Multiethnic young students with flags of different countries

F1 Application Process

Thank you for your interest in applying to Gwinnett Technical College as an F-1 Student. Gwinnett Technical College is certified to offer Associate Degree programs for F-1 Students. GTC’s Diplomas, Certificates, and English Language programs are not available to F-1 Students.

GTC’s Office of International Student Services can help you with questions about applying for an F-1 Visa and maintaining your status. We will be happy to guide you through the admissions process, serve as your Designated School Officials (DSO) for the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP), and advise you on your transition into the college and the community.

We offer appointments by phone, WebEx, and on campus Monday-Friday.

Appointments for the Lawrenceville Campus can be scheduled here:

Appointments for the Alpharetta-North Fulton Campus can be scheduled here:

Appointments can also be scheduled using the Qless app. We can be reached via email at ISS@GwinnettTech.edu or by phone at 678-226-6888 for assistance or questions.

Prospective F-1 Students

Welcome to Gwinnett Tech! We are so glad you are considering our institution to pursue your higher education goals. Our campuses are located North and Northeast of Atlanta in the Cities of Alpharetta and Lawrenceville. These cities offer vibrant, highly diversified communities with access to great restaurants, parks, museums, and entertainment venues, among other things. We are certain that you will love being part of our communities and being a part of Gwinnett Tech.

 As you work on completing your admission requirements, we recommend that you to keep the following information in mind:

  • Not all programs offered at Gwinnett Technical College are certified for F-1 Status. Thus, you want to pay close attention to the list of programs which are available in the F-1 Visa Students Admission Requirements section.
  • Gwinnett Technical College does not have access to dorms. Therefore, you will need to make living arrangements on your own. Please contact ISS@GwinnettTech.edu for additional information.
  • Once you have been accepted to Gwinnett Technical College, we will issue your I-20 and provide you with your next steps.

You can learn more about the requirements to study in the U.S. at https://studyinthestates.dhs.gov/students

F-1 Students Admission Requirements

Due to the amount of time required for gathering, preparing, and processing the immigration paperwork, Gwinnett Technical College encourages international applicants to apply at least 3 months prior to their desired start date.  For example, if you want to attend classes for the fall semester, we recommend you to complete your application and submit all required documents in May.

1. Identify the program of study you would like to apply to from the F-1 Visa Student Eligible Programs list below.

F-1 Visa Student Eligible Programs

ProgramCampus
Accounting Technology, AAS Alpharetta-North Fulton & Lawrenceville
A. S. General BusinessAlpharetta-North Fulton & Lawrenceville
Business Management, AAS Alpharetta-North Fulton & Lawrenceville
A. S. Criminal JusticeAlpharetta-North Fulton & Lawrenceville
Criminal Justice Technology, AAS Alpharetta-North Fulton & Lawrenceville
Culinary Arts, AASLawrenceville
Hotel Restaurant and Tourism Management, AASAlpharetta-North Fulton & Lawrenceville
Interiors, AASLawrenceville
Marketing Management, AAS Alpharetta-North Fulton & Lawrenceville
Computer Programming, AASAlpharetta-North Fulton & Lawrenceville
Cybersecurity, AAS Alpharetta-North Fulton & Lawrenceville
Game Development, AASAlpharetta-North Fulton & Lawrenceville
Networking Specialist, AAS Alpharetta-North Fulton & Lawrenceville
Web Site Design/Development, AAS Alpharetta-North Fulton & Lawrenceville
Air Conditioning Technology, AAS Lawrenceville
Residential Construction Management, AAS Lawrenceville
Commercial Construction Management, AAS Lawrenceville
Drafting Technology, AASLawrenceville
Engineering Technology, AAS Lawrenceville
Environmental Horticulture, AAS Lawrenceville
Mechatronics Technology, AAS Lawrenceville
Mercedes-Benz College Automotive Program, AAS Lawrenceville
Ford ASSET Automotive, AAS Lawrenceville
Automotive Technology, AAS Lawrenceville
MOPAR (CAP) College Automotive Program, AAS Lawrenceville
Interdisciplinary Studies, AAS Alpharetta-North Fulton & Lawrenceville
Early Childhood Care and Education, AAS Lawrenceville
Bioscience Technology, AAS Lawrenceville
Competitive Health Programs
Cardiovascular Technology, AAS
Diagnostic Medical Sonography, AAS
Echocardiography Technology, AAS
Paramedicine, AAS
Radiologic Technology, AAS
Respiratory Care, AAS
Surgical Technology, AAS
Veterinary Technology, AAS
Registered Nursing Program, ADN

Students who select the Alpharetta-North Fulton campus as their home campus may be required to travel to the Lawrenceville campus for some of their courses to comply with F-1 Visa requirements.

2. Submit Online Application

  • Visit Gwinnett Technical College’s Application and select the “Click Here to Register” option to create a user account, complete and submit your online application to one of the degree level programs above, and pay the non-refundable Application Fee.  Please remember the email address and password you used to create your account.

3. Submit Official Transcripts

  • Submit official document-by-document translation and evaluation of your High School Diploma or official General Education Development Test (GED) transcript. Transfer applicants who have earned an associate or bachelor’s degree are not required to submit a high school diploma or a GED transcript. 
  • Submit course-by-course translation and evaluation of transcripts from post-secondary colleges, universities, and other institutions attended.
  • Translations and evaluations must be completed by an approved NACES evaluation company. View a list of approved evaluation companies.
  • Evaluations are accepted via email (for F-1 Students only) if sent directly by the evaluation company to AdmissionsDocs@GwinnettTech.edu
  • Official transcript evaluations may also be received in person by GTC’s Recruitment Office in the original sealed envelope provided by the evaluation company.
  • Evaluations may also be mailed from the evaluation company to:
    • Gwinnett Technical College
      Admissions Office
      5150 Sugarloaf Parkway
      Lawrenceville, GA 30024

4. Submit Official Placement Test Scores

  • Regardless of your current level of education, you will be required to take the NEXT GENERATION ACCUPLACER test unless you have acceptable SAT or ACT scores taken within the past 5 years.
    • SAT scores: Reading/Writing 340-410
    • ACT scores: Reading 16, English 14, Math 17
  • You will be exempted from this requirement if you have successfully completed ENGL 1101 and a degree level Mathematics course (with a grade of C or better) at a regionally accredited college or university in the U.S.For information regarding the NEXT GENERATION ACCUPLACER test please visit: https://gwinnetttech.edu/programs/assessment-testing-center/accuplacer-exams/The first attempt of the NEXT GENERATION ACCUPLACER test is free for Gwinnett Tech applicants. One retake per section is allowed. Students who wish to retest must wait 14 days from the date of the first attempt. The cost for a retest is $25 per section.

5. Submit F-1 Visa Documents with Supporting Documentation:

  • F-1 Student Information Worksheet
    • Students applying from outside of the U.S. must include a copy or picture of their unexpired passport’s biographical page with the F-1 Student Information Worksheet.
    • Current F-1 students seeking to transfer to Gwinnett Technical College must include a copy or picture of their passport’s biographical page, current visa, most recent I-94, and current I-20 (with a wet signature and date) with the F-1 Student Information Worksheet. Please make sure to notify your current Designated School Official (DSO) of your intention to transfer to Gwinnett Technical College before completing Gwinnett Technical College’s admission process. If your current I-20 is not eligible to transfer, you may be required to return to your home country and apply for a new I-20 from there. Gwinnett Technical College will not make a recommendation for reinstatement on a terminated I-20 unless termination was due to an error made by Gwinnett Technical College.
    • Students in the U.S. seeking to change their current visa or status to an F-1 status must include a copy or picture of their passport’s biographical page, current visa, and current I-94 with the F-1 Visa Student Information Worksheet. Please be aware that people who have entered the United States under a C Visa, D Visa, K Visa, M Visa, S Visa, or Visa Waiver may not apply to change their status to F-1. Also, according to USCIS “you may apply to change your nonimmigrant status if you were lawfully admitted to the United States in an eligible nonimmigrant status, your nonimmigrant status remains valid, you have not violated the conditions of your status and you have not committed any crimes that would make you ineligible.”
  • F-1 Student Affidavit of Financial Support
    • This document must include supporting documentation demonstrating that the student or his/her sponsor can financially support the tuition, fees, and living expenses of the student for a full year or the entire length of the program, at least $35,678.
    • For students with dependents, documentation must show they have an additional $5,000 for each dependent. 
    • Acceptable documents must be in English and amounts in U.S. currency.
    • These documents cannot be more than 3 months old by the date of submission.
    • Acceptable documents include bank statements and official letters issued by a bank or financial institution. An official letter must be issued on bank letterhead and stamped by the financial institution. This document needs to certify the owner and balance of the account, the equivalency to U.S. Dollars, and the exchange rate on the date the letter was issued. It also must include the contact information for the representative issuing the document.
    • The owner of the account must match either the name of the student or the name of the sponsor listed on the F-1 Student Affidavit of Financial Support form.

6. Submit Proof of English Language Proficiency

  • If English is NOT the first language for your country of origin, you will be required to provide proof of English proficiency. Students can do this by providing official TOEFL IBT or IELTS scores.
  • Students who have completed TOEFL IBT must have received a Total Score of 72 or higher to be accepted to the college.
  • Students who have completed the IELTS Test must have received an Overall Band Score of 6.5 or higher to be accepted to the college.
  • Scores provided cannot be more than 2 years old by the date of submission.
  • Students will be exempted from this requirement if they meet one of the following criteria:
    • English is the native language for your country of origin.
    • You have successfully completed ENGL 1101 with a grade of C or better at a regionally accredited college or university in the U.S.
    • You have the following SAT scores: Reading/Writing 340 or higher 
    • You have the following ACT scores: Reading 16 or higher, English 14 or higher (please separate bullet points)
  • SAT, and ACT scores cannot be more than 5 years old by the date of submission.

If you are applying for an F-1 Visa outside the U.S., please maintain a copy of all submitted documents and your acceptance letter for your Visa interview.

Tuition and Fees

The Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) requires F-1 students to take a full-time course load each academic term, which at Gwinnett Technical College is 12 credit hours or more.

Estimated Cost for One Academic Year (2 Full-Time Terms)
Tuition $10,272 (USD)
Fees$956 (USD)
Books$1,750 (USD)
Living Expenses$22,700 (USD)
Total Cost (estimated cost)$35,678 (USD)
  • F-1 Students pay the Foreign Student Tuition Rate. One credit hour for a Foreign Student is $428
  • Fees are capped at 15 credit hours, meaning that any credit hours above 15 are no additional tuition cost to students.
  • Foreign Student tuition and fees for 12 credit hours is $5614, which is broken down as follows:
    • Tuition is $5,136
    • Registration Fee is $92.00
    • Student Activity Fee is $30.00
    • Accident Insurance Fee is $6.00
    • Technology Fee is $110.00
    • Facility Access Fee is $85.00
    • Instructional Fee is $60.00
    • Campus Safety Fee is $45.00
    • Campus Fee is $50.00

* The cost of tuition and fees is subject to increase annually. Federal financial aid is not available to Foreign students, but students are welcome to apply for institutional and external scholarships. Students are expected to pay their tuition and fees in full when they register for classes.

Accepted F-1 Students

Congratulations!! You have been accepted to Gwinnett Technical College. What’s next?

Students Applying Outside the U.S.

  • After you have been accepted to the college, GTC’s Office of International Student Services (ISS) will send your I-20 via email to you. Please review this document, sign it (with a wet signature), date it, and return it to FVisaDocs@GwinnettTech.edu. The Office of International Student Services will also provide you with instructions to pay your SEVIS I-901 Fee and steps to apply for your F-1 Visa.
  • After you have paid your I-901 SEVIS fee, please send a copy of your receipt* to FVisaDocs@GwinnettTech.edu and apply for an F-1 Visa at the closest U.S. embassy or consulate to you. Instructions to apply for your visa can be found on the website of the embassy or consulate. Please visit https://www.usembassy.gov/ for an official list of embassies and consulates.
  • You will be interviewed at your closest embassy or consulate. Please make sure to take with you the following documents to your interview:
    • Your original I-20 form (wet signed by you and dated)
    • Passport valid to travel to the United States
    • Department of State visa application fee payment receipt
    • Photograph that meets all photograph requirements for a U.S. Visa. You can learn more about this requirement here: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/visa-information-resources/photos.html
    • We recommend for you to review “Visa Interview” at https://studyinthestates.dhs.gov for additional information.
    • We also recommend for you to bring copies of all documentation related to your admission and registration to Gwinnett Technical College to your visa interview in case you are asked for any of it.
  • If you are approved for an F-1 Visa, please send a copy of it to FVisaDocs@GwinnettTech.edu as soon as possible. The Office of International Student Services will contact you to assist you with course registration for your first semester.
  • ARRIVAL INFORMATION: At the port-of-entry to the U.S., the student will be interviewed again and the Arrival/Departure Form I-94 will be issued. The earliest allowable date of entry into the U.S. is 30 days prior to the start date indicated on the I-20 form. Please email ISS@GwinnettTech.edu within two business days of your arrival and provide a copy of your most recent I-94.
  • The student will not be allowed entry into the U.S. beyond the start date listed on the I-20.

Students have 2 months to provide copy of their I-901 receipt to the Office of International Student Services via FVisaDocs@GwinnettTech.edu from the date their I-20 was issued. I-20s will be canceled unless receipts are received within this deadline.

Students Applying for a change of status.

  • After you have been accepted to Gwinnett Technical College, the Office of International Student Services will send your I-20 via email to you. They will also provide you with instructions to pay your SEVIS I-901 Fee and to file a Form I-539 – Application to Extend/Change Nonimmigrant Status with USCIS.
  • You will need to provide the Office of International Student Services receipts for your I-901 and I-539 within 2 months of having received your I-20. Receipts that are not submitted within this deadline will result in the cancelation of your I-20.
  • Based on your current nonimmigrant classification, you might not be able to start classes until USCIS has approved your request for an F-1 Visa.
  • Once your request for a change of status has been granted, please send a copy of your I-797 Approval Notice to FVisaDocs@GwinnettTech.edu. The Office of International Student Services will contact you to assist you with course registration for your first semester.

Current F-1 Students Seeking to Transfer to Gwinnett Tech.

  • After you have been accepted to Gwinnett Technical College, you will need to send a completed F-1 Student Transfer In Form to your current college or university with a copy of your acceptance letter for them to transfer your current I-20 to GTC. This form can be found at https://gwinnetttech.edu/enrollment/forms-documents/

All new F-1 Visa Students are required to meet in person with their Designated School Official (DSO) at Gwinnett Technical College before the first day of classes. They will also be required to attend a mandatory orientation on the Lawrenceville Campus the Thursday before spring or fall classes begin.