University of Houston-Victoria |

Admissions & Records

Office of Admissions

International Students

GENERAL INFORMATION FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

Welcome International Students! The University of Houston - Victoria is excited that you are interested in our institution. We have tried to make the application process easy for you. Almost everything can be done online through the internet and email. Applicants do not need an agent or commercial representative to help complete the application process.

F-1 Student Admission Deadline: International Students must submit application for admission and all supporting admission documents, regardless of the degree objective, to the Office of Admissions and Records by the following dates to ensure time for processing:

Fall - June 1 Spring - October 1 Summer - March 1

Complete information regarding international student admission is located at the left side of this page under International Students. Please read each item! Freshmen applicants must also read information for Freshmen admission located under Future Students on the UHV home page, www.uhv.edu. There are three basic steps to begin the admissions process for international student admission:

Step 1. ApplyTexas

Submit the electronic application form through the ApplyTexas website by choosing the link above. On the ApplyTexas website, applicants will complete their personal profile and choose University of Houston-Victoria as your destination university. The application is 9 to 12 pages in length, depending on the graduate or undergraduate program you choose. You will save each page, and on the last page you will save, then submit the application. You will immediately receive an email from the ApplyTexas site with an automated message regarding your submitted application. UHV will be able to download your application 2 or 3 working days later. We will process your application and notify you by email about how to check your admission status online.

Step 2. F1 Student Visa Form

Complete this form to provide information needed for the F-1 student visa by choosing the link above. Print the forms and submit them to the Office of Admissions and Records by email, postal service, or take them to a nearby campus location and hand to the Student Services representative for delivery. Students may scan or attach the document to an email and send to: intladmissions@uhv.edu , fax forms to (361) 580-5500, or mail completed documents to: University of Houston-Victoria, Office of Admissions and Records, 3007 N Ben Wilson St., Victoria TX 77901-5731. PLEASE MAKE SURE ALL RECORDS INCLUDE YOUR UHV ID NUMBER ON THE COVER PAGE OR IN THE SUBJECT LINE OF THE EMAIL.

Step 3. Login and Check Admission Status

Applicants will use the UHV ID number that was emailed to you and login to MyUHV Self Service. In the web Student Center, you will be able to view your To Do List for other actions to take such as setting up your UHV email account, submitting test scores, transcripts, marks, and degree certificates that you are required to send for admission. Transcripts for all prior education must be submitted. (For information about transcripts, see the International Academic Records Request Form on the Admissions Forms page: www.uhv.edu/oar/forms.aspx .) In addition, open the links under International Students on this page (left side) and read related information about International Admission to UHV.

Tutorial instructions for access to MyUHV Self Service are also located on the Student Solutions web page, www.uhv.edu/Student_Solutions/.

Step 4. Submit Official Transcripts

Applicants must submit official transcripts and grades from each academic institution previously attended, and include completion certificates for higher secondary school, post-secondary certificates, diplomas, and degree programs. Documents must be in English, and if not, original language documents must be accompanied by an official English translation. A complete evaluation may not be possible without a full history of your education shown by these documents, and may possibly delay your admission to the university.

The University of Houston-Victoria, founded as an upper-level institution in 1973, is one of four institutions in the University of Houston System. UHV offers approximately 50 bachelor's and master's degree programs and concentrations in the schools of Arts & Sciences, Business Administration, Education & Human Development, and Nursing. Legislation signed into law on June 19, 2009, will allow UHV to admit underclassmen in the fall of 2010 to its Victoria campus. Our exceptional faculty members have authored books, published journal articles and received fellowships for further study.

The University of Houston-Victoria is fully accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

UHV has an enrollment of approximately 3600 students each fall and spring semester. For information about the degree programs offered by UHV at the Sugar Land campus, check the Web site at www.uhsa.uh.edu/fb/. The Cinco Ranch Web site is located at www.uhsa.uh.edu/cr/. The official UHV Web site is at www.uhv.edu/.

THREE CAMPUS LOCATIONS

Victoria, Texas, center of the South Texas Crossroads in the Texas Gulf Coast region, is an expanding historic city on the banks of the Guadalupe River. More than 150 years old, it was one of the first three towns chartered by the new republic when Texas won its independence from Mexico in 1836. It is a short distance by car from Victoria to Houston (200 km), San Antonio (180 km) and Austin (196 km). Although the Victoria campus serves students from Victoria and surrounding counties, UHV also offers degree programs in collaboration with other University of Houston System institutions at off-campus centers in Sugar Land, Texas (University of Houston System at Sugar Land) and in Katy, Texas (University of Houston System at Cinco Ranch). These two cities are suburbs of Houston, Texas, which is located 124 miles (or 193 km) northeast of Victoria. F-1 students will need to ensure that the program you wish to study is offered at the campus location you wish to attend. For a list of programs available at each campus please see the UHV Program Guide for F-1 International Student Admission.

CLIMATE

The weather in south Texas generally is hot and humid in the summer months of June through August, consistently reaching 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 degrees centigrade) or higher. Winters are generally mild with temperatures seldom falling below freezing. Rain is well distributed throughout the year. Light clothing is recommended for the summer months, and a coat is needed for the winter months.

HOUSING ACCOMMODATIONS

UHV will open Jaguar Hall, its first student housing facility in Victoria, Texas, in the fall of 2010. The university is spending $9 million to purchase and prepare a former hotel into quality student housing that will feature double-occupancy rooms each with a private bathroom and Internet and cable access. Jaguar Hall is located at 2705 Houston Highway, just a 10-minute walk away from the Victoria campus. In addition, monthly rates for apartments in Victoria vary from $700 to $900 per month, and some are located within walking distance of the campus. Smaller houses are also available to rent at similar costs. Rates in Houston, Sugar Land and Katy, Texas, are similar. There is limited public transportation at the Sugar Land campus location. Students who do not have their own vehicle to drive may want to consider attending the Victoria or Katy, Texas, campus locations, depending on their intended degree program. Keep in mind that students must attend a campus that offers a majority of their program courses in a face-to-face format.

ORIENTATION SESSIONS

All students attending UHV in F-1 or J-1 visa status must attend an orientation session prior to the first term of attendance. International Student Orientation sessions are held each Fall and Spring term. Information covered will be necessary to ensure each student receives information on how to maintain their visa status while enrolled at UHV. Orientation topics will include the length of your status while in the United States, enrollment and progress as a student, academic program dates and extensions of status, U.S. Immigration Service procedures and policies that affect international students, and student employment. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services requires every F-1 student to limit online course enrollment during the fall and spring semesters. During the Fall and Spring terms, online enrollment is limited to one online course within the full course load. The International Student Orientation session is open to new and current international students.

HEALTH INSURANCE AND MEDICAL EMERGENCIES

Nonimmigrant international students (F-1 and J1 visa holders) are required to have basic medical/hospitalization insurance coverage either by enrolling in a university-endorsed plan or by providing evidence of their own acceptable insurance. In order to be acceptable, the student’s plan must include the following:

Repatriation coverage – a benefit which provides payment in the event of death, for preparation and transportation of the remains to the student’s home country.
Medical Evacuation coverage – a benefit which provides for transportation to the student’s home country in the event of serious illness which requires extensive medical care.
Minimum Plan Benefit coverage – a package of health insurance benefits, subject to reasonable deductibles and co-pays with:
- At least $50,000 of covered major medical expenses;
- At least $10,000 for medical evacuation;
- At least $7,500 for repatriation;
- Deductible not to exceed $500
- Co-Pays not to exceed 30%

The purpose of this requirement is to provide reasonable assurance that international students will have the financial means to reside within the U.S. during their course of study at the University. Health Insurance provided by the university is activated on the first class day of the beginning semester. It is very important for students to have someone in the U.S. to contact in case of emergency situations. It is also important for students who have dependents to make sure the dependents have health insurance coverage.

EMPLOYMENT

A non-immigrant student is not permitted to work off-campus for a wage or salary or engage in business while in the United States unless permission to do so has first been granted by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). International students are permitted to work on-campus for no more than 20 hours per week, and should contact the Office of Admissions and Records for the proper procedure to follow. Permission to work off-campus may be requested only after a student has been enrolled for 9 consecutive months, and is limited to certain circumstances. The spouse or child accompanying or following to join a non-immigrant student is not permitted to work in the United States. On-campus employment is available on a limited basis, and should not be relied upon for financial support. All financial support must be verified prior to receiving an I-20 for admission purposes.