International Admission Requirements

The university considers any student who currently holds a visa of any type or is seeking a visa to be international. Even if you do not require a student (F or J) visa to attend UIC, you are viewed as an international applicant. Most policies which apply to those seeking student visas will apply to holders of other types of visas.

You will need to submit the following materials in order to apply to a graduate program at UIC:

*** Important Change – Electronically uploaded documents and academic credentials will be required in lieu of paper documents and academic credentials for all applications. Please see the FAQ for details ***

1. Completed Graduate Web Application which is available at: http://www.uic.edu/depts/oar/grad/apply_grad.html .
2. $60.00 Application Fee
3. University or college issued transcripts or marksheets for all undergraduate work in the original language
4. University or college issued transcripts or marksheets for all post-baccalaureate work in the original language
5. Proof of all degrees awarded. (See FAQ)
6. Certified English translations of all credentials
7. TOEFL or IELTS score (TOEFL scores must be reported directly to UIC by ETS. Paper score reports will not be accepted as official scores unless they are sent to our office directly by ETS.)
8. Supplementary materials as determined by program (GRE and other test scores, personal statement, letters of recommendation, writing samples, Millers analogies, etc.) Please contact your department for specific requirements.
9. If course work is in progress, final transcripts with grades recorded and proof of any degrees awarded will be required upon enrollment. English translations will also be required.

TOEFL/IELTS Exemptions

TOEFL/IELTS exemptions are not determined by the prevalence of spoken English in your country or the language of instruction at your university.

You may qualify for a waiver if you can provide the following:

• Evidence that you have been attending a U.S. institution for at least 2 years of full-time study.
• A letter from a U.S. employer stating that you are proficient in the use of English and that you have been employed at the establishment for at least 1 year.
• Education or employment for the duration of time listed above in a country where English is the only, official language, i.e. UK, Australia, Canada (excluding Quebec).

Minimums

The Graduate College minimum requirements for TOEFL scores are as follows*:

TOEFL Scores
Paper-based exam—550
Computer-based exam—213

IBT
Writing—21
Speaking—20
Listening—17
Reading—19
Total score—80

IELTS Scores
Listening – 6.0
Writing – 6.0
Reading – 6.0
Speaking – 6.0
Total Score – 6.5

*Individual UIC departments and programs may require higher scores. Please check with them.

Other English Competency tests

Other English competency exams may be available to students and may be accepted by other institutions. UIC accepts scores for TOEFL and IELTS only. We do not accept TSE, TWE, Cambridge examinations, TOEIC, or other similar tests in place of TOEFL. Some departments may give consideration to students who have completed these exams (specifically TSE and TWE) in addition to the TOEFL or IELTS. Please contact your department on details regarding their policies.

For more information regarding the I-20 process, you must visit the Office of International Services website at http://www.ois.uic.edu/

Different types of registration holds and how to clear them

As a new student at UIC, you will most likely have registration holds that will need to be cleared before you are able to enroll in classes. All international students have a SEVIS hold on their account which takes effect upon admission. You will need to check in with the Office of International Services when you first arrive on campus for advising. They will be able to lift your SEVIS hold when you arrive.

Students who have been admitted with pending conditions will receive a transcript hold that is created by the Office of Admissions . T his occurs because the Office of Admissions has not yet received your final or official academic credentials. You can tell if you have been admitted conditionally by carefully reading your admit letter. The items that are pending will show at the bottom of your admit letter.

Transcript holds do not go into effect until the registration period for your 1st term at UIC is over. This means that you will not be affected by the hold until you try to register for your 2nd term at UIC. The Office of Admissions encourages you to bring in your final/official documents when you first arrive on campus. By doing so, you will be able to resolve this issue before your registration is ever affected. It will also ensure that you have plenty of time to obtain correct versions of any documents that the Office of Admissions has not found acceptable.

Students may also encounter advising holds. These are placed by your academic program to ensure that you meet with an advisor prior to registering for classes. You will need to consult with your academic department for an advisor assignment. They will be able to guide you through the necessary steps for having any advising holds released.

The Immunizations Office will also create holds for students who have failed to submit proper proof of immunizations. For more information on this topic go to: http://www.uic.edu/depts/oar/student_records/medical_immunization.html.

When holds take effect

SEVIS and advising holds will take effect immediately. These will block your first attempts to register at UIC.

Transcript holds placed by OAR will begin after the 10th day of your 1st semester at UIC. Registration for your 2nd term of study (and every subsequent term) will be blocked until the required credentials have been submitted.

Immunization holds will begin during your 1st term at UIC.

Students who have been recommended for admission, but cannot attend for valid reasons, may request to defer their admission. An admitted application can only be deferred once. Admission can be deferred for up to 1 academic year. (Applicants for the Fall term may defer to the following Spring, Summer, or Fall terms, but no further.) Admission to the term is contingent upon departmental admissions practices for that term. Students do not need to submit a new application, fee, or set of academic credentials in order for a deferral to be granted.

Who qualifies for a deferral? Set as “show more” “show less”

Only students who have been recommended admission by the department or officially admitted by the Graduate College are eligible to defer admission.
Denied applications and those cancelled due to missing academic credentials cannot be deferred.

How to go about seeking a deferral Set as “show more” “show less”

If you are eligible to defer your admission, you will need to contact your academic program and request a deferral. Your department has the authority to grant your request or to deny it. Departmental awards may not be guaranteed for a new term.

If your department grants your deferral request, you will need to obtain new/correct evidence of financial support for the new term. Please contact the Office of International Services for further details about submitting the correction financial documents.

If your deferral is approved by The Office of Admissions , you will receive a letter of admission for the new term and a new I-20. Please return any unused I-20s to the Office of International Services.

What to do when you can’t obtain the required documentation

If your university refuses to issue the required documents, you will need to request a letter from a university or college authority (i.e.Registrar, Controller of Examinations, Dean, Principal etc.). The Office of Admissions will input a checklist request for this letter which will allow you to upload the document as you would any other document.

Students who have completed study at U.S. universities must provide transcripts for work completed. If students cannot obtain transcripts from a U.S. institution, no exception will be made so that the application can be reviewed for a decision.

What to do when your documents and your application are under different names

You should always use your full, legal name on all documents that you are submitting to UIC. Please include any alternate names in the space provided on the application. If you provided a different ordering or spelling of your name to ETS for GRE, TOEFL or IELTS reporting, please provide this name to the Office of Admissions . You may email any changes or updates to us using the UIC Prospective Student Contact form (no attachments).

Whom to contact for help

Most basic questions can be answered by thoroughly reading the graduate application, the instructions on the website for your academic program, and our FAQ.You may direct any inquiries to us using the UIC Prospective Student Contact form (no attachments). Questions sent to this address will be reviewed by an admissions counselor.

If you have a question or problem that is not addressed in our published material or by e-mail, admissions counselors are available for walk-in visits and via the phone on Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays between the hours of 8:30am and 5pm. Each counselor works with a different set of academic programs, but any counselor will be able to help you. Contact persons in your department of interest will also be able to answer most questions.
Please visit our Frequently Asked Questions page for answers to a variety of questions that the Office of Admissions receives on a daily basis.