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Regardless of immigration status, all new students, including international students, apply to BMCC through the CUNY application process.

International Students

When we refer to “international students”, we mean a non-immigrant with F-1 status. If you are in the U.S. on another type of non-immigrant status (such as A, B, G, H, J or M) and want to study at BMCC, or if you are not sure about your status, please contact us at internationaladmissions@bmcc.cuny.edu.

Note: If you are a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, you are not considered an international student.

Change of Immigration Status

A change of status is a legal method for a person in a nonimmigrant category within the United States (U.S.) to change to F-1 status. There are two methods to achieve change of status:

  • Traveling outside the U.S. to apply for an F-1 visa at a U.S. Embassy/Consulate, or
  • Submitting an application to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) from within the U.S.

In either case, a student must first apply to BMCC and be accepted to the college before attempting to convert to F-1 status. More information regarding change of immigration status is available here: https://www.bmcc.cuny.edu/admissions/international/after-you-are-accepted/change-of-immigration-status/

After official acceptance to BMCC, you will need to apply for an I-20 form: https://www.bmcc.cuny.edu/admissions/international/after-you-are-accepted/the-i-20-form-applying-for-an-f-1-student-visa/ . The I-20 form is the document you will need to apply for an F1 student visa at the US Embassy or Consulate in your home country.


International Admissions Timeline

To begin in a Fall semester:To begin in a Spring semester:
Priority CUNY Application Deadline:

Priority Application Supporting Documents Deadline: December 15 / September 15
December 1*September 1*
BMCC Form I-20 Application Deadline:

Initial/Overseas:
June 30

Transfer/Inside U.S.: July 15
Initial/Overseas: December. 15

Transfer/Inside U.S.: January 15

International Student Orientation (required for all new students)AugustJanuary
Initial I-20 Reporting Date (enter the U.S. no later than this date):August 1January 1
First Day of Classes:August 25January 25
*While this is not the last possible date to apply, it can take CUNY up to three months to review international applications. Apply early to avoid a last-minute rush to complete immigration and enrollment steps!

The CUNY Application Process

  1. Submit a CUNY Application online and pay the application fee: https://www.cuny.edu/admissions/undergraduate/apply/#submit-app
    • Application Fees:
      • Freshman application = $65
      • Transfer application = $70

(If you do not pay at the time you submit your application, you must log in again later to pay the fee.)

2. Submit supporting documents.

You are halfway there! After submitting an online application and paying the fee, students educated outside the United States will need to submit additional documentation to complete their CUNY application: https://www.cuny.edu/admissions/undergraduate/apply/#international.

If you attended a high school or college outside the United States: your school transcripts must be translated into English and evaluated for equivalency with U.S. education standards. View your translation and evaluation options.

What we need:

  • Official high school (secondary school) transcript
  • Official high school (secondary school) diploma
  • Copies of any additional certificates earned
  • Proof of English language proficiency (See details on acceptable proofs in section below.)

Additional details:

 If you attended a high school or college outside the United States: your school transcripts must be translated into English and evaluated for equivalency with U.S. education standards. View your translation and evaluation options.

You are required to submit your complete academic record (all years), as well as any national or government certificates earned. We accept photocopies of secondary school transcripts, diplomas, mark sheets and/or secondary external examination certificates (CXC, GCE, WASC, EASC, etc.) Please review the list of Required Secondary School Credentials.

An official transcript is a copy of your academic record sent directly from the university to CUNY’s UAPC address (below). To be considered official, the record must be stamped by the college or university and sealed in a university-issued envelope. Please do not send your original university transcript – documents sent to CUNY will not be returned.

What we need:

  • Official high school (secondary school) transcript
  • Official high school (secondary school) diploma
  • Official college or university transcript (sealed)
  • If you graduated, a copy of original college or university diploma
  • Copies of any additional certificates earned
  • Proof of English language proficiency (See details on acceptable proofs in section below.)

Additional details:

 If you attended a high school or college outside the United States: your school transcripts must be translated into English and evaluated for equivalency with U.S. education standards. View your translation and evaluation options.

Transfer students must show a combined Grade Point Average (GPA) of at least 2.0 (C grade or higher) from all previous colleges.

You are required to submit your complete academic record (all years), as well as any national or government certificates earned. We accept photocopies of secondary school transcripts, diplomas, mark sheets and/or secondary external examination certificates (CXC, GCE, WASC, EASC, etc.) Please review the list of Required Secondary School Credentials.

An official transcript is a copy of your academic record sent directly from the university to CUNY’s UAPC address (below). To be considered official, the record must be stamped by the college or university and sealed in a university-issued envelope. Please do not send your original university transcript – documents sent to CUNY will not be returned.


Acceptable Proof of English Language Proficiency

**As of Spring 2024, BMCC is waiving this requirement. However, after official acceptance to the college, new students educated outside the US will be required to take the Accuplacer ESL exam to determine reading/writing course placement: https://www.bmcc.cuny.edu/students/testing/esl-placement/


Where to email/mail your supporting documents:

https://www.cuny.edu/admissions/undergraduate/apply/#admissions-address

Track your Application:

https://www.cuny.edu/admissions/undergraduate/status/

Because of your overseas credentials, it will take at least 6-8 weeks to review your application and deliver an admission decision. You can check your application status at any time online by “claiming” your CUNYfirst account.

Once you submit your application, CUNY will send you an email to log into CUNYfirst. CUNYfirst allows all applicants to check on the status of their applications and view decisions.

(Remember, you can submit your application after the deadline, we cannot guarantee that it will be reviewed for the semester you requested.)

If you are admitted, BMCC will email a letter of admission with instructions to apply for a I-20 form. After you receive your BMCC  I-20 form, the next step is to apply for an F-1 student visa at the United States embassy or consulate in your home country. Visit the After You Are Accepted (International) page for more information.

We hope to welcome you to BMCC soon!