Chris_UK2WI

Hi,

I am moving to Wisconsin on a K1 and getting married in July... after I am living there I would like to go back to college to retrain but I'm not sure how things like GCSEs and A Levels transfer to the US system... has anyone had experience in this?

Any help at all would be great!

I have been told that I can't register until my residency has been properly sorted , just not sure on the qualifications part...

thanks

DigitalGhost

It depends on what you mean by transfer.

Most employers in the US will not directly recognise them but you will be able to state that you completed a high school diploma and college diploma (non-degree) on your resume I believe as you qualify for that level of equivalency.

The US has more international students in it than any other country on Earth so I'm sure that most major colleges etc will already have a procedure for this.

sailormoon

Digital ghost, do A-levels not count as an associates degree?

DigitalGhost

I'm not sure, I would be interested to know that myself to be honest. Most Yanks who pursue academia go straight from high school at age 18/19 to a University Bachelor's degree so I suppose they possibly could.

Duncan Roberts

No. You may be able to get them evaluated to a high school diploma though.

To the OP, you will have to get transcripts sent to an evaluation service (like WES) and pay them to evaluate them to a US equivalent and send them to a US college. Contact the colleges international department for more info because they may require a specific evaluation company. Also keep in mind that you may still have to pay international fees since you will be fresh of the boat.

DigitalGhost

So what is an associates degree then, just out of curiosity?

I remember seeing that on US/Canadian application forms but I was never too sure what it meant.

Edit:

Actually strike that question, Wikipedia answered it for me. It's a UK foundation degree equivalent.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Associate%27s_degree

sailormoon

It's when a student completes two out of four years of college. Usually this means they went to a community college rather than a four year university.

So two years is associates, 4 years is a bachelors.

edit: I didn't know that foundation year is the equivalent. I thought it had to be two years of university. Then what is a foundation year and year 1 of university equivalent to? :P

edit: sorry I misread, thought you said foundation year rather than degree. Does it take 2 years to get a foundation degree?

DigitalGhost

Well yes, but also it's the equivalent to a one year foundation degree over here. Strange though since a lot of institutions in the UK also consider a foundation degree to be of equivalency to 4 A/AS Levels.

Chris_UK2WI

Thanks for the info, I will ring the enrollment center at the college and ask if they need me to get them evaluated to a high school diploma or the equivalent...

I just don't want to end up paying for and taking classes that I have already done if I can avoid it...

I'll reply when I have more info

Duncan Roberts

Call the international department, not the enrollment department. Also, colleges are about making money so expect that you will have to retake everything you already have done.

mystasia

Hi,

I am the poster's fiance.

Has anyone else tried to get into a university or technical college after arriving on a K1 visa? I'm concerned about at what point he becomes a "resident" is entering on a K1 visa constitute that or is it after the wedding when we send in the paperwork to adjust status.

The time line for us is Chris arrives in May (visa approval permitting) and it would be nice if he could get in to start a few classes come fall semester end of August. The wedding is set for July 17. It would be nice for him to be able to get into school, since he wouldn't be able to work till he gets his authorization. It be better than sitting around doing nothing while waiting for that to come.

Duncan Roberts

It will depend on the policies of the college. Some he will be international, some he will be out of state and he may be lucky and get in-state for some although they will be the ones that are desperate for students. Most of the colleges around me that I've seen give in-state tuition after you have been living in the state for 12 months, until then you are what you would have been before you moved. The other issue you might have is being on a K-1, not sure if you can use the status from that to study or if you have to wait until the green card gets approved. In that case the fee situation should work itself out.

DigitalGhost

That's a really good point and for that reason alone you may want to wait a while before you start studying over there.

Tuition fees in the UK can occasionally be viewed as a little steep but in America they are closer to vertical, especially for international students, and they will do everything they can to squeeze more money out of you.

DigitalGhost

I think he becomes a resident after you are married and he is placed on a spousal visa as it's obviously much longer term. As I understand, K-1 is there literally just to allow a couple to be together in America legally for a few months whilst they prepare for their wedding as it is technically against the conditions of a visitor visa or visitor visa waiver to enter most western countries with the intention to marry a citizen/PR and then change your status once you have landed.

md95065

Don't confuse "resident" from the immigration perspective with "resident" for the purposes of qualifying for in-state tuition rates at a state university or community college. The latter (qualifying for reduced fees) usually requires at least one year of "residence" (as defined by the state, not USCIS).