International Applicants

Applicants to a University of Delaware graduate program must possess (or be in the final year of completing) a U.S. equivalent bachelor’s degree.

 

Do not mail any paper documents.

 

Do not mail any paper recommendation forms (You can read more about our electronic recommendation process here).

 

Do not mail transcripts or diplomas during the application phase. Here are some helpful details about creating and uploading international transcripts and diplomas:

 

All applicants must scan and upload copies of their transcripts / consolidated statement of marks / earned diplomas.  Uploads are unofficial but are used by our graduate programs for their applicant review process.  A graduate department's faculty admissions committee will use "Received (Not Official)" transcripts for its review. If your department of interest indicates to the central office they have an interest in offering you admission, the central office will insert the appropriate conditions for verifying your documents. The Office of Graduate and Professional Education will call into question the veracity of any document submitted to our office. We regularly verify transcripts with the issuing institution. If any material is found to have been altered or falsified in the finalization process we reserve the right of expulsion.

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When creating a scan or pdf of academic transcripts, please follow these guidelines:

• Do not include any coursework earned at the high school level (typically before the age of 17).
• Do not include non-academic credentials such as “first place in business school.”  This is not considered an academic transcript and should be uploaded into a separate area of the application.
• There should be no single scan / pdf larger than 5 pages.
• You should include the earned diploma/certificate in the scan, if possible.
• If available, include the grading scale page from the back of the transcript.
• You should create your scan / pdf for each degree separately. If you earned more than one degree at the same institution, you must separate them by degree to create separate scan / pdf documents.
• Do not scan using high resolution.
• If the scan is too dark or otherwise illegible, the time needed to contact you for a more legible scan will significantly delay the review of your application.
• If you have followed all these guidelines, but still have difficulty with your upload, please forward your document to Technical Support. See FAQs for instructions on how to contact Technical Support.

TOEFL Requirement

• The TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) is the standard University requirement to show proof of English language proficiency. The University of Delaware sets the following minimum scores:

TOEFL paper-based:	Minimum score of 550 (600 for some programs)
TOEFL IBT:	Minimum score 79 (100 for some programs)

• Applicants are encouraged to provide scores from the Test of Spoken English (TSE) as well as this is a key component of the TOEFL.
• To find out if your graduate program of interest has a higher minimum score, please contact that department directly.
• A waiver of the TOEFL exam is only allowed when:
  • A degree has been earned in a country where English is the primary language.
  • A degree has already been earned in the United States.
• TOEFL scores are valid for two (2) years. Official scores are only marked as received when received directly from ETS. The ETS University of Delaware code is 5811. Always list the department code as 01.
• Self reported or unofficial scores can be reported via the central office for viewing by the graduate department – but will not be marked as official on the applicant’s status page.

IELTS Alternative

• Some graduate programs will accept IELTS in place of the TOEFL. Please check with your department of interest.
• The minimum IELTS (International English Language Testing System) score is 6.5 overall with no individual sub-score below 6.0.
• The same policies for the TOEFL above are relevant for IELTS.
• IELTS should arrive from IELTS International and be sent directly to our office at: Office of Graduate and Professional Education, 234 Hullihen Hall, Newark, DE 19716.

TOEFL - IELTS Score Comparison Table

• Here is an abbreviated and unofficial TOEFL / IELTS comparison table:

TOEFL ibt Score	IELTS Bank
0-31	0-4
32-34	4.5
35-45	5
46-59	5.5
60-78	6
79-93	6.5	University minimum unless otherwise stated by program
94-101	7
102-109	7.5	Required by some programs
110-114	8
115-117	8.5
118-120	9

 

Each graduate program reviews their own applicants at varying times. When a graduate department informs the central office they wish to admit an applicant to their program, the central office begins the transcript verification process. If any academic document is found to be incomplete or unofficial the applicant will receive a letter of conditional admission (or a direct communication if there is something else of greater concern). When a decision is posted you will receive an e-mail notice to check your application’s Status Page.  At that time, you will see a link which says “click here to view your application decision.”  The main office cannot tell you when a graduate program will make decisions.

Only applicants who receive an offer of admission to a UD graduate program will be required to complete the UD graduate confidential financial information form. Admitted students will be instructed on submitting this form directly to the Office for International Students and Scholars.

If you have received a letter of conditional acceptance based on finalizing International academic credentials, please read this section carefully:

 

1. Proof of an earned, U.S. equivalent University level bachelor’s degree:
   • You must provide proof that they possess the equivalent of a U.S. equivalent bachelor’s degree.
   • Proof of this University bachelor’s degree can only be considered if it is issued and mailed directly from the Records Office of the issuing University. Proof of an earned degree submitted in any other way can only be determined upon arrival and inspection.
   • If proof of degree is not issued in English directly by the institution then the applicant must provide a notarized translation of the earned degree.
   • If you have not yet earned your bachelor's degree:
     Many graduate applicants are still enrolled in final University courses when applying to graduate school. Such an applicant can be considered for a conditional acceptance only. The condition of providing final proof of an earned bachelor's degree must be satisfied before beginning graduate coursework at the University of Delaware.
2. Academic Records / Consolidated Mark Sheet / Statement of Marks
   • You must provide an academic record listing every course taken at the University level.
   • Academic records must be issued and mailed directly from the Records Office of the issuing University. Records submitted in any other way can only be determined upon arrival and inspection.
   • If your academic records are issued in a language other than English a literal word-for-word English translation must be provided as an addition to the original language.
   • Fraudulent Documents – The Office of Graduate and Professional Education will call into question the veracity of any document submitted to our office. We regularly verify transcripts with the issuing institution. If any material is found to have been altered or falsified we reserve the right of expulsion.