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Admissions Requirements - International Applicants

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Master's Programs
Specialist or Doctoral Programs
Additional requirements, online application instructions, & deadlines
 

Applicants with strong academic backgrounds who possess four-year bachelor's degrees from accredited U.S. institutions or equivalent from a recognized foreign institution may apply for admission.

It is strongly recommended that the application be completed three months prior to the term in which the applicant wishes to matriculate.

In general, the following guidelines indicate the level of preparation expected of all applicants for admission to UND:

  • India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal: 1st Class Bachelor's degree in engineering or medicine with a minimum of four years of study; master's degree in all other fields
  • Other Asian countries: Bachelor's degree requiring a minimum of four years of study
  • British or British-patterned education: Bachelor's degree with honours with a minimum of four years of study
  • French or French-patterned education: Diplome with a minimum of four years of post-baccalaureate study
  • Other European, Latin American, Middle Eastern countries or Canada: University degree requiring a minimum of four years of study

Three-year Bologna degrees from countries within the European Union will be considered on an individual basis. Three-year degrees from other countries may also be considered. Applicants may be requested to provide a World Education Services transcript evaluation in addition to official transcripts from their university.

International students are required to submit a certification of finances to the Graduate School after an offer of admission has been made. Approximately $23,000 annually is required for educational and living expenses.

Applicants admitted to a graduate program will be issued an I-20 Form after all required documentation has been submitted.

You may be accepted into a doctoral program at the University of North Dakota only if you have received your master's degree from an accredited U.S. college or university (or equivalent in Canada). Exceptions to this rule apply to departmental programs which offer direct admission into a Doctoral program, such as Anatomy, Biochemistry, Biology, Chemistry, Counseling Psychology, Pharmacology/ Physiology, and Physics.

 

 
Master's Programs

  • A four-year bachelor's degree (equivalent of 125 semester credits) from a recognized college or university. For U.S. degrees, the institution must be accredited by one of the following six regional accrediting associations: MSA; NASC; NCA; NEASC-CIHE; SACS-CC; or WASC-Sr. Applicants with a three-year bachelor's degree must complete the equivalent of one year of post-baccalaureate work.

  • A minimum of 20 semester credits of appropriate undergraduate work in the chosen field.

  • A cumulative grade point average (GPA) of at least *2.75 for all undergraduate work or 3.00 for the junior and senior years of undergraduate work (based on A=4.00). For applicants having the equivalent of one or more years of baccalaureate work reported on a non-graded system, submission of (a) an evaluation of the work and (b) Graduate Record Examination scores on the General Test and the Subject Test, if offered in the discipline.

  • All non-native speakers of English are required to submit the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).  Applicants must achieve a minimum score of 550 (paper-based), 213 (computer based) or  for the Internet based TOEFL the minimum scores for each category:  Speaking 23/30, Listening 19/30, Reading 19/30 and writing 15/30 to be considered for admission.  UND recognizes the IELTS test with a minimum overall band score of 6.5 or successful completion of English Language Service (ELS) level 112 as equivalent to TOEFL.   This test must be sent directly from ETS—photocopies are not acceptable.  The TOEFL requirement will not be waived for any reason, and test scores older than two years are no longer valid.  Applicants who have received a bachelor’s degree or higher from the United States or English-speaking Canada are not required to fulfill the English test requirement.

  • Completion of all departmental admission requirements (please check with the department for specifics).

** Exception -- Master of Engineering Program requires an overall GPA of 2.50

 

Specialist or Doctoral Programs

  • All general admission requirements listed above.

  • A master's degree from an accredited institution normally in the field of proposed specialist or doctoral study. The Graduate School does not recognize master's degrees from institutions outside of the United States or Canada. NOTE: With the approval of the University Graduate Committee, some departments permit admission to the doctoral program with a bachelor's degree. Please check with the department for specific requirements which may be in addition to the minimum general requirements listed above.

  • A grade point average of 3.00 or above in all graduate level work.

  • Completion of all departmental requirements.
  • Students who do not meet all of the above requirements for admission may be considered for Provisional or Qualified Admission.
Information contained in such web material is subject to change without notice, and it is not to be interpreted as creating a binding obligation on the institution and the State. In times of changing conditions, it is especially necessary to have this understood.
The Graduate School
Twamley Hall, Room 414
264 Centennial Drive Stop 8178
Grand Forks, ND 58202-8178
Tel: (701) 777-2784
Fax: (701) 777-3619
Email: gradschool@und.edu