Welcome to the International Center

Spring Break Announcement

Due to planned construction and Wi-Fi upgrades on the Charlestown campus, we are operating remotely during Spring Break, March 18 - 24, 2024.

The Chelsea campus will be open as usual.

Every year, Bunker Hill Community College welcomes hundreds of international students from nearly 100 countries to our campuses. If you want to study at a college that offers excellent programs, outstanding faculty, individualized attention, opportunities to make life-long friends, and a great city, consider BHCC.

To Apply to BHCC

To become an international F-1 student and receive an I-20 from BHCC please submit your application below. When you start your application, you will be asked “Are you an international student who needs an F-1 Student Visa to study in the United States?". Please answer “Yes” to this question so that your application is processed as an international student. Make sure to complete all questions, upload the materials below and make sure to hit the “Submit” button at the end.

If you started an application to BHCC and need to log back into it, you can access your Online Application here

Apply Now for Summer and Fall 2024

Have you been accepted to BHCC but cannot attend?

You may postpone your enrollment at Bunker Hill Community College for a maximum of one year. Please complete the Deferment Form using the same email address you used to complete your application.

Admission Requirements

Please note, while copies of supporting documentation are accepted, BHCC has a zero-tolerance policy for falsified documents. Applications submitted with supporting documents deemed falsified or in any way adulterated will be denied admissions, and future submissions will not be considered.

Educational Credentials - You need to submit proof that you have completed high school or its foreign equivalent. Please submit one of the following:

  • A copy of your high school diploma or high school transcripts showing your graduation date. If documents are not in English, a translation from a translation agency must be submitted together with the document in the original language.
    If you are in your senior year of high school at the time of the application, submit your transcripts of all years of high school and a letter from your high school official indicating your graduation date. A copy of the diploma must be submitted by the start of your first semester of study at BHCC. If documents are not in English, a translation from a translation agency must be submitted as well.
  • A copy of a bachelor's degree or master's degree diploma. If the document is not in English, a translation from a translation agency must be submitted as well.
  • Cambridge O level or Cambridge IGCSE or UK GCSE (or its equivalents) can be submitted as proof of high school completion – You must have completed at least five subjects with a grade C (or 3) or better to be considered for admission.

If English is not your first language, you are required to submit proof of at least an intermediate level of English proficiency.

We accept minimum scores as follows:

  • 38 on the TOEFL iBT
  • 5 on TOEFL Essentials
  • 5 on the IELTS
  • Level 3 on iTEP
  • 38 on the PTE
  • 2A on EIKEN
  • B1 on Cambridge English Assessment
  • 75 on the Duolingo English Test
  • 40 on the Michigan English Test
  • B2 on LanguageCert Assessment

Test scores are valid for two years.

Other ways to satisfy language proficiency:

If you have previously attended another college/university with English as a primary language of instruction, and you have completed the course(s) in developmental reading or writing or college-level English composition/writing with a grade of C or better, you can submit an unofficial transcript from your prior institution.

OR

If you have completed four years of high school in which English is the primary language of instruction submit a transcript and a letter from your high school principal attesting to your language proficiency and confirming that English was the language of instruction.

OR

If you have completed at least three (3) A level courses in the British educational system with a grade C or better; submit a transcript for A and O levels.

OR

If you have any other official test scores, please submit the copy for review and consideration.

OR

You can take the Accuplacer English Proficiency Test offered virtually at BHCC. You will be invited, by email, to sign up for the test after your application has been reviewed.

OR

Successful completion of level 4 at the Intensive English Program at BHCC. Upload your certificate to the application

OR

We offer conditional admission to qualified applicants whose level of English proficiency is lower than the admission requirements. English test scores are required. Conditionally admitted students will attend the BHCC Language Institute Intensive English program before enrolling in their academic program.

Waiver: The proof of language proficiency is waived for English speaking applicants from Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, Canada, Grenada, (British) Guyana, Jamaica, Kenya, New Zealand, Nigeria, United Kingdom, St. Kitts & Nevis, South Africa, Trinidad and Tobago, and Zimbabwe.

Note: All accepted students are required to take a placement test prior to class registration unless they qualify for an exemption.

Proof that you have sufficient funds to support yourself during your first year of study:

International applicants who require an I-20 must show proof that they have sufficient funds to support themselves for the first year of study at BHCC. The estimated cost to attend BHCC for one academic year includes tuition, fees, health insurance, and living expenses. Applications for Spring and Fall semesters must include proof of funding of $29,000. Applications for Summer sessions must include proof of funding of $33,500. For each dependent (spouse, child) accompanying the student, an additional $7,000 must be available.

Financial documents must clearly display: the name of the account holder, the name of the institution where the account is held, the balance of the account, and the date the statement or letter was issued. Financial documents cannot be older than (6) months from the date your application is submitted.

Applicants can upload copies of their own bank statement, a sponsor’s bank statement, and/or a letter of financial guarantee from a government, foundation, or home university. If you have a sponsor, you must submit the sponsor’s bank statement/letter and the completed Affidavit of Support form for the correct term. An applicant may have multiple sponsors. Each sponsor must complete the Affidavit of Support and sign it. 

Students sponsored by a company must submit proof that the employee signing the affidavit has the legal authorization to do so along with the bank statement or letter showing the minimum required balance.

Important: Bunker Hill Community College does not accept sponsorship letters issued for admissions purposes only. We will process your application and issue an I-20 only after you submit your full scholarship award letter; or a personal bank statement (or bank statement and affidavit of support from a sponsor).

Note: You will be required to submit a copy of the completed Affidavit of Support Form and bank letter or statement to the U.S. Embassy or Consulate with your visa application.

If you are in the United States on another visa status and would like to change your status to become an F-1 student International Center - Change of Status Information.

Copy of Passport ID page

Please submit a copy of your passport page that contains your biographical information.

To be eligible for admission international F-1 applicants must be 17 years old at the time of arrival in the United States to start the classes at BHCC. 

Applying from Abroad

Admission deadlines for international applicants who are applying from outside the United States

Spring Semester November 15
Summer Term I March 30
Fall Semester July 15

For Applicants who are in the United States

Current F-1 International Students - Completed applications are accepted up to the last Friday before the start of the semester posted on the Academic Calendar online. 

Applicants who wish to request change of visa status to F-1 within the US should consult with an immigration attorney regarding eligibility and deadlines.

 

Translating Application Documents

Contact and Hours

The International Center is providing services from Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Charlestown Campus
Room N-221
Phone: 617-228-2460
Fax: 617-228-2442
Email: international@bhcc.edu