Apply as an International Student

Start your journey to Principia

Plan ahead

It usually takes 12 months or longer to apply to attend Principia.  Students must reserve seats and study for tests like the SAT American national exam and the TOEFL English exam.

Application Deadlines

October 1, 2020 – to start classes in January 2021

(All documents required by this date. Usually requires taking the SAT exam in March or May 2020)

April 15, 2021 – to start classes in August 2021
All applications documents for Fall 2021 must be submitted by April 15th, 2021. (Usually this requires taking the SAT exam in May, October, or December of 2020, or the Supplemental Admissions Assessment by April 1st).

Respect for Christian Science is required

Principia's primary purpose is to serve the Cause of Christian Science. Fulfilling this purpose includes participating in a "community of practice" where students, professors, and staff are striving to be a good neighbor by exploring and expressing the values of Jesus and the Christian Science religion while enjoying university life.

Therefore, students who enroll at Principia must be interested in growing morally and spiritually by joining an educational community that models and encourages viewing and living life through the lens of Christian Science. Students and their families must be receptive to the principles and values of Christian Science, respect Christian Science healing, and express a genuine interest in making a positive contribution to our community. We currently require that students who enroll at Principia must be active students of Christian Science for at least 6 months.

Students need strong academic skills 

Because academics at Principia are challenging, before starting studies at Principia, students must have completed secondary school with above average grades and proved that their reasoning and ability to communicate in English are at the American university level.  

Please save your school term reports so you can send Principia copies of four years of your grades when you apply.  

Application checklist

A. Start your application process in August or January

One year before you wish to start classes! If you are a transfer student, please take the time to fill out this link: Common Application

B. Complete this online form 

Send your contact details and student profile so an Admissions Counselor can help you through the application process: www.principiacollege.edu/Gettingstarted

C. Prepare for the SAT & TOEFL exams 

Due to the suspension of the SAT/ACT standardized tests from March through August of 2020 (due to COVID-19), and the potential impact on applicants, the Admissions Committee is currently offering an holistic assessment exam for applicants as an alternative to the SAT/ACT. The holistic assessment is currently being offered to applicants applying for Fall & Spring 2021 and Spring of 2022 – please contact Brett Grimmer, Interim Director of Admissions for more information. Students must also take the TOEFL and score 80 or higher. Principia College is currently accepting additional English Proficiency Exam Scores (due to COVID-19 impact on TOEFL exam locations) – IELTS, Pearson-PTE, and DuoLingo are approved through the October 1, 2021 deadline for the Spring 2022 semester (If you have questions regarding these test alternatives, score, etc., please contact Brett Grimmer, Interim Director of Admissions). Where available, Students may still take the SAT and TOEFL exams and score 1010 or higher on the SAT and 80 or higher on the TOEFL.  To be successful on these tests, it is important for students to take the most challenging classes available in key classes like math, history, social science, natural science, and languages, especially English. 

Send your school reports to Principia if you’re not confident your grades are above average.  We will convert your marks in core classes like math, history, social sciences, natural sciences, and languages to the US 4.0 scale and let you know if your marks are above the required 2.4 average. Ask Us where to email your school reports.

Learn if you need a passport. Signing up for the SAT and TOEFL examinations may require having a passport.  Getting your passport can take additional time, so look into the SAT and TOEFL requirements early, and explore the passport requirements as well. 

Register to take the SAT and TOEFL tests in March, May, October, or December.  Be sure to ask the test company to send scores to Principia College, code 1630.  The goals are 1010+ SAT and 80+ TOEFL. 

Students who apply to universities in the United States often find it helpful to start studying for the SAT and TOEFL tests two years before they will go to university through in-person classes or online study aids. 

• Free online SAT study: collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/sat/practice
• Free online TOEFL study: www.ets.org/toefl/ibt/prepare

D. Submit All Required documents

Due to COVID restrictions, Principia also accepts the English Duolingo Exam as an option for applicants to take. All that is required is that students have access to a computer with a camera. Here is the link: https://englishtest.duolingo.com/home

To apply to Principia College, documents are due by either the February 28 or the October 1 deadline.

Download the “International Admissions and Financial Aid PDF Guide” for a suggested timeline.

1. The Common Application includes questions that take time to answer. apply.commonapp.org
2. SAT results (1010 or higher) - collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/sat/practice
   Request scores be sent to Principia: collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/sat/scores/sending-scores
3. TOEFL results (80 or higher) - www.ets.org/toefl/ibt/prepare
   Request scores be sent to Principia: www.ets.org/toefl/ibt/scores/send
4. Official transcripts or school term reports sent by your secondary school directly to Principia by mail or courier.  These should show records for each class over 4 years. Your secondary school should send scanned official copies of your transcript via email to this address: intladmissions@principia.edu, or send to:
   International Admissions - Principia College
   One Maybeck Place
   Elsah, IL 62028
   USA 
5. Certificate of graduation should also be sent by your school.
6. University transcripts (if you have attended university) should be sent by your university directly to Principia. If you have attended university but did not complete a term, please ask the university to send Principia a letter saying you have withdrawn from being a student.  If you need help, we can supply a template letter. Your university must send a scanned official copy of your transcripts via email to this address: intladmissions@principia.edu.
7. Academic reference forms from two teachers. Or submit two work references if you have been out of school for more than one year. www.principiacollege.edu/admissions-apply/academic-reference
   www.principiacollege.edu/admissions-apply/work-reference
8. One Christian Science Reference form.
9. One Character Reference OR an additional Christian Science Reference.

E. Notice of Acceptance

Principia will let you know if you’ve been accepted as a student usually within 4 weeks after you submit your application.

F. Financial aid application deadline

The financial aid application is due one month after you have been accepted as a student.

After you send your complete admissions application to Principia, the admissions staff will email an international financial aid application form to you so you can apply for money to help with your financial expenses during your time as a student at Principia. For more on financial aid, see the Affording Principia link below.