Graduate Information

 

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Int’l Student Experience      Int’l Students & Scholars Office (ISSO)

The Graduate School of Arts & Sciences has a wide-ranging international student population that ensures a richly diverse and stimulating environment. We welcome applications from all over the world. If you are not a citizen of the United States or do not hold official United States Permanent Residency status, you will need to provide the following additional information with your application:

  • Certified English translations of all transcripts and academic records. We encourage international applicants to visit our Frequently Asked Questions section on submitting transcripts.
  • Official score report sent directly from testing organization which meets the minimum requirements for English Proficiency (see below).

Proof of English Proficiency

All international applicants are required to demonstrate proficiency in English, typically through English proficiency scores.

Accepted standardized tests include the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language), TOEFL iBT Home Edition, IELTS (International English Language Testing System), and Duolingo. Please note, the TOEFL ITP exam will not be accepted as proof of English proficiency.  TOEFL and IELTS tests are valid for 2 years. For example, a student applying for Fall 2024 must have taken the test after January 1, 2022. 

Minimum English proficiency testing requirements

Applicants who do not meet the minimum requirements of English proficiency are not eligible for admission. Unless otherwise indicated by the department/program to which you are applying, the minimum score requirement is:

  • Internet-Based Test: 21 in each of the four sections (Listening: 21, Reading: 21, Speaking: 21, Writing: 21). We do not accept “MyBest Scores.”
  • Paper-Based Test: 550. Although the paper-delivered test is no longer offered, scores will remain valid for 2 years after the final test was administered in April 2021.
  • IELTS:  7.0 Overall Band Score
  • Duolingo:  105 Overall Score

Submitting official English proficiency scores

 

English Proficiency Waiver

Proof of English Proficiency is waived if you meet one of the following criteria:

  • You are a citizen or permanent resident of the United States.
  • You are a citizen of one of the following countries: Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, Botswana, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Kiribati, Lesotho, Liberia, Micronesia, Montserrat, Namibia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands, Uganda, United Kingdom, Zimbabwe.
  • You are a citizen of Cameroon or Canada and your post-secondary degree is from a university in which English is the language of instruction.
  • You have studied in the United States (or one of the before-mentioned countries) at an accredited college or university for at least two years. 
  • You have received, or expect to receive, an undergraduate or graduate degree from an institution where the official language of instruction is English. If your transcript does not clearly state that the language of instruction is English, then please upload supporting documentation on institutional letterhead along with your transcript.

This waiver does not apply to students who have earned or are earning undergraduate or graduate degrees from an institution in a country listed above while enrolled in a “dual degree” program with an institution in another country. Studying as an exchange student in an English-speaking country is not sufficient to waive the English proficiency requirement.