International Admission Requirements

Country requirements for Graduate Applicants:

Afghanistan Albania Algeria American Samoa Andorra Angola Anguilla Antarctica Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Aruba Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bermuda Bhutan Bolivia Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Bouvet Island Brazil British Indian Ocean Territory Brunei Darussalam Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Canada Cape Verde Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad Chile China Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Colombia Comoros Congo Congo, The Democratic Republic Cook Islands Costa Rica Cote D'Ivoire Croatia Cuba Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic East Timor Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Falkland Islands (Malvinas) Faroe Islands Fiji Finland France French Guiana French Polynesia French Southern Territories Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Gibraltar Greece Greenland Grenada Guadeloupe Guam Guatemala Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana Haiti Heard and McDonald Islands Holy See (Vatican City State) Honduras Hong Kong Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iran (Islamic Republic Of) Iraq Ireland Israel Italy Jamaica Japan Jordan Kazakstan Kenya Kiribati Korea, Democratic People's Rep Korea, Republic of Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Lao People's Democratic Rep Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libyan Arab Jamahiriya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macau Macedonia Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania Mauritius Mayotte Mexico Micronesia, Federated States Moldova, Republic of Monaco Mongolia Montserrat Morocco Mozambique Myanmar Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherlands Netherlands Antilles New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria Niue Norfolk Island Northern Mariana Islands Norway Oman Pakistan Palau Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Pitcairn Poland Portugal Puerto Rico Qatar Reunion Romania Russian Federation Rwanda Saint Helena Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Pierre and Miquelon San Marino Sao Tome and Principe Saudi Arabia Senegal Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa Spain Sri Lanka St Vincent and the Grenadines Sth Georgia & Sth Sandwich Is Sudan Suriname Svalbard and Jan Mayen Swaziland Sweden Switzerland Syrian Arab Republic Taiwan, Republic of China Tajikistan Tanzania, United Republic of Thailand Togo Tokelau Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu US Minor Outlying Islands Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom United States Uruguay Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela Viet Nam Virgin Islands (British) Virgin Islands (U.S.) Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Western Samoa Yemen Yugoslavia Zambia Zimbabwe

What is an International student?
How do I apply?
Everything about Evidence of English Competency (TOEFL)
Understanding I-20
Registration holds
Deferring admission
When all else fails….
Glossary of terms related to academic credentials

What is an International student?

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.

Citizenship Types

U.S. Citizen

Born or naturalized

U.S. Permanent Resident

Green card holder. You should submit an Alien Registration Number and a copy of your PR card with the application.

International Student

For the university’s purposes, this is anyone who currently holds a visa of any type or who is in need of an I-20 or DS-2019.

Adjustment in Status

This category is for applicants who are in the process of becoming a permanent resident. You should submit any documentation that can provide details of your status such as receipts or petitions from USCIS.

Non-citizen (Other)

This should only be used if none of the other categories apply to you. Once again, valid visa holders or those seeking a visa should not use this category.

How do I apply?

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

1. Completed Graduate Application. For faster processing we recommend completing the on-line application which is available at: http://www.uic.edu/depts/oar/grad/apply_grad.html.
2. $60.00 Application Fee
3. Attested/university issued transcripts or marksheets for all undergraduate work in the original language
4. Attested/university issued transcripts or marksheets for all post-baccalaureate work in the original language
5. Proof of all degrees awarded. Attested degree certificates or diplomas should be submitted.
6. Certified English translations of all credentials
7. TOEFL score
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.

Evidence of English Competency

TOEFL Exemptions

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

You may qualify for a TOEFL 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:
Paper-based exam—550
Computer-based exam—213
IBT
Writing—21
Speaking—20
Listening—17
Reading—19
Total score—80

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 only. We do not accept TSE, TWE, Cambridge examinations, TOEIC, IELTS, 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. Please contact your department on details regarding their policies.

Understanding the I-20 Process

How does the I-20 process work?

Once you have been recommended for admission by your department, the next step is being approved for official admission by the Graduate College and getting an I-20 issued. The Graduate College cannot offer official admission to international students until sufficient evidence of financial support has been received. The next several sections help to explain what is meant by “evidence of financial support” and attempt to clarify some of the questions you may have.

Once the Graduate College has approved your department’s recommendation of admission and your financial documents have been received, the Office of Admissions and Records will process your official admission. An admission letter will be issued for you and your file will be forwarded for an I-20.

The Office of Admissions and Records is not the office responsible for the actual issuance of your I-20. Instead, your file must be sent to the Office of International Services (OIS). The Office of International Services will make a final review and will begin the I-20 process. Once your file has gone to the Office of International Services, the Office of Admissions and Records can no longer give you information about its status. During peak processing times, the Office of International Services requires a minimum of 20 business days for the issuance of an I-20.

Neither the Office of Admissions and Records nor the Office of International Services will express or overnight any documents to you. All correspondence will be sent via regular mail (by post). Your department may make arrangements to send your I-20 via express or certified mail. This is done at the department’s discretion and not all programs will be able to provide this service.

Once you have received your official, Graduate College letter of admission and your I-20 form, you may make an appointment at a U.S. embassy for a visa interview. From there, the process of issuing your actual visa is in the hands of the consulate officials.

Evidence of financial support

Evidence of financial support for the first year of study must be submitted before an I-20 or DS-2019 will be sent to the admitted student.

Applicants must submit the following:

• An original bank statement signed by a bank official. Proof of sufficient funds for tuition and fees, books and supplies and living expenses for the first year must be shown. The funds must be in a savings, money market or certificate of deposit account and displayed in U.S dollars. A maturity date must be provided on all certificates of deposit and other time deposits. Maturity dates must be no later than the first day of the semester. Checking (current) accounts are not acceptable.

• The UIC Declaration and Certification of Finances Form. This form is available online at http://www.uic.edu/depts/oar/forms/declaration_finances_grad.pdf. It must be signed by both the student and the sponsor.

In addition to the UIC Declaration and Certification of Finances, students may wish to provide a separate Affidavit of Support executed by the sponsor or a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Affidavit of Support (CIS form I-134). Additional affidavits of support may be used in conjunction with the official UIC Declaration and Certification of Finances, but will not be accepted in its place.

NOTE: The UIC Declaration and Certification of Finances form must ALWAYS be submitted for students who are seeking an I-20 or DS-2019. Other affidavits of support may be submitted in addition to the UIC Declaration, but will not be accepted in its place.

When should evidence of financial support be submitted?

UIC does not require students to submit evidence of financial support at the time of application. If you have received a letter recommending you for admission from your department or an official notification asking for financial documents from OAR, you will need to provide a bank statement and a signed UIC Declaration and Certification of Finances form. If you have received a departmental award that covers the full amount of tuition, fees, and living expenses then you may be exempt from submitting separate evidence. Evidence from personal funds will be required of all students who have not received departmental support or whose award is insufficient.

Here are the recommended time frames for submitting financial documents by term:

Fall – February 15 to May 1
Spring – July 15 to October 1
Summer – December 15 to March 1

The end dates listed above are the final day financial documents will be accepted for the given term. Documents submitted after the above deadlines will not be considered for the issuance of I-20s. These dates are not negotiable. Extensions cannot be given.

You may wish to submit your financial documentation with your application and other materials. If you do so, your documents will be reviewed at the time of receipt. If you are recommended for admission, your financial documents will have to undergo a 2nd review at that time as well. Your documents may no longer be valid at the time of this 2nd review. Financial papers are time sensitive items. The Office of Admissions and Records will not be able to use them if they are more than 6 months old from the start of the term.

Where to send your financial documents

Financial documents should be sent to OAR at the following address:
Office of Graduate Admissions (MC 018)
University of Illinois at Chicago
Box 7994
Chicago, Illinois 60680-7994

If a street address is required for delivery by the carrier, please use:
Office of Admissions and Records (MC 018)
University of Illinois at Chicago
1200 West Harrison Street, Suite 1100
Chicago, IL 60607

Qualities of a correct bank statement

• All documents must be original. Copies and faxes cannot be used.
• Bank documents may be no more than 6 months old from start of term.
• Bank statements must be signed by a bank official and funds must be in a savings, money market, or certificate of deposit account. Checking or current accounts are not acceptable.
• Maturity dates must be provided for certificate of deposits and other time deposits. These deposits must mature on or before the 1st day of your 1st semester of study.
• Documents should be issued showing total funds in U.S. dollars.
• Sufficient funding must be shown to cover the total costs listed on the Declaration and Certification of Finances form.

A currency converter may be found at http://www.oanda.com/converter/classic

Department Awards and Financial Assistance

Teaching Assistantships and Fellowships are awarded through your academic department. More information on financial support can be found at: http://grad.uic.edu/cms/?pid=1000078.

Registration holds

Different types of registration holds and how to clear them

As a new student at UIC, you may 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 and Records. Usually this occurs because the Office of Admissions and Records 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 and Records 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 and Records 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.

Deferring admission

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?

Only students who have been recommended admission by the department or officially admitted by the Graduate College are eligible to defer admission.

Students who were recommended for admission by the department, but were unable to provide the required evidence of financial support and were subsequently cancelled may qualify for a deferral.

Denied applications and those cancelled due to missing academic credentials cannot be deferred.

How to go about seeking a deferral

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 keep in mind that financial documents are time sensitive and may not be honored if they are more than 6 months old from the start of the new term. For this reason, you may need to wait before requesting a deferral. The Office of Admissions and Records will not process a deferral without correct evidence of financial support.

If your deferral is approved by OAR, 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.

When all else fails…

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 the Registrar or Controller of Exams explaining their policy. This letter should be submitted to UIC in a sealed envelope bearing the stamp of the same individual who is issuing the statement over the flap.

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. When possible, include your University Identification Number (UIN) on all documents. If you provided a different ordering or spelling of your name to ETS for GRE or TOEFL reporting, please provide this name to OAR. You may email any changes or updates to uicgrad@uic.edu.

Whom to contact for help

You may direct any inquiries to uicgrad@uic.edu. Questions sent to this address will be reviewed by an admissions counselor. Most basic questions can be answered by THOROUGHLY READING the graduate application, the instructions on the website for your academic program, and our FAQ.

If you have a question or problem that is not addressed in our published material, 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 at (insert link) for answers to a variety of questions that the Office of Admissions and Records receives on a daily basis.

Glossary of terms related to academic credentials

Transcript

We understand that from the viewpoint of many countries, the word “transcript” is an American term. When the Office of Admissions and Records asks you for transcripts, we are actually asking for a copy of your academic record which includes courses taken, course descriptions, credits earned or hours completed, and posted grades. The following academic records are always acceptable as “transcripts”:

• Bosnia & Herzegovina--Index or Upsinica
• Croatia--Indeks or Uvjerjenje
• Germany—Scheinen or Student Reported Summary which has been certified by the university
• Poland--Indeks
• India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka--Marksheets (*see below)
• Countries following the Bologna Agreement—Transcripts. A diploma supplement may also be required.

Marksheet

Some institutions provide a separate sheet for each year or semester which details the classes taken and marks achieved by a student. The following are some criteria which the Office of Admissions and Records requires when evaluating marksheets:

• They should be issued on a yearly or semesterly basis
• Marks secured, minimum passing marks, and maximum marks should be shown
• They should be unconsolidated. Consolidated marks will not be accepted under any circumstance.
• Marksheets should be issued by the university, not college. While some colleges will issue transcripts bearing marks, the Office of Admissions and Records prefers university issued marksheets. College transcripts may be accepted if they are unconsolidated, and show marks obtained, minimum marks, and maximum marks.
• Marksheets should be attested by the university Registrar or Controller of Exams. See the sections on Official vs. Unofficial documents and Attestation for more details.
• Marksheets should clearly list the course name. If all that is shown is Paper I, II, and III or Exams I, II, III for a certain subject, the Office of Admissions and Records will ask for a syllabus or course descriptions.
• Always provide the back of the marksheets if any information regarding courses or grading policies is listed on it.

Proof of Degree

The Office of Admissions and Records requires proof of all degrees that a student has earned. This should be an attested copy of your diploma or degree certificate. It should state the type of degree you were awarded, the fact that it was granted to you, and the date of conferment. Keep the following in mind when submitting proof of degree:

• Exam and Pass Certificates are not acceptable. Certificates stating that you passed the final or degree examination will not be used in place of a degree. Certificates stating that you successfully passed a degree or a final semester will also not be used.
• Provisional degrees will be accepted if the final degree has not yet been issued. The Office of Admissions and Records will take a provisional degree certificate or provisional degree statement as long as it explicitly states that you have qualified for the degree and that it will be conferred at a future date or convocation. Provisional degrees should be submitted in the same format as other official documents. If a provisional degree is accepted and found to be official, the Office of Admissions and Records will not require the submission of the final degree at a later date.

Diploma Supplement

The supplement provides a description of the nature, level, context and status of the studies a student pursued and successfully completed.

Syllabus/Course Descriptions

Students may be required to submit a syllabus or course descriptions if the transcript does not provide enough detail. These items will usually provide a key for understanding the courses you have taken and will provide the highlights of that course’s curriculum. The Office of Admissions and Records may request these on a case-by-case basis.

Attestation/Attested Documents

OAR does not require you to submit your original documents to the university. We understand that many universities only issue one set of final, original documents to students. Students should plan to submit attested copies of all original documents to UIC. You will need to make copies of your transcripts, marksheets, or degrees and have them stamped by the Registrar or Controller of Examinations at your university. They will need to seal the attested documents in envelopes and place the same attesting stamp over the flap. We considered all properly attested and sealed documents to be official.

Official vs. Unofficial

Official documents are those which have been issued by the university and bear an original attestation. In the United States, sealed transcripts issued directly from the Registrar’s office are considered as official. The university may issue transcripts directly to UIC or to the student. As long as the seal is not broken, the transcripts or proof of degree will be considered official.

From foreign institutions, copies of original documents which have been attested by the Registrar or Controller of Examinations and sealed by the same individual will be considered as official. Each document should be individually attested.

For institutions where there are several colleges affiliated to a larger university, all documents should be both issued and attested by the university. If you can only obtain college documents the following rules apply:

• The college is only allowed to attest documents issued by the college.
• We will not accept university issued documents that have been attested by the college.
• The Registrar or Controller of Exams of the college should perform the attestation, not the Principal or Dean.
• We will never accept a degree or provisional degree that has been issued by the college. Similarly, we will not accept a degree that has been attested by the college.

Documents may be considered unofficial for the following reasons:

1. Attestation is not consistent. If each document is stamped by a different individual, OAR will not accept them as official.
2. Attestation is not performed by the correct university official. Documents should be attested by the university Registrar (assistant, associate or deputy), Controller of Examinations, or attestation officer. Documents attested by other individuals or college officials will not be accepted.
3. Documents were submitted in plain or open envelopes. Envelopes must be sealed at the time they are presented to OAR and must bear the stamp or signature of the attesting individual over the flap.
4. Attestation has been done by EducationUSA or similar third party.

Certified translations

The Office of Admissions requires literal, certified translations for all documents issued in a language other than English. Translations should be on a translator’s letterhead and should be literal (not an interpretation). We accept translations from ATA certified translators, court-appointed translators, or from the consulate. You may find an ATA translator at their web site: www.atanet.org. Plain translations, notarized translations, and translations done by someone other than a certified translator are not acceptable. Evaluations performed by agencies such as WES and ECE will not be used in place of certified translations.