International Graduate Requirements
We're happy you're considering St. Thomas! Here's what you need to know to apply.
The admissions process is unique to each graduate program. International graduate applicants must first complete the online application for the program they wish to be admitted to.
The submission requirements for individual programs can be found on their respective websites. See our complete list of graduate programs, with links to departmental websites and online applications.
International students (i.e. students studying in a non-immigrant visa status) must submit additional documentation to the Office of International Students & Scholars after they are admitted to the St. Thomas in order to be eligible to receive a I-20 or DS-1029 certificate of eligibility for F-1 or J-1 status.
International Graduate Requirements
All post-high school or post-secondary academic transcripts from institutions originating outside of the United States must be evaluated by a transcript evaluation service that is a current member of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES). Two recommended services are WES and ECE.
Evaluations must meet the following requirements:
- A statement that the evaluation report was based on original and/or authenticated educational documents
- A statement of U.S. equivalence of a baccalaureate degree from an instituting institution that has institutional (formerly called "regional") academic accreditation
- A course-by-course analysis that includes grades and GPA
All international students must submit the following documents:
- All applicants must provide a copy of the picture page from their passport
- Applicants who will be studying on an F-1 of J-1 visa must submit an I-20 Request Form (see below)
- Applicants who will be studying on an F-1 or J-1 visa are required to submit supporting bank statements no more than three months old, that show at least the total cost of attendance for one academic year as listed on page two of the I-20 request form.
- Applicants with dependents that will be accompanying them on F-2 or J-2 visas must also provide copies of the picture pages from their dependents' passports
- Applicants who are already inside the U.S. must submit a copy of their current visa
- Applicants already in the U.S. in active F-1 visa status must submit a copy of their I-20 from their current school
All international applicants must meet one of the English proficiency requirements listed below before qualifying for an I-20/DS-2019 (required for the F-1 visa) or being allowed to register for classes.
There are 3 ways that St. Thomas confirms proficiency in English:
- you grew up in, received a college degree from, or were employed for at least 3 years in an English-speaking country
- you completed a college degree (graduate or undergraduate) where the official language of degree instruction was English
- you submit a qualifying test score that confirms your proficiency in English
Option 1 = you grew up in, received a college degree from, or were employed for at least 3 years in one of these English-speaking countries:
- Anguilla
- Antigua
- Australia
- Bahamas
- Barbados
- Belize
- Bermuda
- British Virgin Islands
- British Guyana
- Burundi
- Cameroon
- Canada (except Quebec)
- Cayman Islands
- Dominica
- Egypt
- Ethiopia
- The Gambia
- Ghana
- Greenland
- Grenada
- Guam
- Guyana
- Iceland
- India
- Ireland
- Jamaica
- Kenya
- Federated States of Micronesia
- Liberia
- Macedonia
- Malawi
- Micronesia
- Montserrat
- Namibia
- Netherlands
- Nepal
- New Zealand
- Nigeria
- Norway
- Papua New Guinea
- Philippines
- Sierra Leone
- Singapore
- Solomon Islands
- South Africa
- South Sudan
- St. Helena
- St. Kitts & Nevis
- St. Lucia
- St. Vincent
- Tanzania
- Trinidad & Tobago
- Turks & Caicos Islands
- Uganda
- United Kingdom - England, Wales, Northern Ireland, Scotland
- United States of America
- U.S. Virgin Islands
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
For the full language requirement refer to the Graduate Academic Policy on English Language Proficiency.
Questions can be emailed to: gradadmissions@stthomas.edu
Option 2 = you completed a college degree (graduate or undergraduate) where the official language of degree instruction was English.
- If you received your degree in a country not listed above in Option 1, your transcript will document completion of this undergraduate or graduate college degree.
- This option is for the countries not listed in Option 1; if you received a degree from a country listed in Option 1 then you meet the language requirement via that option.
For the full language requirement refer to the Graduate Academic Policy on English Language Proficiency.
Questions can be emailed to: gradadmissions@stthomas.edu
Option 3 = you submit a qualifying test score from the list below that confirms your proficiency in English.
- TOEFL iBT overall score of 80 (school code: 6110)
- C1 Advanced with a minimum of 180
- Duolingo English Test overall score of 105
- iTEP with a minimum score of 3.5
- IELTS (Academic) overall score of 6.5
- PTE Academic overall score of 53 or higher
- ELS level 112 (only available in the following programs: Education, Engineering, Theology, Software, Law, Social Work)
- MET score of 53. The score report must be accompanied by an official letter from the testing coordinator.
- GMAT with a verbal score of at least 22
- GRE with a verbal reasoning score of at least 146
Important notes about test scores:
- Scores can be no more than two years old and must be sent directly from the testing site to St. Thomas.
- Some programs have specific score requirements that differ from the above list, including the Opus College of Business and the School of Law. Please visit your individual program's website and connect with the corresponding program's admissions team to understand the requirements.
For the full language requirement refer to the Graduate Academic Policy on English Language Proficiency.
Questions can be emailed to: gradadmissions@stthomas.edu
Shortly after you are admitted, you will be able to access your international student profile at https://oiss.stthomas.edu. Within that system, you will complete your profile and upload copies of your English proficiency, passport, and supporting financial documents. Once the documents have been reviewed and approved, your I-20 will be generated.
An invitation to your international student profile account will be send to your University of St. Thomas email account once your profile has been generated.
Where to Send Your Documentation
Physical copies of official college transcripts or transcript evaluations should be sent to the following address:
Graduate Admissions
University of St. Thomas
1000 LaSalle Ave, Box 5
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55403
Electronic copies of official college transcripts or transcript evaluations should be sent to the following address: