International Students

Contact your agency of choice to start the application.

Minnehaha Academy does not board international students or directly place students in homestays. Some students stay with a parent. Other families contact homestay agencies through which they can be placed in a home. The Admission Office can give you contact information for these agencies.

Homestay families work through the agencies and follow all of the agency requirements which we have agreed to. If a student is living with a parent, we will also interview the parent. The homestay family must have a Power of Attorney form signed and on file with us so that we can share information related to the student’s progress in our school. The Power of Attorney must be written to give the guardian the legal authority to make decisions about the student’s health, education and general welfare.

While most students who attend our school consider themselves Christians, we also admit students who, along with their parents and guardians, are not Christians but are very open to learning more about Jesus Christ and the Bible. These students must be supportive of our mission and agree to attend Chapel and take Sacred Studies courses.

There is not financial aid for international students. Tuition must be paid in full at the beginning of the school year through the agency selected.

We do not have an English as a Second Language or English Language Learner programs. Because our international students join our American students in all the classes, each student accepted into Minnehaha Academy needs to demonstrate strong abilities in written and spoken English. They demonstrate this knowledge through strong scores on the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) test, as well as a writing sample and personal interview.

Minnehaha Academy adheres to the Minnesota High School League regulations. An international student living with a host family is only eligible for one year of a pre-varsity sport.

Yes, all international students must have health insurance. They must also carry expatriation and repatriation insurance. In addition, the health and immunization form must be received prior to the first day of school.

Please refer to these documents for more details on these requirements:
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p5122.pdf
http://www.immunize.org/vis/

Generally, all international students are accepted to begin only at the start of an academic year—our fall semester (beginning mid-August). Occasionally, we do accept a few students for the spring semester if they have been in the U.S. schooling system for at least one year, have high grades, and demonstrate excellent written and spoken English skills.

You will work with the agency to complete the application for admission. Once the items are received, we will schedule a skype interview with the Director of Admission & Enrollment.

When the enrollment fee and contract are received by the Admission Office, the I20 will be issued. To obtain an F-1 visa, the international student must first be accepted at a SEVIS-approved school, such as Minnehaha Academy.