International Student Program · Santa Barbara, California

A School Where International Students Thrive

Care. Nurture. Support.

Bishop García Diego High School is an independent Catholic college-preparatory school welcoming students of all faiths and all nations. Our international students don't just survive. They go to Cornell, USC, NYU, UCLA, and beyond.

Bishop Diego By the Numbers

Proven Results, Personal Attention

100%
College Acceptance
89%
AP Exam Pass Rate
1:10
Teacher-to-Student Ratio
16
Average Class Size
20
Sports, No-Cut
262
Total Students
The Bishop Diego Difference

Care. Nurture. Support.

Most American high schools enroll international students. Very few invest in them the way we do. A dedicated International Program Coordinator teaches, advises, and advocates for every international student across all four years.

Care

A dedicated International Program Coordinator is available daily for academic support across every subject. Your student is known by name, not by a number.

Nurture

With only 262 students, our international students are woven into the full Bishop Diego community from day one — known by name by faculty, friends with their domestic classmates, and integrated into clubs, athletics, and campus ministry.

Support

Individualized college essay coaching, test preparation, and ongoing communication with families in their preferred language. Modified assignments when English language development calls for it.

Academics

Rigor That Prepares Students for Elite Universities

Seventeen Advanced Placement courses. An 89% AP pass rate. Specialized College Board training for every AP teacher. Hands-on labs through the STEAM Society and SciTrek partnership with UC Santa Barbara. Bishop Diego students don't just check boxes, they build a foundation for university-level work.

World-Class Facilities

Real Tools for Real Skills

A professional-grade Bishop Diego TV broadcasting studio. A sound recording studio. Modern science labs. A one-to-one iPad program with digital textbooks. Our facilities aren't decoration, they're where students learn to make things the world pays attention to.

International Alumni University Placement

Where Our International Graduates Go

Bishop Diego is distinguished by placing both domestic and international students into top-ranked U.S. universities. These are real students, real outcomes.

US News RankUniversityBishop Diego Alumni
#5Yale University / Cornell UniversityCassie
#27University of Southern CaliforniaCerul, Max
#30New York UniversityBrian, Alex
#33UC DavisJet, Claire
#33UC IrvineMaruko, Von
#39UC Santa BarbaraElsa
#42University of Washington – SeattlePhilip
#46University of Washington – SeattleClark
#46Purdue UniversityHarry
Aaron Eggman, International Program Coordinator
"At Bishop Diego, international students don't just survive, they thrive. We don't just enroll international students, we invest in them."
— Aaron Eggman, International Program Coordinator
See Bishop Diego in Action

Video Tour

A quick walk through our campus and an introduction to what the International Program looks like day to day.

Campus Tour · 2 minutes · 1080p

Welcome to Bishop Diego

A high-definition walk through the Santa Barbara campus our international students call home. Brick courtyards, the bell tower, the Pacific in the distance.

Program Overview · 7 minutes

Inside the International Program

A full walkthrough of the Care, Nurture, Support model: the dedicated coordinator, academics, student community, and where our international graduates go to college.

Student Voices · 3.5 minutes

Our Life in the USA

Holly, Leona, Viktoria, and Kim tell their own stories, in their own words, about life as international students at Bishop Diego.

Facilities · 2 minutes

A Tour of Our Facilities

A second walkthrough highlighting Bishop Diego's classrooms, athletics spaces, and historic campus buildings.

A World-Class Location

Life in Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara is one of the safest, most beautiful cities in the United States. Your student will study here, surf here, and grow into themselves here.

Strategic Location

4000 La Colina Rd, Santa Barbara, CA 93110. Just 1.5 hours north of Los Angeles.

Perfect Climate

Warm, sunny weather year-round. Outdoor learning, outdoor sports, every season.

Beach Access

The Pacific Ocean is five minutes from campus. Surf Club, Sailing Club, and weekend trips.

UCSB Proximity

UC Santa Barbara is nearby, with cultural, research, and academic opportunities.

Safe Community

Consistently ranked among the safest mid-sized cities in California.

LAX in Reach

Los Angeles International Airport is an easy drive or shuttle ride for family visits and holiday travel.

How to Apply

Three Steps to Enrollment

Each step is straightforward. Mr. Eggman and Ms. Diaz will guide you through the process personally.

1

Submit an Application

Complete the online application below. Plan on 45 to 60 minutes. Upload documents as you have them, you can come back to add more later using your unique upload link.

Go to Application

2

Submit Documents

Upload these with your application or add them later:

  1. Current school year transcripts
  2. Academic transcripts from the prior two school years
  3. Photo of the student's passport
  4. Photo of the student's birth certificate
  5. Proof of financial responsibility, a recent bank statement or bank-certified letter for the person paying tuition. Do not submit tax documents.
  6. Two or three letters of recommendation from current teachers
  7. An email address where the I-20 form should be sent
3

Personal Admissions Interview

Mr. Eggman will reach out to schedule a personal admissions interview via Zoom. Once all steps are complete, you will be notified of our admission decision by email.

Once you pay the tuition deposit, we will issue your I-20.

Already applied? If you've already submitted an application and need to add more documents, use the unique upload link that was shown after your application, or email them directly to Mr. Eggman at aeggman@bishopdiego.org.
Begin Your Journey

International Student Application

Fields marked with * are required. Documents are optional at this step, upload what you have or send them directly to Mr. Eggman at aeggman@bishopdiego.org. You can also add more later using your personal upload link. All information is kept confidential.

Before You Begin

This application should be completed in one sitting (your answers are not saved as you go). Estimated time: 45–60 minutes.

The Student Questionnaire (Section 5) will ask you to answer six short essay questions. You may want to prepare your answers ahead of time. We recommend a 300-character maximum per question.

Good news about documents: you don't need them all right now. Submit the application first, then upload what you have or email documents directly to Mr. Eggman at aeggman@bishopdiego.org. You can also return anytime using your unique upload link.

1. Contact Email
We'll send your confirmation (including your document upload link) to this address.
2. Student Information
Options refresh automatically each year.
3. School Information
4. Household Information

Father Information

Mother Information

Siblings

5. Student Questionnaire
Please answer the following six questions honestly and succinctly. We recommend a 300-character maximum per question.
6. Final Details
Statement of Confidentiality It is the policy of the participating schools that all information received regarding a candidate's application for admission will be treated with complete confidentiality. Only authorized school personnel have access to this information and then only to the extent that the information is relevant to admission and placement decisions.
Statement of Non-Discrimination Bishop Diego High School, mindful of its mission to be a witness to the love of Christ for all, admits students regardless of race, color, disability, sex or national and/or ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs and activities generally accorded or made available to the students at the school.

The school does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, disability, sex or national and/or ethnic origin in the administration of educational policies and practices, scholarship programs or athletic and other school administered programs, although certain athletic leagues and other programs may limit participation.
Signatures By entering my name below, I hereby state that the information contained herein is true and complete. I have not knowingly omitted any pertinent information regarding student's academic, family, medical or behavioral history. I acknowledge that supplemental information may be required by the school and understand that our application(s) will not be reviewed until supplement(s), if required, have been submitted.
Document Uploads (optional at this step)
Upload what you have. After you submit, you'll get a personal link to add the rest whenever you're ready. You can also email documents directly to Mr. Eggman at aeggman@bishopdiego.org. Each field accepts PDF or image files up to 50 MB.
Recent bank statement or bank-certified letter for the person paying tuition. Do not submit tax documents.