International Admissions Requirements

Texas State defines an international student as anyone who is in a non-immigrant visa status, including H-1B visa holders. If you are not a U.S. citizen, permanent resident, refugee, or asylee, you would be classified as an international student and should complete the international application for admission. 

Students who are not on a visa and are graduating from a Texas high school after three years in residence in Texas (please review Senate Bill 1528) are considered domestic applicants and should complete the domestic application.

Requirements for international admission and steps to apply are outlined below. All steps must be completed by the deadline for the semester you wish to enroll.

Admission Types

Freshman

First-time college applicants are required to graduate or have graduated from a foreign secondary school with an academic profile equivalent to that of a U.S. high school curriculum.

Requirements

Transfer

Transfer applicants are students who have completed transferable credit hours after graduating from high school (or equivalent of U.S. high school diploma).

Requirements

Prior College Course Work

As you prepare your application, please note that it is mandatory to indicate any post-secondary (university or college-level) course work you have completed. Be sure to submit the appropriate transcripts along with your application. Failing to provide this information could jeopardize your admission to the university, as well as your eligibility for scholarships.

How to Apply

Please complete the following application steps (submit required documents, fill out forms, etc.) by the appropriate deadline. Apply by the priority date to also meet the scholarship deadline.

If you have questions or need additional information, please contact us.

Step 1

Submit Your Application

You must apply for admission online using through ApplyTexas or Common App. It is important that you fill out all sections of your application completely. Remember, the International Application is for anyone who is in a non-immigrant visa status. If you are not a U.S. citizen, permanent resident, refugee, or asylee, you should complete the international application. If you are not on a visa and are graduating from a Texas high school after three (3) years in residence in Texas, you are considered a domestic applicant (per Senate Bill 1528).

Applicants needing a visa to enter the U.S. should complete all application requirements at least a month before the posted deadline to ensure time to complete the process.

Step 2

Pay the Application Fee

The Office of Undergraduate Admissions charges a nonrefundable application fee of $90. International documents will not be processed until this fee is paid. You may pay the application fee using the link below.

International students are not eligible for application fee waivers.

Step 3

Send Your School Documents/Credentials

Freshmen:  Submit your secondary school transcript(s), including all courses taken and marks earned for each semester, as well as your graduation or school-leaving exam results. Original documents or copies that have been certified by your school or a U.S. embassy/consulate official must be submitted. Students that complete the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) exam must provide a scratch card or results checker by the application closing date. If the original records are not in English, a certified translation must accompany the original records.

Transfers:  Submit your official college or university transcripts from each college you have attended. Texas State only accepts credits from recognized accredited academic institutions. If the original records are not in English, a certified translation must accompany the original records. We do not accept unofficial college or university transcripts.

Step 4

Send Test Scores from Testing Agency

Test scores are only required to satisfy English Proficiency Requirements and will only be accepted if sent directly from the testing service.

TOEFL:  The TOEFL school code for Texas State University is 006667.
IELTS:  Select TEXAS STATE UNIVERSITY as recipient of scores.
DuoLingo:  Select TEXAS STATE UNIVERSITY as recipient of scores.
Pearson (Academic):  Select TEXAS STATE UNIVERSITY as recipient of scores.
ACT:  Our ACT school code number is 4178.
SAT:  Our SAT school code number is 6667.
Cambridge Exams:  International freshmen and transfer students may earn credit by submitting A and AS level Cambridge Assessment scores.

English Proficiency

International applicants must provide proof of English Proficiency with ONE of the following methods during the application process.

  • Test TypeMinimum Score Required for Admission*
    TOEFL iBTTotal: 78; Each Section: 19; Except Writing: 18
    TOEFL EssentialsOverall: 8.5
    IELTSOverall: 6.5; Each Section: 6.0
    DuolingoOverall: 105
    SAT (EBRW)520
    ACT (English)21
    PTE (Academic)Overall: 52
    IB English4
    GCE/GCSE/IGCSEGrade of C (non-ESL English)
    WASSCEGrade of B3
    Cambridge English B2 First, C1 Advanced, or C2 Proficiency176


    *English proficiency scores must not be more than two years old. Scores older than two years will not be accepted. 

    Exception: For all teacher and professional certification programs, the Texas Education Agency (TEA) requires a TOEFL iBT score to satisfy English Proficiency requirements, regardless of home country.

  • Graduated from an accredited U.S. high school and completed three (3) full years of regular English courses (non-ESL).

    or

    Earned 30 or more transferable credits that include College Writing I (ENG 1310 or equivalent) and College Writing II (English 1320 or equivalent) with grades of C or higher from an accredited U.S. institution or an institution within an English proficiency exempt country.

  • Applicants who hold the equivalent of a U.S. high school diploma or U.S. bachelor's degree from an accredited institution in one of the following countries are exempt from submitting English language proficiency requirement for admission consideration.
     

    American Samoa Grenada Sierra Leone
    Anguilla Guam Singapore
    Antigua/Barbuda Guyana South Sudan
    Australia Isle of Man Helena
    Bahamas Ireland South Africa
    Barbados Jamaica St. Kitts and Nevis
    Belize

    Kenya

    St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines
    Bermuda Lesotho Tanzania
    Botswana Liberia The Gambia
    Canada (except for Quebec) Malawi Trinidad and Tobago
    Cayman Islands Micronesia Turks and Caicos Islands
    Christmas Island Montserrat Uganda
    Cook Islands New Zealand U.S. Pacific Trust
    Dominica Nigeria United Kingdom (England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales
    Eswatini Norfolk Island United States of America (except Puerto Rico)
    Fiji Papua New Guinea Virgin Islands
    Ghana Philippines Zambia
    Gibraltar Pitcairn Islands  


    Exception: For all teacher and professional certification programs, the Texas Education Agency (TEA) requires a TOEFL iBT score to satisfy English Proficiency requirements, regardless of home country. 

Please note: Applicants transferring to Texas State from other U.S. schools prior to earning a bachelor's degree are NOT exempted from the English proficiency requirement.

Additional Program Requirements

Degree Entry

There are some majors that require you to start as a “pre-major” and/or meet specific program requirements to be admitted to that major, or accepted into that degree program. 

View Program Requirements

Application Status

Once you've applied, you can check your status online.

Questions about applying?

We are here to help! Feel free to contact us for assistance.

Application Deadlines

All steps must be completed by the deadline for the semester you wish to enroll.

After You Are Admitted

Be sure to review the next steps to complete after you have been admitted.

Changing Start Term

To change start term, submit the online form. A new $90 application fee will be required for each term change.

Appeal a Decision

If you'd like to appeal our admission decision, submit our online appeal form.