTS Testing Center using institution code 1766*
TOEFL iBT	61 sum of highest section scores Send via ETS using institution code 1766*
Pearson PTE	45 overall score
SAT	900 total score Send via College Board using institution code 1766
ACT	18 composite score Send via ACT using institution code 1766

*As a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, scanned copies of IELTS or TOEFL iBT score reports can be uploaded. Our admissions staff will verify the validity of the score.

**The English language proficiency requirement may be waived for applicants from certain countries.

Next Steps

Once the application is reviewed, the Decision Letter can be viewed from within the application portal.
If you are admitted, the non-refundable $150 orientation fee must be paid before the DS-2019 is issued.
It typically takes 1-2 weeks for the DS-2019 to be created and delivered by mail to the student’s address.
Once the DS-2019 is received, the SEVIS fee of $220 must be paid to the U.S. government. Students should print out the receipt of payment to bring to the visa interview.
Next, students should visit the U.S. Department of State website to submit the nonimmigrant visa application (DS-160).
Finally, the student can schedule the visa interview at the U.S. embassy or consulate. For assistance with this process, we recommend that students contact the U.S. embassy directly.

List of exchange partnerships with universities around the world

Ansbach University – Germany
University of Chittagong – Bangladesh
Daegu University – South Korea
Hautes Etudes D’Ingenieur (HEI) – France
Hangzhou Normal University – China
Jahangirnagar University – Bangladesh
Jinan University – China
Kansai Gaidai University – Japan
Kyung Hee University – South Korea
Ming Chuan University – Taiwan
Shanghai Normal University – China
Shenyang Aerospace University – China
Shih Hsin University – Taiwan
Shikoku University – Japan
Sungshin Women University – South Korea
Universidad Argentina de la Empresa (UADE) – Argentina
University of Guanajuato – Mexico
University of the Itajaí Valley – Brazil