International Applicants

The deadline for international applications is April 1. International students are responsible for knowing, and abiding by, all visa and immigration requirements established by the university and/or United States government entities. For further information, please contact the International Student Office.

English Proficiency Requirements/TOEFL

If you are from a country whose native language is not English, you must provide evidence of English proficiency as indicated by acceptable scores on the TOEFL or IELTS as follows:

• The minimum TOEFL requirement is 550 (PBT) or 80 (iBT).
• The minimum IELTS is an overall band score of 6.5 with no individual band below a 6.0.
• Individual academic units may have higher requirements.

Applicants who have met one of the following conditions at a regionally accredited college or university in the United States do not need to submit evidence of English proficiency:

• Earned a bachelor’s degree or higher
• Completed a minimum of 12 semester hours of graduate-level study with a GPA of 3.00 or higher
• Completed at least 90 undergraduate semester credit hours with a cumulative GPA of 3.00 or higher
• Completed the American English and Culture Program Advanced Level II with grades of B or better and have the recommendation of the director of the AECP

Valid Test Scores

TOEFL and IELTS scores are valid when the test date is within two years of the first day of classes in the semester you are enrolling at ASU. Applications will not be processed without valid evidence of English proficiency.

The TOEFL is administered by TOEFL/TSE Services, PO Box 6151, Princeton, NJ, 08541-6151, USA. Additional information is available online or by e-mailing toefl@ets.org. ASU’s institutional code is 4007.

The IETLS is administered by the University of Cambridge, ESOL Examinations, 1 Hills Road, Cambridge, CB1 2EU, United Kingdom. There is no institutional code for IELTS.

For questions regarding the English proficiency requirement at ASU, please contact the Graduate College at 480-965-6113 or gradadmiss@asu.edu.

Bachelor’s Degree Equivalency Official Academic Credentials

Before we can process your application, all international records must be submitted in the original language accompanied by an official English translation. Translations must be literal, complete versions of original records, and the documents must be translated by a university, a government official or an official translation service. You cannot do your own translation.

Individuals who have completed a three-year degree with no additional coursework typically do not qualify as having an equivalent U.S. bachelor's degree. Generally, for a three-year bachelor’s degree to be equivalent it must be combined with the following:

• At least one year of study toward a two-year degree program such as an M.S., M.A., M.Com., MBA or LLB.
• Any one-year diploma in the same field of study such as B.Ed., M.A., M.S., or M.Phil.
• A second bachelor's degree.

The ASU Graduate College has ultimate responsibility for transcript evaluation and approval of degree equivalency.

Some educational systems promote students on the basis of periodic examinations and not on grades received in individual courses. In those cases, transcripts will be reports of the results of these examinations. If an educational system uses annual mark sheets, then all mark sheets must be submitted (not just those for the final examination). Degrees must be verified by official copies of diplomas or degree certificates from the institutions that awarded them and include the dates on which the degrees were conferred.

Academic credentials must provide detailed information on the content and quality of your performance, courses taken each year and the grades/marks received. Please do not send documents that cannot be easily replaced; please do not send intermediate or secondary education documents.

Official Documents Accepted

All academic credentials and test scores must be official. The Graduate College accepts the following documents as official:

• Original academic credentials issued by the registrar of the institution attended, bearing the original raised or colored seal of the institution and the signature of the institution’s registrar, academic official or recognized international organization. Note: Electronic copies will not be accepted.
  
• Photocopies of international academic credentials that have been verified as true copies of the original by a responsible official of the institution attended or by an educational representative of the country’s government or embassy. Each page must bear the verifying official’s signature and stamp.
• Photocopies of academic credentials that have been certified by a recognized international education organization such as the U.S. Educational Foundation, AMIDEAST or the Institute for International Education.

Please note: Photocopies certified by a notary public are not official.

For questions regarding official academic credentials, please contact the ASU Graduate College at 480-965-6113 or gradadmiss@asu.edu (e-mail link - gradadmiss@asu.edu).

Additional Information

Financial Guarantee
A financial guarantee form must be completed and submitted with proof of funds.

Conditional Admission
The MS-BA program does not offer conditional admission for international applicants. All students must meet the minimum requirements and apply by the published deadlines.