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, “Certificate of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant Student Status,” from Marymount University is required before an admitted international student may apply for F-1 visa status from a U.S. embassy or consulate office or to USCIS for change of status.
Admitted international students who plan to obtain F-1 status must submit an enrollment deposit to confirm their attendance at Marymount before an I-20 may be requested. A nonrefundable deposit of $500 is required for both commuter and residential students. This deposit is credited to the student’s account.
After submitting the enrollment deposit, students must then activate their MU account, including establishing their MU email address, before they can be invited by the Office of International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS) to request an I-20 from Marymount University. The ISSS Portal is Marymount University’s secure online platform for F and J visa holders to manage their immigration requests and record.
Within five business days of activating their MU account and after the date that Marymount University begins issuing I-20s for the admitted semester (whichever is later), students will receive instructions in their MU email account to login to the ISSS Portal and submit their request for an I-20.
An I-20 may be issued once the student submits a completed I-20 application with all required supplemental documentation through the ISSS Portal, including:
- Copy of current passport identification/photo page, valid at least 6 months beyond the program start date;
- City of birth;
- Valid non-U.S. address (Note: students who plan to request change of status from a different visa to F-1 status through USCIS application must also submit their U.S. address);
- Completed Declaration of Finances form for the academic year student will begin program; and
- Proof of funding to show sufficient funding to cover the estimated total cost of the student’s program for one academic year of study. Estimated total costs by program are provided in the Declaration of Finances form. Proof of funding documents must meet requirements specified on the ISSS website.
Students currently enrolled in a U.S. high school or another U.S. university must submit a completed I-20 application with required documents, as described above, and also submit a SEVIS record Transfer request within the ISSS Portal. In addition to required documents for I-20 issuance, SEVIS record Transfer students must submit:
- Current U.S. address;
- Copy of all previous I-20s;
- Copy of all previous U.S. visas; and
- Copy of I-94 Record (Applicants may download their I-94 Record from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security website at https://i94.cbp.dhs.gov/I94/#/home).
Marymount University electronically issues and distributes I-20s through the secure ISSS Portal. Communication related to I-20 requests and issuance is through the student’s MU email account. Students will be required to retrieve, download, print, and hand sign the I-20 themselves. Marymount does not mail or courier hard copies of I-20s to students. For the most current and accurate information about immigration and visa requirements, please visit www.travel.state.gov/content/visas/en.html.