Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs

EDUCATIONAL INFORMATION AND RESOURCES
Home > Educational Information and Resources International Friendly Website

How to have an Internationally Friendly Website

Download this document as a PDF.*

The Educational Information and Resources Branch within the State Department's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs provides professional development and educational resources for advisers at the nearly 500 EducationUSA centers around the world and strives to strengthen links between centers and U.S. higher education institutions. Following are suggestions from advisers on how U.S. institutions can make their websites more accessible to prospective international students.

PLEASE CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING:

Admissions process:

• Give some philosophical background and explain why admission is not based simply on grades and scores. General requirements don't help.
• Clearly specify who qualifies and provide profiles of admissible students.
• Provide separate links for undergraduate and graduate admission.
• Include links to departmental requirements for graduate students.

Applications:

• Be clear about what you do not want: no folders, no plastic sleeves, no copies of awards or extracurricular accomplishments, no SAT-II in native language, etc
• Online applications should have provisions for the lengthy names and mailing addresses that international students often have.

Application Process:

• Consider assigning prospective students a student mentor or guide -- preferably a current student from the same country -- to consult before and during the application process.

Common Application:

• Schools that accept the Common Application should describe its advantages and provide a link.

Counselor's Report:

• Many international students do not have counselors. Please list an acceptable alternative, i.e. the school principal.

Deferred Enrollment:

• Give information about deferred enrollment, especially for students completing compulsory national service. State whether scholarships may be deferred. Specify whether students who plan to defer enrollment may apply Early Decision.

Early Decision/Early Action:

• Please explain the difference. State whether an international student who is applying for financial aid may apply under Early Decision.

ESL:

• If ESL is available, please include information on the home page. It is difficult for students to find ESL course information if it is buried inside pages for extension courses.

Extension Courses:

• Please state which ones can provide and I-20. A good example is: www.uclaextension.edu.

Faculty:

• Have web pages for faculty, their profiles, and areas of research interest.

Financial aid:

• State what financial aid, scholarships, and work opportunities are available to international students and how much a student can expect to earn.
• State whether a social security number is required before an assistantship can be awarded.
• Mention whether stipends are taxable income.

Glossary:

• Please include a glossary for ease in navigating sites.

Housing/Meals:

• Please describe what is available and how meal plans work. What are the options during vacations if students are unable to return home?

I-20:

• Describe what an I-20 is and how it is used.

International Student Office:

• Please describe the function of this office on your campus and the services offered.

Mandatory Subjects:

• Many international students are frustrated when university websites include a list of mandatory subjects that high school students must have studied. For instance: 4 years of English, 3 years of math, 3 years of social science, etc. Students coming from different educational systems often do not meet these requirements, since many foreign systems do not fit into a U.S. model. Attempting to chart foreign education systems using an online application can seem nearly impossible to many prospective international students.

Practical Training:

• List organizations that recruit students from your campus for practical training. Mention numbers of job offers per student.

References:

• When requesting references, clarify "disclosed" and "undisclosed" -- this wording confuses many students.

ACT, SAT, and TOEFL:

• Please include school codes. State if the applicant can submit scores even if not required.

Statistics

• How many international students apply, and how many are accepted?

Score Cut-offs/Averages:

• If scores are just one part of the application, specify what parts of the application are given the most weight.

Sports Scholarships:

• Please state if sports scholarships are available, the application process, and tips for working with the NCAA Clearinghouse.

Tests:

• Please include the last test date for which a student may register/take a test and still be able to submit an application that meets the deadline.

TOEFL Requirements:

• Clarify what your institution is looking for. Address the needs of bilingual students, non-native speakers of English with 700 SAT verbal scores, non-native speakers who have been in English-language instruction for the past four years, etc. State if students may submit ELPT or IELTS test results instead of TOEFL.

TOEFL Institutional Codes:

• List your institutional code to help students make sure your school receives their scores.

Transfer Information:

• Provide information on eligibility for transfer admission of international students. Include financial aid policies for transfer students.

U.S. Education System:

• Explain the terms "elementary school," "middle school," and "high school" in terms of grades, i.e. grades 1-4, 5-8, and 9-12.

Unfamiliar Terms:

• Explain terms what may be unfamiliar such as:
  • Room and Board
  • Middle Name (for most Middle Eastern students, this is the father's name and not the U.S. definition of middle name)
  • Ethnicity
  • GPA - how this is calculated

Website Maintenance:

• Let students know if your site is down on the weekends - often students are frantic on a Sunday because they cannot get a website to respond on Friday night, Saturday, or Sunday.

Work Week in the United States:

• Provide information on the work week and include office hours and time zones. Explain what business days are. If possible, include a conversion link on the site (i.e. www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/converter.html) or a clock showing the time and date on campus at that moment.

16th year: Mention the 16th year requirement for 3-year bachelor's degree holders for overseas. Include:

• What kind of credentials are acceptable? Is a completed master's program required? Are those who complete only a first year of a master's program ineligible?
• Whether postgraduate diplomas are acceptable.
• Whether degrees obtained through distance learning are acceptable.
• Countries where this 16th year rule applies.
• Emphasize that this is for applicants to graduate programs.

IMPORTANT LINKS FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS:

If there is no direct link to "International Students" on the home page, many international students look for the words “prospective students” on the first page. From there sites should link to:

• School description with costs and housing information
• International undergraduate/graduate admissions
• Proportion of international students at that university and class profiles
• Quotes from international students
• Requirements and documents that apply to international students

Visas: Up-to-date information with new SEVIS regulations is located at: www.unitedstatesvisas.gov and http://travel.state.gov/. To download visa application forms, students can visit http://travel.state.gov/visa/frvi/forms/forms_1342.html.

EducationUSA Centers: Link to educationusa.state.gov and encourage students to contact the Department of State EducationUSA advising center in their country.

Examples of good international-friendly websites:

• University of South Florida uses the EducationUSA logo on its website (http://web.usf.edu/iac/admissions/)
• Yale University's international home page (world.yale.edu)
• Duke University's international home page (http://www.duke.edu/international.html)
• Wisconsin's general information page (http://www.uww.edu/StdRsces/intlstd/)

Finally, update your site regularly and present a welcoming appearance!

* Requires free Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Back to the top