International Student Admission Requirements
Eligible international students must submit the following items to be considered:
- a completed admissions application;
- evidence of graduation or expected graduation from an accredited college or university in the form of an official transcript or letter on institutional letterhead from a representative of that institution; and
- an official course-by-course transcript evaluation for university coursework completed outside the United States, including subjects studied, U.S. semester credit and grade equivalent for each course, U.S. grade point average on a 4.0 scale, and degree conferral or expected degree conferral.
For the transcript evaluation, applicants are responsible for the timely translation and evaluation of documents and for all costs and fees associated with these services. The following are approved evaluation agencies: World Education Services, Inc., www.wes.org; World Educational Credentials Evaluators, http://users.erols.com/wecewellington; American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO), www.aacrao.org; and Josef Silny and Associates, Inc., www.jsilny.org. Other evaluators holding membership in the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES), www.naces.org, may be considered.
In order to be considered for admission, nonnative English speakers must demonstrate English language proficiency by submitting official documentation of one of the following:
- English as the language of instruction in a completed degree program
- a satisfactory score on
- the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL),
- the International English Language Testing System (IELTS), or
- the Pearson Test of English (PTE) Academic, or
- Duolingo
- successful completion of one of the following programs:
- ELS Educational Service's English for Academic Purposes Program: ELS Level 112 (More information about the program can be found at www.els.edu.)
- Georgetown University English Language Center: The Advanced or Academic Bridge levels (More information can be found on the English Language center website.)
- Inlingua: Certificate of Completion of Level 8 intensive program (More information can be found at https://idc.edu/.)
- International Language Academy Level 12 (More information can be found at www.ila.edu.)
- Virginia Tech University Language and Culture Institute: Level 550 (More information can be found at www.lci.vt.edu.)
Minimum Score Requirements for Non-native Speakers of English
| TOEFL iBT |
Overall score of 96 to 100 |
| IELTS |
Overall score of 6.5 |
| PTE Academic |
Overall score of 58 |
| Duolingo |
Overall score of 105-110 |
Applicants who have a degree from an accredited school where the language of instruction is English are exempt from this requirement.
Priority Deadlines for Students in Need of an I-20
For graduate programs without an otherwise listed deadline, admission applications and all supporting documents should be received no later than the date indicated for the corresponding semester to allow time for application review and the I-20 process:
- For fall semester (late August to mid-December): July 1
- For spring semester (mid-January to early May): November 1
- For summer semester (late May to early August): April 1
Obtaining an I-20
An I-20 is a certificate of eligibility for F-1 visa status. Marymount University issues the I-20 for admitted students who submit an enrollment deposit to reserve a space at Marymount (This deposit is credited to the student’s account. The deposit must be in the form of a check drawn on U.S.-based branches of U.S. banks in U.S. dollars, or with a valid credit card. A nonrefundable deposit of $500 is required for both commuter and residential students.)
After submitting the enrollment deposit, students must activate their MU account and email address to be invited to the ISSS Portal, the secure online platform for F and J visa holders to manage their immigration record.
Within three business days of activating their MU account, students will receive an invitation at their Marymount email address to join the ISSS Portal and submit their request for the I-20.
The I-20 will be issued once a student submits a completed I-20 application in the ISSS Portal including the following required supporting documents
- Declaration of Finances;
- a legible photocopy of passport ID pages;
- a valid international address; and
- Proof of Funding showing sufficient funding in U.S. dollars for one year of study, as outlined on the ISSS website. Proof of funding must be in English or include official translation and be dated no more than 12 months prior to the start date of the I-20.
Students currently enrolled in a U.S. high school or university must also submit a completed Transfer Request in the ISSS Portal with the following additional items:
- Declaration of Finances;
- photocopies of all previous I-20s;
- photocopies of all previous U.S. visas; and
- a copy of the I-94 record (Applicants can also download their I-94 record on the Department of Homeland Security website at https://i94.cbp.dhs.gov/I94/#/home.).
Marymount University will issue and distribute all I-20’s electronically through the secure ISSS Portal. Students will be required to retrieve, download, print, and sign the I-20 themselves. Marymount will not mail hard copies of I-20’s to students. For the most current and accurate information about immigration and visa requirements, please visit www.travel.state.gov/content/visas/en.html.