FAQ

DEADLINES AND APPLICATION SUBMISSION

CLICK HERE and scroll to the middle of the page to visit the Deadlines section of our Admissions page.

Applicants must be at least 18 years old and have completed at least one semester of undergraduate study at an accredited college or university before applying to attend one of the programs. We give preference to current undergraduate students, but we will also consider applications from recent graduates and graduate students.

The majority of participants in each of our programs hail from the region where the program is located. We do consider applications from students who are from outside the region, especially if these applicants demonstrate a specific interest in the region or the academic focus of the program.

There is no formal GPA requirement but in general our admissions committee looks for applicants with a 3.0 GPA or higher. We like to see well-rounded students who demonstrate ambition, academic ability, leadership potential, maturity, and involvement in campus and community activities. A low GPA may be compensated for with a strong resume, good recommendation, and a well-written essay. The committee also weighs the strength of your curriculum and difficulty of the courses you have taken.

The admissions process is competitive, but if you have strong academic and extracurricular achievements, you have a good chance of being admitted. Admitted students come from a wide variety of schools, backgrounds, and academic majors. Since our class sizes are fixed, the proportion of applicants who are selected for admission varies on the total size of the applicant pool, which is different from year to year.

No. Your online application may be submitted before or after your supplemental materials are received. Materials will be added to your file as they are received. Please remember that your application will not be considered complete until all of your application materials are received. It is your responsibility to make sure that we have received all of your materials. You may check the status of your application materials by logging into your Radius Self Service Center account.

Yes. Your entire application is due at the deadline. We require that online applications be submitted by 11:59 PM EST on the deadline and that all supplemental materials be received by the deadline in order to qualify.

No. All of your materials must be received by the deadline to qualify.

All of your materials may be sent via the online application system, email, mail, or fax.

TFAS International Programs
The Fund for American Studies
1706 New Hampshire Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20009
Fax: (202) 318-0441
Email: international@TFAS.org

Your application will be marked complete upon the receipt of the online application and all supporting materials; you will received an email confirmation when this happens and it will also be reflected in the Application Summary page of your Self Service Center account. We review completed applications and make admissions decisions within three weeks after the application deadline. You will be notified by email of your admissions decision. You can also check your admission status by logging into your Self Service Center account. We will not review any applications that are missing documents, so we encourage you to check online to verify that all of your materials have been received.

No, there is no fee to apply to our international programs.

APPLICATION MATERIALS

Your resume should be one-page. We offer detailed instructions, tips and guidelines. Please CLICK HERE to access these guidelines.

You should include all professional experience as well as campus and volunteer activities. We encourage you to refer to the Resume Guide here for more tips on writing a resume.

For TFAS Asia applicants we require an official transcript in order for your application to be considered complete. At this time, applicants to other TFAS international programs do not need to submit an official transcript.

An official transcript is a document that lists each course you have taken at your university as well as the corresponding grade you received in each. Official transcripts have a stamp or signature from the university.

Please note your official transcript must be in English. If your university does not provide a copy in English, please provide the original official transcript as well as a copy translated into English by a verified translator service.

TFAS International Programs
The Fund for American Studies
1706 New Hampshire Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20009
Fax: (202) 318-0441
Email: international@tfas.org

Please send only your most recent university transcript. If you are in the first semester of graduate school, please submit your undergraduate transcript.

Sure! It’s fine to go slightly over the word limit, but please do not upload any lengthy documents.

We require one letter of recommendation from a professor, dean, academic advisor, or a current/past employer or internship supervisor. Please no letters from family members or friends.

The letter of recommendation should include information on what makes you a strong candidate for admission to your TFAS international program of choice. Your recommender should comment on your academic performance, time management skills, leadership potential and maturity.

Due to the volume of applications we receive, we are only able to process one recommendation per applicant. If you wish to change who your recommender is but have already sent out the recommendation request, you can cancel it and send a new request through the Self Service Center, Application Summary section.

Your recommender will receive an email with instructions to complete the recommendation. He or she may send the recommendation by uploading it in the online application system, or they may choose to email it to international@tfas.org.

CLICK HERE and scroll to the bottom of the page to visit the Passport + Visa Instructions section of our Admissions page.

We primarily use interviews to judge English proficiency, however, applicants from non-native English speaking countries have the option to submit supplemental proof of English proficiency, including:

  • Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL): A score of 88 or higher on the internet-based exam, 230 or higher on the computer-based exam, and 570 or higher on the paper-based exam.
  • International English Language Testing System (IELTS): A score of 6.5 on the academic exam.
  • Completion of the Cambridge English: Proficiency (CPE) Exam.
  • Pearson Academic Test of English: A minimum score of 59.
  • SAT I Critical Reading/ACT-English: A score of 450 or higher on the SAT I critical reading section or an ACT-English score of 20 or higher.

International applicants who have completed a year of study at a regionally accredited university in the U.S., Canada (excluding province of Quebec), United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand are considered to have met the level of English proficiency, and do not need submit additional documentation.

SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATIONS

We award scholarships of varying amounts based on academic record, extracurricular achievement, leadership potential and financial need. About 85% of all students receive scholarships. We award scholarships on a rolling basis, so if you need financial assistance we encourage you to apply early.

No, scholarship awards go towards a participant’s program costs. Students are responsible to pay for the difference between the total program costs and their scholarship award, as well as travel costs to and from the program, and personal expenses.

Prior to the start of the program, students will be connected in an online group, allowing accepted students to communicate with each other. In the past, students have used this as a means of working out traveling plans with other students from their region.

To apply for a scholarship, you are required to complete the scholarship portion of the online application including the scholarship statement, as well as fill out the appropriate personal financial fields. You can find details on the online application process here.

No. We make admissions and scholarship decisions at the same time, so if you need to apply for funding you must complete the scholarship application when you submit the rest of the application. If you select that you would like to apply for a scholarship, your application will not be considered complete or reviewed until you complete the scholarship tab of the application.

Your SAR can be accessed through the U.S. Department of Education’s website www.fafsa.ed.gov or obtained from your home university’s financial aid office. Your PIN and password are required in order to log into the government website. Please make sure to send us the entire SAR document as it is usually 5-6 pages in length.

Yes. It is fine to send your SAR from the current school year.

You should send the tax return that claims you as a dependent; if you are not claimed by anyone as a dependent, you should send your personal tax return.

Yes. If you are receiving any funding for the current school year, including merit-based or athletic scholarships, you should send a copy of your financial aid award summary detailing any grants, loans or scholarships that you received. This does not need to be in a formal letter format, but may be a print-out from your university’s online system or a university bill that shows the breakdown of costs.

PROGRAM RELATED

Some meals are included as part of each TFAS International program, and some meals are on your own. Please visit the specific program pages below to see the “Staying in [Program Location]” section for details about meals.

Please refer to your decision letter, accessible in the Radius Self Service Center, for the specific dates that accommodation will be available for your program.

TECHNICAL PROBLEMS

You must upload all of the required writing samples into the application system. All technical difficulties should be directed to the Radius (Campus Management) technical support by clicking on the appropriate link within the system.

Once you complete your application, you can submit it by clicking on the “submit” button at the bottom of the screen. The system will provide details on any required questions that you did not answer. Please note – our admissions committee will not have access to any information that you have entered into the online system until you hit the submit button. Once the application has been submitted, you cannot make any changes to your online application.