International Graduate Application and Admissions

International Graduate Applicants 

In addition to program-specific deadlines, we strongly encourage non-immigrant international students (F-1 or J-1 visa status) to complete the application process, including the submission of all required documents, as soon as possible. The earlier the application is complete and a decision is made, the more time students will have to complete the visa process. For information about visa policies: https://nextcatalog.towson.edu/graduate/student-support-services/international-student-scholar-office/index.html

All post-secondary degrees (baccalaureate, master, and doctorate level) earned outside the United States must be evaluated by an NACES accredited international credential agency. For admission consideration, we can accept a student copy of the course-by-course evaluation that was completed using official/verified transcripts from your institution. The official evaluation will need to be sent to finalize enrollment. The assessment should include a course-by-course evaluation of the student’s academic records, including the degree received and GPA. This assessment usually takes three to four weeks and should be sent directly to Admissions. For more information on the credential evaluation process: https://www.towson.edu/admissions/international/credential-evaluation.html

International graduate applicants should also review the graduate application and admission policies: https://catalog.towson.edu/graduate/procedures-policies/application-graduate-admission/

Full-Time Study Requirement

Non-immigrant international students (F-1 or J-1 visa status) are required to enroll for full-time study. Full time study is defined as a minimum of 9 units for each spring, summer and fall terms for students enrolled in master’s and post baccalaureate programs. Full-time study is defined as a minimum of 6 units for each spring, summer, and fall terms for students enrolled in doctoral programs. Since the required courses offered by some programs in a term may be less than needed to fulfill the full-time study requirement, students needing to maintain F-1 or J-1 student visa status may be required to take classes not associated with the program in order to comply with immigration regulations. This may result in increased tuition, fees, and units beyond the normal program requirements.

In addition, non-immigrant international students (F-1 or J-1 visa status) are required to attend the majority of their classes in-person and on campus. Please review the graduate programs complying with F1 and J1 regulations. Non-immigrant international students are not eligible for summer admission.

English Proficiency 

Students who received their degree outside the United States must provide official verification of their English competency by submitting an English assessment report or successfully completing TU's English Language Center program (through Level VI) with a grade of B or better. Some countries may be exempt from this requirement. However, students may be required to submit test results after an initial review of an application. Please refer to https://www.towson.edu/admissions/international/english-proficiency.html for more details. 

Admission for International Students Earning a Bachelor's Degree or Higher within the United States

Unless otherwise noted, students who have earned or will earn their baccalaureate or a higher degree from an accredited U.S. college or university may be eligible to have the English Language Proficiency requirement waived. Final transcripts showing degree conferral must be received by Admissions within six weeks of conferral.

Provisional Admission for International Students Earning a Bachelor's Degree or Higher Outside of the United States

TU offers provisional admission in select programs for applicants who meet all of the Towson University and program-specific requirements for full admission except the English Language proficiency requirement. Students who wish to be considered for provisional admission are to contact the TU Admissions Office at grad@towson.edu. Students who are provisionally admitted must complete the following before enrolling in any graduate courses:

  • Enroll in the TU English Language Center and successfully complete ELC classes through VI with a grade of B or better OR
  • Submit English Language Proficiency scores that meet minimum requirements prior to the start of the admission term