International Student Fact Sheet

Mount Union College, located in Alliance, Ohio, a community of 25,000 residents, is home to approximately 2,200 students with international students coming from 16 various countries.

U.S. News & World Report

For the 16th consecutive year, Mount Union has been ranked among the top 20 comprehensive colleges in the Midwest by the editors of U.S. News & World Report. Mount Union was ranked 14th out of 324 institutions. Currently, the College also is ranked fourth in the "Great Schools Great Values" section of the rankings.

Colleges of Distinction

Mount Union also has been selected as a College of Distinction in recognition of its reputation of excellence, strong focus on teaching undergraduates, innovative learning experiences and active campus. Colleges of Distinction profiles the best values in higher education as designated by selected educators, college admissions professionals and high school counselors.

Small Campus Environment

Seventy-five percent of the College's students live in Mount Union's residence halls. This arrangement, coupled with students' high participation in any of 70 student-governed organizations, gives students the opportunity to meet new people and to solidify friendships.

Our international students and their parents, feel comfortable knowing that the students are living in a city with a low crime rate and an environment which is safer than that of large cities.

Quality Education

Mount Union has 125 full-time faculty members, 75 percent of whom have terminal degrees in their area of study; they have completed as much formal education as possible in their areas of specialty. In addition, our faculty have received graduate level degrees from such highly respected institutions as Columbia, Notre Dame, the University of Rochester, Harvard, Yale, Pennsylvania State and Ohio State.

At Mount Union College, your classes will be taught by these talented faculty members. But at some universities where many classes are taught by graduate students, you might not experience a class taught by an actual faculty member until your third or fourth year of college. Mount Union College, an undergraduate institution, takes pride in the faculty who focuses on teaching you.

Community Friends Program

The College's international students have the option of participating in a friendship based program. Community friends give our international students a place to "get away" on the weekends or during holidays;  may be places to do laundry or to eat a good home-cooked American meal. The relationships developed through host families often last long after students have graduated.

Residence Halls

Our residence halls are open all year round for our international students so they do not have to move out of their rooms during the break times. Also, during the summer, international students may live on campus for a minimal weekly fee.

Many colleges and universities require students to find another place to live during the holidays and breaks during the academic term. We guarantee that this situation will not occur at Mount Union College.

Association of International Students

This campus organization is designed to bring both American and international students together so they can meet many people early in the semester. In addition, this group takes trips to places such as Canada, Chicago, Pittsburgh, Cleveland and Washington D.C. so that international students can experience as much as possible. Through this organization, students begin to make friendships which may last a lifetime.

English Skill Level

An international student who is admitted with either aTOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) total score between 420 (PB)/110 (CB)/36 (IbT)and 550/213/79 or an IELTS (International English Language Testing Service) score of 4.5, 5.0 or 5.5 or has completed the ELS Language Center's level 109, 110 or 111 may be offered admission to a Mount Union bridge program which allows students to enroll in one or two credit bearing ESL classes in addition to two or three regular curriculum courses.

The specific ESL courses in which the student must enroll will be chosen in consultation with the director of ESL programs. To matriculate out of ESL courses, a student must complete the ESL curriculum as recommended by the director or achieve a test score, or ELS course level, higher than those listed above.

Financial Aid

Mount Union offers need-based financial aid and academic merit-based awards (scholarships) to qualifying students.

Need-based financial aid is determined by the income and assets of students and their families. To qualify, students must complete the "International Student Financial Aid Application" which is available from Mount Union College, The College Board, and on the Internet. Students who qualify can obtain a Mount Union college International Grant and an up to $1,400 by working at a part time job on campus.

The amount of grant money is determined by financial situation of each individual student and their family. The only way to know if you qualify for the need based financial aid is to download the financial aid application from the link below, complete the form and return it to the Office of International Student Services along with your supporting documentation.

The total cost for the tuition, fees, room amd meals for the 2007-2008 academic year is $28,750. Need based financial assistance which you might qualify for will be deducted from this total cost.

You can download the International Student Fiancial Aid Application by clicking here and opening the link at the top of the next page. Please complete the application, print, sign and return the application directly to Office of International Admission.

Academic Merit Based Scholarships are automatically awarded to students who meet our criteria in the area of Grade Point Average, Class Rank and SAT or ACT Test Score. As international student credentials vary from country-to-country, Mount Union makes every effort to accurately determine the academic ability of each international student and award Merit Based Scholarships to the students who meet the citeria.

The College's Scholarship Committee will determine eligiblity at the time of acceptance to the College.

Our general parameters at which Merit Based Scolarship consideration begins:

• 3.0 average on a 4.0 grade point scale
• 970 minimum SAT in the combined areas of Critical Reading and Math
• 20 minimum ACT
• Top 30% or higher class rank

*Mount Union recognizes that not all international academic credentials fall neatly into the above catagories and please be assured that we evaluate each applicant for admission and scholarship on an individual basis.

Please also be aware that the Financial Aid evaluation process for students seeking admission to the Fall Semester (end of August), usually begins the previous February.