Information For
International Students

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How many international students are there at St. Lawrence?

  • During the 2010-2011 academic year, St. Lawrence is home to more than 136 international students from the following 49 countries (one student from each country unless indicated otherwise in parenthesis; also includes dual citizens):
    • Afghanistan, Bosnia & Herzegovina (5), Botswana (2), Brazil (2), Bulgaria (3), Cambodia, Canada (60), China (2), Croatia (2), Democratic Republic of Congo, Ecuador, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, India (3), Jamaica (2), Kenya (7), Kosovo, Lebanon, Macedonia (2), Malawi (2), Malaysia, Maldives, Mexico, Nepal (2), New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan (2), Palestine (2), Paraguay, Poland, Senegal, Serbia, Sierra Leone, Slovakia, South Africa (4), Spain, Sri Lanka, Swaziland (2), Switzerland, Trinidad & Tobago, Turkey (3), Uganda, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia (2), Zimbabwe (4).

How “international” is St. Lawrence?

  • 50% of our students study abroad or complete international research each year.
  • Over 50% of the faculty have significant international training and expertise.
  • St. Lawrence is unique among US colleges and universities as being the liberal arts college closest to another nation’s capital (Ottawa, Canada), and we take advantage of our proximity to Canada through formal courses and co- and extra-curricular programs. 
  • In addition to academic programs like global studies and modern languages, faculty across the campus routinely incorporate global perspectives in their courses. 
  • Outside the class room, clubs and organizations such as International House, Amnesty International, Global Awareness Club, and the SLU Model United Nations Club allow students to explore their global interests in other venues.

Is St. Lawrence a religious school?

  • No. St. Lawrence is named in honor of the St. Lawrence River Valley. The St. Lawrence River flows about 1,207 km (750 miles) from Lake Ontario, along the Ontario-New York border and through southern Québec, to the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
  • The river was first sighted by Jacques Cartier, a French explorer, on the Feast Day of St. Lawrence in 1534. The St. Lawrence River today is a major shipping route and a destination for boating, fishing, and vacationing on both sides of the river.

Famous alumni?

  • While we like to think that all of our alumni are accomplished, a number have achieved a high degree of recognition. Among St. Lawrence's distinguished alumni are:
    •  industrialist and diplomat Owen D. Young (1894), for whom the Young Plan for World War I reparations was named
    • Olympia Brown (1863), the first woman in U.S. history to be ordained a minister
    • author Lorrie Moore (’78)
    • United States Senator from the state of Maine, Susan Collins (’75)
    • actors Kirk Douglas (’39) and Viggo Mortensen (’80)
    • members of parliament, Kenya, Joseph  Lekuton, (’91, M’94) and Chachu Ganya (’96)and
    • University President William L. Fox (’75).

What is a liberal arts and sciences education?

  • St. Lawrence University is firmly committed to undergraduate liberal arts and sciences education for women and men, an education that requires breadth, depth and integration in learning.
  • Breadth: St. Lawrence students must complete a set of distribution requirements that expose them to a number of disciplines beyond their intended major(s).
    • Distribution requirements should be seen not as a checklist of courses to complete but rather as an invitation to explore, indeed, to cultivate wisdom. 
    • Students often find that they discover or develop life-long interests through carefully selected courses that satisfy their distribution requirements. 
    • All students must complete one course in arts/expression; humanities; social science; mathematics or foreign language; two courses in natural science and science studies, one of which must be a laboratory course; two courses from two different departments that engage participants in the critical study of sameness and difference; and the First Year Program (First Year Course and First Year Seminar.)
  • Depth: Students are also required to complete a concentrated field of study, or major. Students may choose a major or majors from a number of traditional, combined or interdisciplinary majors and programs.
  • Integration: Through a liberal arts education students not only learn and develop specific information and skills, but also learn how to learn, adapt, and integrate diverse material; communicate appropriately; and utilize effectively what has been learned.  

How will a liberal arts and sciences education help in my career search?

  • A liberal arts and sciences education provides for a large number of options in the choice of a career.
  • 93.5% of the Class of 2009 either had a job within six months of graduation or enrolled in graduate school.
  • 20.2% enrolled in graduate programs
  • 73.3% were employed.
  • Typically, more than 40% of our alumni enroll in graduate programs within five years of graduation.
  • The Office of Career Services is committed to empowering students and graduates to discover their passion, explore their career options, develop their personal career plan, and attain their goals as part of their lifelong educational philosophy.
  • Over 450 St. Lawrence alumni are presidents or chief executive officers of their organizations.

Can I study Engineering at St. Lawrence?

  • St. Lawrence offers a 3+2 Engineering program in which students spend three years at St. Lawrence and two years at a cooperating engineering school (Clarkson University, Columbia University, Dartmouth College, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, University of Rochester, University of Southern California) and graduate with a bachelor's degree from each institution.
  • This option allows students to receive three years of a broad-based, well-rounded liberal arts education before specializing in an engineering field. It also allows students the freedom to change their major plans from engineering to another field without changing schools.
  • Please note that international students who require and/or receive financial assistance to attend St. Lawrence may not find this the best option. Because financial aid for international students is limited, and institutional policies vary, it is not possible to predict the level of financial assistance a student will receive from the engineering school. It would be necessary for students to apply for scholarships and other financial assistance directly from the engineering school. 

Can I study Business at St. Lawrence?

  • Majors from any discipline may complete the pre-management program at St. Lawrence, which combines an individually tailored course of study with career building programs and leadership skills development.
    • A certificate is awarded to students successfully completing the Pre-Management Program. Participants should work closely with the Pre-Management Program coordinator and with career services and leadership education.
  • 4+1 MBA Program. St. Lawrence University has 4+1 MBA agreements with the graduate schools at Clarkson University, Rochester Institute of Technology, and Union College that allow students to plan their undergraduate program to include courses that serve as foundation courses for graduate study.
    • Students must complete a regular undergraduate major and meet prescribed admission standards in addition to the foundation courses. Those who are admitted can expect to complete the requirements for the MBA degree in one year rather than the usual two or more.
    • In addition, applicants with outstanding academic records will receive a prompt decision concerning admission and financial aid. Preliminary inquiries concerning these programs may be made by consulting with the pre-management coordinator.

Can I study medicine at St. Lawrence?

  • Medical education in the U.S. takes place after earning a bachelor’s degree. Students at St Lawrence who want to go to medical school are participate in our pre-medical program and are advised by the faculty members of the Health Careers Committee.
  • International admission to medical school for student is extremely difficult. International students face major challenges in gaining admission to and paying for medical school in the U.S. For more information, please read International Students and Medical Education:Options and Obstacles, published by the National Association of Advisors for the Health Professions, Inc.

What are the admissions criteria?

  • St. Lawrence seeks to enroll students who are intellectually curious, self-motivated and who have a clear sense of purpose.
  • St. Lawrence students should be poised to embrace the mission of a residential, community-based liberal arts university and appreciate the value of learning in, and about, a diverse community and world.
  • Because the University maintains a focus on personal as well as academic development, our students should also be prepared to assume leadership positions and have the ability to balance a variety of academic and extracurricular commitments.
  • We also seek students who will increase the racial, ethnic and socioeconomic diversity of our student body.
  • Applications for admission are evaluated with a holistic approach, weighting heavily the rigor of secondary school curriculum, trend of achievement, final or predicted final examination results if available, and what we learn about students from letters of recommendation as well as the information they provide in their applications and personal statements. 
    • Competitive candidates should be completing or have completed the equivalent of 12 years of education (primary and secondary) or the program of study that leaves them eligible for admission to university-level study in the educational system in which they are enrolled.  For example, students who are completing or who have only completed O level, GCSE/IGCSE, SMP, or HKCEE study should not apply and will be at a competitive disadvantage for admission and financial aid consideration.
    • Candidates should apply when they are completing the final year of advanced level study, or the equivalent.

When can I apply?

  • International applicants may apply for fall (August) admission.
  • Due to our limited international student financial aid, first year applicants who are also applying for financial aid may only apply for admission to the fall (August) semester. Applications for spring (January) admission from students in this category will be converted to fall (August) applications.
  • International applicants not applying for or requiring need-based financial aid may apply for fall (August) or spring (January) admission.
  • Canadian citizens may apply for fall (August) or spring (January) admission regardless of their financial aid status and should review the Canadian Admissions FAQ.

What is the application deadline?

  • The Regular Decision application deadline is February 1 and applicants are notified of their decisions by the end of March. Applicants applying from outside the U.S. are strongly encouraged to submit their application and supporting materials well in advance of the application deadlines.

Can I apply Early Decision?

  • Please note that, due to our limited international student financial aid, applicants applying for international student financial aid may NOT apply for Early Decision admission.
  • International applicants not applying for financial aid and who have selected St. Lawrence as their first choice may apply under the Early Decision Program.
    • Applicants accepted under this program are obligated to attend St. Lawrence and must withdraw any applications submitted to other institutions.
    • The Early Decision priority application deadline is November 1st, with notification in early December.
    • We will review Early Decision applicants on a continual basis until February 1st. Notification is roughly 3 weeks after applications date of completion.
  • Canadian citizens may apply for Early Decision admission regardless of their financial aid status and should review the Canadian Admissions FAQ.

Should I apply for first-year or transfer admission?

  • Students who have enrolled as a degree candidates at tertiary-level, post-secondary (high school) institutions of higher education will not be considered for first-year admission. For more information about transfer admission, please visit the transfer admission web page.
  • Please note that we do not provide financial aid to international transfer applicants unless they are citizens of Canada.

What are the application requirements?

  • Application. Applicants for admission may start their application by completing Part I of our application online or by downloading it and mailing it to the Office of Admissions.
    • All applicants for admission must submit the Common Application with the required St. Lawrence Supplement. 
      • They may submit the Common Application online or by downloading and mailing it to the Office of Admissions.
      • They may also submit the St. Lawrence Common Application Supplement online or by downloading and mailing it to the Office of Admissions.
  • Application Fee.  The US$60.00 application fee is waived for all international (non-U.S. citizen) applicants.
  • Transcripts. We require that applicants submit a 3-year secondary school transcript (a record of courses taken and marks received in their classes from the 2007-2008, 2008-2009, and 2009-2010 academic years) as well as a record of the courses they are taking during their final year of secondary school (2010-2011).
    • Applicants who have completed secondary school should provide a transcript of their secondary school courses and grades as well as the results of any qualifying or terminal examinations.
    • We recommend that you ask your school counselor to complete and submit the International Supplement in addition to the Common Application School Report Form.
    • Applicants must submit official secondary education credentials for all years of secondary education, including any qualifying and terminal examinations. An official, notarized translation of any credentials not in English is required.
    • It is important to note that we require both the official secondary education credentials not in English as well as the official notarized translation of these credentials.
  • Standardized Testing. Although we are a Test Optional institution, international applicants and particularly those applying for international student financial aid areencouraged to submit SAT Reasoning if English is their first language and SAT Reasoning and TOEFL scores if English is not their first language.  
    • All standardized testing should be completed by the end of December 2009. Candidates for the SAT Reasoning Test can obtain information from either their guidance office or the College Board, Box 592, Princeton, NJ 08540, www.collegeboard.com. Candidates for the TOEFL (paper-based, inter-active) can obtain information at www.ets.org
    • Applicants should also be consistent with the spelling and sequence of their family/surname and given names when registering for standardized exams and completing the application.  We recommend that on all application and testing materials applicants provide their name as printed on their passport.  Differences in the spelling or sequence of names may delay the receipt of test scores and the review of applications.
  • Recommendations. Applicants are required to submit a recommendation from a university or guidance counselor. If there is no guidance counselor at their school, applicants should have the principal, headmaster, head tutor or other school official who has been closely supervising or monitoring their secondary school studies write a recommendation.
    • Two letters of recommendation from teachers with whom the applicants have studied in an academic subject in their final two years of secondary school are also required.
    • If the guidance counselor or teacher recommendations are not written in English, a certified translation must be provided.
  • Financial Aid. Applicants for international student need-based financial aid must submit a copy of the 2012-13 International Student Financial Aid Application.
    • Please note that, due to our limited funding for international student need-based financial aid, applicants applying for this aid may NOT apply for Early Decision admission or spring (January) admission.
    • Applications for admission from international applicants WILL NOT BE REVIEWED unless a 2012-13 International Student Financial Aid Application has been submitted by the application deadline of February 1.
  • Miscellaneous materials. The Admissions Committee does not require and does not review in their decision making art works; portfolios; photographs; or music, dance, theatre, or athletic CD’s or tapes.  Applicants are encouraged, however, to submit the Common Application Arts Supplement or Common Application Athletic Supplement.
    • Applicants are also encouraged to provide a listing of certificates or other honors they have earned rather than sending photocopies of these certificates. 

What is the English proficiency requirement?

  • St. Lawrence strongly recommends that international applicants whose first language is other than English take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). Applicants whose first language is other than English who do not provide official results of the TOEFL may be at a competitive disadvantage for admissions and financial aid consideration.
  • The following are the recommended minimum scores for each version of the TOEFL:
    • Paper-based TOEFL:              600, with no subscore below 50
    • iBT/Interactive TOEFL:         82 with no subscore below 20 (19 for                                                                        speaking)
    • Please note that these are not required minimum scores but recommended scores.
  • St. Lawrence waives the TOEFL requirement for applicants who have completed or are expected to complete International Baccalaureate Higher Level English A1 (mother tongue) or A2 (bilingual) exams with scores of 5, 6, or 7. Students taking International Baccalaureate Standard Level English may request a waiver on a case-by-case basis by contacting the Director of International Admissions.
  • St. Lawrence also waives the TOEFL requirement for applicants who have earned a score of 600 or higher on the Critical Reading section of the SAT Reasoning Test.

How do I send the results of my SAT Reasoning, SAT Subject Test, or TOEFL exams to St. Lawrence?

  • There are several ways to submit test scores.
    • Applicants should indicate St. Lawrence as a recipient institution for their scores when they register for the exams.  Our institutional code number is 2805 for SAT Reasoning, SAT Subject Test, and TOEFL scores. 
    • University or guidance counselors may include the exam results on the Common Application Secondary School Report Form. 
    • University or guidance counselors may send us attested or certified copies of the test results.
  • Applicants should also be consistent with the spelling and sequence of their family/surname and given names when registering for standardized exams and completing the application.  We recommend that on all application and testing materials applicants provide their name as printed on their passport.  Differences in the spelling or sequence of names may delay the receipt of test scores and the review of applications.

Are the SAT’s the most important criteria the Admissions Committee uses to make its decisions?

  • No.  We do not require SAT’s.  And if applicants do submit SAT scores, our decisions are based on many factors.  We use a holistic approach when reviewing applications and consider all the information – secondary school courses, level of difficulty of the academic program, trend in achievement, recommendations, personal statements, and extracurricular activities.

Can I receive advanced placement or credit for coursework I complete while in secondary school?

  • St. Lawrence University awards advanced placement and credit toward graduation for entering first-year students through the College Board Advanced Placement program.
    • Generally, advanced placement and credit toward graduation are granted to students who achieve a rating of 4 or 5 on Advanced Placement Examinations.
    • Advanced placement and credit may also be earned by completion of International Baccalaureate Higher Level examinations with scores of 5, 6, or 7.
  • The effect of advanced credit upon the department major requirements is at the discretion of each department chair. Each department chair will review the requested credit and make a recommendation to the registrar.

 How much does it cost to attend St. Lawrence?

2011-2012 (August - May) Costs:    
Tuition: $ 42,420
Fees: $ 315
Room: $ 5,925*
Board: $ 5,080**
Insurance: $ 1,400
Books: $ 750***
Personal Expenses: $ 900***
TOTAL: $ 56,790
* double room; single room is $7,275
** full flex plan (selected by most students); full 21-meal plan is $5,230
*** estimated
**** unbilled expenses: these are estimated out-of-pocket costs that do not appear on the semester bills but which students must have available to them

The annual student budget increase is approximately 4-6% each year.  The expected annual student budget for the 2012-2013 academic year will be approximately $57,440. The actual cost will be determined in February 2012.

Do you offer financial aid for international students?

  • St. Lawrence provides a limited amount of financial aid to international students.
    • Competition for international student financial aid is keen.  Of the 876 international applicants for fall 2010 admission who also applied for financial aid, only 20 (2.3%) were admitted and awarded financial aid.
    • Applicants are strongly encouraged to explore other sources of scholarship and financial aid.
  • Applicants applying for international student financial aid must complete and submit a copy of the International Student Financial Aid Application.
    • Awards are made on the basis of an analysis of a family's ability to pay for college and a student’s academic achievement. 
    • The ISFAA should be submitted at the same time as your complete application for admission.
    • No awards will be granted solely on the basis of merit, but rather on the combination of financial need, academic excellence and extracurricular involvement.
    • It is not possible for us to give applicants or prospective applicants an assessment of whether or not they will receive financial aid or how much they would receive unless they are admitted.
    • Applications for admission from international applicants WILL NOT BE REVIEWED unless a 2012-13 International Student Financial Aid Application has been submitted by the application deadline of February 1.
  • Please be advised that we are not need blind on our review of admission applications from applicants requesting international student financial aid.
    • The amount of financial aid that an applicant requires is a factor in our admission decision.
  • Canadian citizens are not considered international students for admission and financial aid purposes and should review the Canadian Admissions FAQ.

Does St. Lawrence provide athletic scholarships?

  • St. Lawrence is a member of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). NCAA regulations do not allow us to provide athletic scholarships for student participating in our 30 Division III sports programs.
  • We are, however, allowed to provide athletic scholarships for members of our Division I men’s ice hockey and women’s ice hockey teams. Prospective applicants interested in the ice hockey programs should contact the appropriate coach as early as possible.

Other Links:
St. Lawrence home page
About St. Lawrence
Admissions Web page
Applying to St. Lawrence

Financial Aid for Undergraduate International Students,
from NAFSA:Association of International Educators

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