Applying to the School—International Students

You are an international applicant if you are a citizen or permanent resident alien of a country or political area other than the United States and have a residence outside the United States to which you expect to return, and either are, or propose to be, a temporary alien in the United States.

Additional information regarding UIC requirements for International applicants may can be found at : http://www.uic.edu/depts/oar/grad/
international_requirements_grad.html

TOEFL Information

International applicants must present evidence of English competency. Official scores from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) administered by the Educational Testing Service, Princeton, NJ 08540, must be sent to UIC. The test must have been taken within the last two years. Minimum scores required: paper-based TOEFL = 550, computer based TOEFL = 213, IBT total score = 80. The USMLE and ECFMG will not be considered in lieu of the TOEFL or as evidence of English competency. For more complete information about the TOEFL requirements, please refer to the Graduate College Website sections: Degree Admissions, Application Procedures, International Applicants, and Test of English as a Foreign Language.

Official Transcript Information

Applicants with foreign transcripts must abide by the following rules:

1. International applicants who attended universities that issue official transcripts on request must have the transcripts submitted directly from the foreign institution to the University of Illinois at Chicago, Office of Admissions and Records (UIC OAR) and to SOPHAS. An official English translation should be attached if the transcript is not in English. OFFICIAL transcripts bear the original signature of the registrar or Controller of Examinations, and the seal of the issuing university. (PLEASE NOTE, UIC NO LONGER ACCEPTS TRANSLATIONS FROM WES or ECE.)

2. International applicants who attended institutions which do not issue transcripts, exam reports, or mark sheets, should have the registrar submit an official statement giving a detailed description of their program, a qualitative evaluation of their work, and the results of all exams taken, directly to University of Illinois at Chicago, Office of Admissions and Records (UIC OAR) and to SOPHAS.

3. If award of the degree is not recorded on the submitted credentials, applicants must submit certified copies of their diplomas to University of Illinois at Chicago, Office of Admissions and Records (UIC OAR) and to SOPHAS. An official English translation should be attached if the diploma was not issued in English.

4. If the grading system employed is not shown on the submitted credentials, a separate statement from the foreign institution is required giving this information. The information should be sent to the University of Illinois at Chicago, Office of Admissions and Records (UIC OAR) and to SOPHAS.

On CERTIFIED or ATTESTED credentials, the certifying official should write, "This is a true copy of the original," and should then sign and seal each document. Applicants may not certify their own credentials.

Documentation required by the University of Illinois at Chicago, Office of Admissions and Records (UIC OAR) should be sent to:

The University of Illinois at Chicago
Office of Graduate Admissions (MC 018)
Box 7994
Chicago, IL 60680-7994

Documentation required by SOPHAS should be sent to:

SOPHAS
P.O Box 9111
Watertown, MA 02471

Additional explanation about  Foreign (non-U.S.) Transcripts (Academic Record):

UIC understands 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

• ndia, 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.

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.
Documents may be considered unofficial for the following reasons:

• Attestation is not consistent. If each document is stamped by a different individual, OAR will not accept them as official.

• 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.

• 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.

• Attestation has been done by EducationUSA or similar third party.

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