International Student Services

Your admission packet includes many important documents that you should review thoroughly, including your admission letter. Because some documents require an action, we strongly encourage you to read each document included and don’t hesitate to contact the admissions office if you have any questions.

In order to hold your spot in the incoming class, please submit your confirmation form and deposit. The confirmation deposit is $200, which will be applied to your account as your first payment towards tuition. You can submit the confirmation deposit online. As for your confirmation form, please review it, fill it out, sign it and send it back to the admissions office. Once the confirmation form is filled out, you can scan or mail to the Admissions Office (admission@cst.edu).

Please review the Pre-Departure Information for incoming International Students in preparation of your arrival to Claremont School of Theology and review and complete the International Student Checklist.

Please submit the following documents to apply for the I-20 form: (1) Scanned copy of your valid passport (if applicable, your dependent’s passport); (2) Financial Certification Form with an official bank letter(s) showing sufficient funds on deposit for one year of study; (3) Proof of health insurance for you and your dependents (if applicable).

Please contact our Dean of Students for more information. Please note, funding in the form of stocks, bonds, securities, valuations or beneficiary/insurance certificates are not acceptable. The funding must be in cash deposit form.

Once you have submitted your confirmation form, paid the confirmation fee, and submitted your completed Financial Certification Form and supporting documents, your I-20 will be sent to you electronically.

Transferring from a school in the United States? If you are currently in the U.S. on an F-1 student visa, you also need to submit the F-1 Student Transfer form. You have 15 days from the start of classes to complete your transfer.

If you are in the IDMIN program, you will fill in the IDMIN-Financial Certification for International Students.

For students beginning their studies during the 2023-2024 academic year or later, all CST degrees will be offered in the following modalities: Students in our Master’s programs (MDiv, MA, MTS) can take classes through our remote program that is made up of 100% online classes, or as residential students who attend a combination of online classes and in-person meetings on our campus in Westwood, Los Angeles.PhD students can take classes through our hybrid program that consists of online and in-person, weeklong, in-person intensive classes, or as residential students who attend a combination of online, intensive, and in-person classes. DMin students will continue to take courses that are fully online and/or meet in weeklong, in-person, intensive classes. Students who are attending CST as remote Master’s, Hybrid PhD, or DMin students do not need to relocate to the Los Angeles area or live near the CST campus in order to complete a CST degree. Residential Master’s and PhD students are expected to live in close enough proximity to the CST campus to attend weekly class sessions on time, and should take into account traffic and public transportation schedules when selecting their housing. Beginning in Summer 2023, CST will not have long-term student housing for entering students. But our leadership continues to work to identify options for potential short-term housing stays in order to assist students during intensive course visits. We will share more details about those options as they become available. If you have any further questions, please contact housing@cst.edu.

If you are a first time applicant for an F-1 visa, you are required to pay the SEVIS fee before your visa interview. For more information and to pay the fee, go to www.FMJfee.com.

After you receive your I-20 form and have paid the SEVIS fee, you can apply for an F-1 student visa. For a list of U.S. embassies go to http://www.usembassy.gov. For wait times, please go to https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/visa-information-resources/wait-times.html

Once you have your visa, you can make your travel arrangements. You may arrive in the U.S. no earlier than 30 days prior to your program start date (item #5 on your I-20 form). It is recommended that you arrive prior to the international student orientation. Please ensure you notify International Services. 

Make sure you put the following in your carry-on luggage: (1) visa, (2) Sevis I-901 fee receipt, (3) passport, (4) I-20 form, (5) admission letter, and (6) financial support documentation.

Please be sure you are on-campus by the date of orientation. Please contact International Services for further information.

As soon as you get settled, bring your passport, I-20 form and your local address information to the International Student Advisor. We also strongly encourage you to review the information shared in your admission letter.