International Admission Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Who is considered an international student at St. Stephen’s?
Q. What are the application deadlines?
Q. What admission testing is required for international applicants?
A. Students whose primary residence is outside the United States are considered international students. That means U.S. citizens living abroad, and students whose parents are employed overseas are included in our international student program. Non-U.S. citizens whose parents live and work in the United
States with approved visas or permanent residency may elect to participate in the international student
program.
A. The priority admission deadline for all applications is January 25. Students completing the application process by the priority deadline will receive notification of an admission decision by March 10. After
the priority deadline, applications are accepted and reviewed on a rolling admission basis until all classes
are full.
A. Worldwide testing centers make it convenient for international students to take the SSAT. The SSAT
code number for St. Stephen’s is 6956. Testing score reports will only be accepted when be submitted directly
from the testing company. SSAT test sites often fill to capacity and early registration is encouraged. Visit the
SSAT website at www.ssat.org.
The ISEE exam may also be taken internationally through certified testing centers or approved school locations. The ISEE code for St. Stephen’s is 440315. Visit the ISEE website at www.iseetest.org.
Q. What is the last testing date I can take the SSAT and still be considered for the January
25 priority deadline?
A. Students who have completed ALL other requirements for a complete application may take the
February 7 SSAT test and still be considered in the priority application deadline. Testing after February 7,
2015 will move the application to the rolling admission decisions made after the priority first round.
Q. A. Does St. Stephen’s accept TOEFL or SLEP scores?
Q. Does St. Stephen’s accept the SSAT’s Standard Application Online?
Students may submit TOEFL, SLEP scores to demonstrate English proficiency but not in lieu of
SSAT or ISEE scores. The SSAT or ISEE is required of all admission candidates.
Students who wish to submit TOEFL or SLEP scores should submit the St. Stephen’s mailing address to the
testing company with a request that the official scores be forwarded on your behalf. St. Stephen’s does not
have a code for SLEP or TOEFL.
A. Yes! SSAT’s Standard Application Online (SAO) has been used by thousands of students to apply to
hundreds of independent schools.
The Standard Application Online has been created to simplify and standardize the process of applying to
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independent schools. The SAO allows families to complete one online application that will pre-fill to multiple applications and obtain one set of teacher recommendations/transcript that can be used to apply to any
number of private/independent SSATB-member schools that accept it. Additional information is available
on the SSAT website.
Q. I will be submitting the Standard Application Online through SSAT. What else do I need
to do to have a complete application?
A. In addition to the SAO requirements the applicant must request their testing scores be sent directly
to St. Stephen’s Episcopal School (Code 6956) and request an interview by Skype or in person prior to the
January 25 deadline. Interviews will not be scheduled until the student has completed all parts of the SAO
and registered for a testing date (on or before Feb. 1) to take the SSAT.
Q. If I am using the St. Stephen’s Application for Admission, what makes an application
complete?
A. A complete application has the following completed and received in the Admission Office:
1. Forms/Reports/Recommendations uploaded to the Application Website: (www.sstx.org/application)
Application(biographical), Student Questionnaire and Essay, Parent Statement, student photo, copies of
previous year and current report cards (with translations provided by the school when possible), current
English and math teacher recommendations, personal recommendation
2: SSAT or ISEE scores sent directly from the testing company
3: Personal interview (conducted by an admission officer on the St. Stephen’s campus or by SKYPE)
Q. Will I need to visit the campus for an interview?
Q. What materials do I need to mail directly to St. Stephen’s?
Q. May I submit portfolios or other materials not required to complete the application?
A. We highly encourage applicants to visit the campus during the admission process. Understanding
that a visit to Austin is not always possible, we allow interviews to be conducted via SKYPE or by phone.
Contact the Admission Office (admission@sstx.org), to schedule the interview.
Admission Officers travel to locations all over the world and are available for interviews in many cities and
countries. Please check the Admission Travel section of our website.
Due to the large number of applications from China, students from that country must complete all other
application requirements with the exception of SSAT testing before scheduling an interview. Applicants
from China must have submitted all online forms, essays, grade reports, and recommendations.
All interviews (by Skype and in person) must be complete before January 25, 2015 for the application to be
considered in the first round of admission decisions. Students may visit campus in February but the application and interview should be completed by January 25 for consideration in 1st round decisions. Campus
visits for students from China are scheduled most Mondays and Fridays. Please contact our office before
making travel plans as we can not guarantee an appointment will be available each day as most fill to capacity.
A. Nothing. Upload all necessary documents directly to the SSAT’s Standard Application Online or
through the Application page on the St. Stephen’s website. Please do not send duplicate items by postal mail
service.
A. St. Stephen’s is committed to sustainability and therefore we request that portfolios, photo books,
CD or DVD’s, or copies of awards and certificates not be mailed to the school.
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Q. Does St. Stephen’s have an ESL program?
Q. Does St. Stephen’s admit students in January or for the spring term?
Q. Does St. Stephen’s issue I-20 visas?
Q. Can an international student enroll as a day student?
Q. What services are provided to international students?
Q. Is there a special orientation program for new international students?
Q. Is there a quota or maximum number of students admitted from any country?
Q. Does St. Stephen’s offer Advanced Placement courses?
A. No. St. Stephen’s classes are conducted in English and international applicants must demonstrate a
significant level of proficiency in written and verbal English skills to be considered for admission.
International students often enroll in the Transitional English Program, which provides non-native English
speakers with the most important content of the mainstream English classes while also meeting their specific needs as language learners. Many non-native English speakers need to adapt to new expectations about
writing and class participation, and English 9T and 10T allow for this adjustment to occur before students
enter mainstream English classes. All students are placed in traditional math, science, history and language
sections.
A. No. The academic year begins in August and concludes late May.
A. St. Stephen’s is authorized by the Department of Homeland Security’s Student and Exchange Information System (SEVIS) to issue the I-20 visa application. To receive the I-20 visa application a student
must apply to, be admitted to, sign the enrollment contract and make arrangements for payment before we
may issue the visa application. Specific I-20 information will be given after the admission notification is
sent.
A. No. All international students must live on campus in the residential boarding program. Students
are not permitted to live with relatives or family friends.
A. The International Program Office has six full and part-time staff members whose job it is to make
sure the students with parents living abroad are supported academically and socially. From assisting with
travel plans, taking students to cultural activities off campus, helping with study skills and homework, the
staff develops close relationships with the students.
The International Office manages the host family program that connects each international student with
a St. Stephen’s family for occasional overnight stays during breaks and other off campus outings. For additional details about the International Program visit their web page.
A. Yes - for students in grades 9-12. The orientation program, VENTURE, begins five days before new
domestic and returning boarding students arrive for registration. Most new international students are
required to attend in order to become more familiar with the school, work on course placement and enjoy
local Austin activities. If there is room in the program, other students are welcome to attend.
A. No. St. Stephen’s seeks qualified applicants with a proven record of academic achievement and outof-class interests. The admission committee is looking for students who have been successful in their previous school and have interests and passions that align with the programs offered at St. Stephen’s.
A. Beginning with the 2008-2009 academic year, St. Stephen’s eliminated the AP curriculum designation. We continue to be an AP test center and support students who wish to sit for AP examination in any
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subject they choose. Our students currently pass (with a score of 3 or better) AP exams at an overall rate of
85%. Scores on AP examinations are not generally considered as part of an applicant credential for college
admission, but they can sometimes be used for advanced standing at the college level. Many colleges also
grant advanced standing in subject areas based on the results of SAT Subject Test examinations, which are
currently taken by approximately 75% of our students every year.
As a college preparatory school, St. Stephen’s takes seriously its charge to ensure that our graduates are
as prepared as possible for the rigors of the curricula at the most demanding colleges in this country and
abroad. The school offers advanced coursed in most all subject areas and a locally developed curriculum allows our teachers the flexibility to design advanced and challenging courses that incorporate new and innovative ideas in each field of study with goals that exceed preparation for a nationally standardized test, like
the AP Exam. St. Stephen’s joins many of the most selective Independent Schools across the country which
have either eliminated all AP courses or offer them on an extremely limited basis. We understand that the
scores on standardized examinations are important to our students, and we are committed to preparing
them to sit for the AP and SAT Subject Test examinations.
Q. How many international students currently enrolled at St. Stephen’s?
A. The St. Stephen’s boarding program has 176 students in grades 8-12. Typically about 90 of those
students have parents living outside the United States. About 1/3 of those students are U.S. citizens whose
parents live abroad. St. Stephen’s has about 690 students with 495 of those in the Upper School (grades
9-12).
Q. Does St. Stephen’s accept students for grade 11?
A. In some cases, we will consider an international applicant for whom English is not the native language for grade 11. However, that candidate must not be older than 17 at the time of enrollment. We do not
admit any students to grade 12.
Q. What is St. Stephen’s tuition for a new international boarding student?
A. For the 2014-2015 academic year, the cost for tuition, boarding fee, food, books, facility use fee,
health insurance, and international fee is $52,230.