HOW DO I APPLY?
International student application to College of the Desert and the Intensive English Academy is easy and the response time is fast! Just complete these simple steps and you can begin your studies in beautiful Palm Springs, California!
NOTE: College of the Desert will not be admitting new students for the summer 2010 session.
(The Intensive English Academy will admit students for the summer 2010 session).
STEP 1: Download the International Student Application: 2009-2010 application
(Requires Abode Acrobat Reader).
If you cannot download the application, you can request the International
Student Application by sending an email to cdelgado@collegeofthedesert.edu or by clicking on this link: Request Additional Information.
STEP 2: Submit the following 7 items to: College of the Desert, International Student
Program, 43-500 Monterey Avenue, Palm Desert, CA 92260, USA by the listed
deadline:
1. International Student Application
2. $25.00 Application Fee
3. Proof of high school / secondary school completion
4. Verification of financial sponsorship of $14,300
- Click on Cost Estimates 09-10 for tuition and living expense estimates for
all other COD and IEA programs
5. TOEFL/IELTS or EIKEN score (see "English Proficiency" section for specific
requirements; the TOEFL is not required for the Intensive English Academy)
6. 2 Passport photographs
7. Housing Application
STEP 3: Upon receipt of acceptance documents and the I-20, contact the US Embassy in
your home country to apply for the F-1 visa
ENGLISH PROFICIENCY REQUIREMENT:
Direct admission to College of the Desert requires a TOEFL, IELTS or STEP Eiken Test Score as listed below:
| Admission to College of the Desert: |
400 PBT or
32 iBT |
3.5 |
Pre-2 Grade |
TOEFL: Our institution code is 4085. For more information about TOEFL test locations, please visit www.ets.org/toefl.
IELTS: For information about IELTS, please visit www.ielts.org. (IELTS is jointly managed by the British Council, IDP: IELTS Australia and the University of Cambridge ESOL Examination).
STEP/EIKEN: For information about the EIKEN test, please visit www.eiken-ryugaku.com.
Students will be placed into academic and credit-ESL courses based on college assessment tests; students scoring between 400-450 or 32-45 on the TOEFL should expect to take primarily ESL classes upon arrival. The TOEFL, IELTS and EIKEN are not used to determine placement.
English Proficiency Waiver Options:
Students who have attended an ESL school in the USA may be able to waive the TOEFL/IELTS/EIKEN requirement. College of the Desert has agreements with the following schools and will waive the English proficiency requirement if students have completed the specified level as listed below:
| COD's Intensive English Academy (IEA): |
Completion of Level 3 with "C" or better grades |
| EF Language Schools: |
Completion of EF Level 107/108 |
| ELS Language Schools: |
Completion of ELS Level 108 |
| FLS International: |
Completion of FLS Level 7 |
| Language Studies International (LSI): |
Completion of LSI Advanced Level |
| Mentor Language Institute: |
Completion of Advanced Level |
| POLY Languages Institute: |
Completion of POLY Avanced Level |
| UC Riverside IEP: |
Completion of UCR Level 600 of UAPP |
APPLICATION DEADLINES:
College of the Desert Application deadlines:
- Fall semester - July 15
- Spring semester - December 15
View our program start dates by downloading our Academic Calendar.
TRANSFER STUDENTS:
Students who are currently studying in the United States and would like to transfer to College of the Desert or the Intensive English Academy must submit the International Student Application and the Transfer Form. The Transfer Form must be completed by your current Advisor in order to have your SEVIS record transferred to our institution. Please download our Transfer Form.
Application deadlines for transfer students are on a rolling admission basis.
Please contact cdelgado@collegeofthedesert.edu if you have any questions
about our programs and application procedures.
We hope to see you at College of the Desert!
