For information contact: Recruitment and Outreach Office
Phone: 530.938.5847
Fax: 530.938.5367
e-mail info@siskiyous.edu

Welcome! International students reading this can find out more about International Student Services on our campus by e-mailing the Recruitment and Outreach office. We will be happy to assist you with each step in becoming a student here on our campus. Here is the international student application which you can download, complete, and mail back to us. In order to view this application, you will need to have an Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer. If you do not already have this, you can download the reader by clicking here. Please see our Frequently Asked Questions, FAQ, for more specific information.

Once you arrive on campus, there is an orientation for new international students which is scheduled at the start of each semester in mid-August and mid-January. We have a very small international student population, last year we had about 15 students from 7 countries! Students attend COS from Japan, China, Micronesia, Moldova, Netherlands, Australia, Austria, Great Britain, Bulgaria, Croatia, Germany, Canada, Columbia, Mexico, Ethiopia, Taiwan, Korea, Denmark, Zimbabwe, Brazil, France, and more. Our small number of international students and the diversity of the group, makes COS an unique opportunity for students to get personalized attention and work with students from around the world on a more personal basis than at a larger college.

COS is also unique in that we are one of few two year college that offer on-campus Residence Halls. Many students spend at least their first year in the residence halls, which offer meal plans and activities.

Our International Advisor will help you select classes according to your goals and ability levels. We make sure that your classes are in just the right order to help you transfer or to reach your goals. We assist students in selecting a major and deciding on educational goals as well. Some students earn their Associate Arts degree, with a vocational certificate or emphasis, and most transfer on to a four-year university.

Many students have questions about the way units from one college can be transferred to another. College of the Siskiyous has articulation agreements with many different colleges including; all of the California State Universities, the University of California system, Southern Oregon University, and Oregon Institute of Technology. If you have taken classes at a university out side of the United States and need to know if any of those units can transfer to College of the Siskiyous, you will need to have your transcripts evaluated by the International Education Research Foundation, Inc (IERF). Please contact IERF at 310-258-9451 or by email at info@ierf.org to find out process and costs involved. Once you have these results, you would need to have them sent to College of the Siskiyous.

This means that all of the transferable courses which have been agreed upon will transfer and count as part of general education requirements, lower division major classes, and/or electives. Most students achieve two years' worth of instruction so that they are at the junior, or upper division, level when they transfer.

Many students come from an intensive English language school before they enter college. We have "conditional admission" agreements with the ASPECT and the ELS Language Centers so that when a student has finished college-level ESL classes, he or she can begin studying with us. If you choose not to attend an English Language school, an original TOEFL score (470 paper-based or 150 computer-based) or an original IELTS score (Band 5 Range) or an original STEP score (Eiken 2A Grade level or higher) are also accepted.

Students tell us that the best thing about COS is the friendly staff, excellent education, helpful labs (for writing, reading, math and computers) and beautiful location. COS is located in a rural, forested area at the base of Mt. Shasta. Our locations provides students with the opportunity to go skiing, hiking, swimming, rafting and other outdoor activities year-round. You can also view a page that includes a map, distances from the college to other cites, and links to those cities.

There are a number of clubs on campus also which provide an opportunity to meet new friends and fun activities. One of the most active is the Intercultural Club, open to everyone! This club does many things such as have house parties, go bowling, attend artistic performances, ski or snowboard together, and plan joint events with the Latino Student Union and the Black Student Union as well as the Associated Student Body.

One more thing you should know: we do have a very small fee reduction program, which students who have distinct financial need can apply for. In addition to the Fee Waiver application form, there is a requirement for letters of reccommendation. This application is sent directly to the Director of Financial Aid, where it is determined whether or not a student qualifies for the Fee Waiver. This tuition reduction would be available on a first-come, first-served basis for only one student per country up to our maximum. There is a waiting list already for this fee waiver program.

The basic rules for international students studying at any USA college include that students must be able to support themselves financially while they are here. Working off-campus is not allowed, and on-campus positions are very limited. Thus, students wishing to study here must be able to demonstrate that they have the full funds to support their education here. That amount is currently estimated at $15,370 in US funds for one academic year.

So, please feel free to contact us with your particular questions. A two-year institution is an excellent place to begin your college education. We can help you plan a vocational career or assist you in transferring to a four-year university. The total costs for College of the Siskiyous are close to half what they would be for a four-year university, so completing the first two years with us is a very economical plan, too!

Most of all, we are very happy that you might consider College of the Siskiyous as a great place to begin your higher education! Our international student alumni regularly come back to visit their friends and instructors here. We look forward to hearing from you, answering your questions, and welcoming you to our special college in the far northern, beautiful mountains of California. Again, we have a detailed FAQ for your possible questions; feel free to visit that area to learn more about us.

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