Admissions
Procedures International Admissions Admission Types Transferring
International
Student Admission
Summary
Information for Prospective International Students
To
familiarize you with OSU and the admissions process, we encourage you
to download the pdf document "Information
for Prospective International Graduate Students." This document
contains a summary of the information found on this web page as well as
other helpful information about OSU, weather conditions in Oklahoma, the
application process, and entering the United States.
Application Deadline:
For international applicants not in the United States, our application deadlines for a COMPLETE application to reach the Graduate College are:
Fall Semester -- March 1
Spring Semester -- August 1
For international applicants in the United States, application fee, and transcripts should be received by the Graduate College at least 30 days prior to expected enrollment or 30 days prior to the departmental deadline (which ever comes first).
These application deadlines are set to provide graduate programs time to review applications, render admission recommendations, and for admitted students to receive a mailed I-20 or DS-2019. We will consider applications completed after the deadlines, but we cannot guarantee an admission decision will be made in time to receive an I-20 or DS-2019 for the visa interview.
Some programs have specific deadlines. You should review their program web pages for those to ensure that you meet their deadlines.
Click
here to submit an application via the web
Click here to download a paper version of the application
For a complete application, you should send the following items to the Graduate College:
- International
application. Nonrefundable application fee:
- US$75 for first application,
- US$25 for each additional application.
- A TOEFL or IELTS score:
Applicants for whom English is a second language are required to demonstrate an acceptable level of spoken English usually by submitting a TOEFL or IELTS score. A TOEFL score of 79 (internet based test), 213 (computer based test) or 550 (paper based test) or above is required regardless of the number of semesters or terms completed in other institutions of higher education, including OSU, or prior enrollment in English language programs. Alternatively, an official IELTS, academic stream, examination with a minimum overall band score of 6.5 will satisfy the English proficiency requirements for admission to a graduate program. Either examination must have been taken within the last two years.
Note that an applicant who has or will have completed a degree from a school for which the primary language of instruction is English in a country where English is a primary language is not required to submit a TOEFL or IELTS score. Some departments require a score above the minimum 550/213 on the TOEFL or 6.5 on the IELTS; please check with the graduate coordinator of your program for more details. The TOEFL institution code for OSU is 6546.
Information about the TOEFL is available via the World Wide Web at http://www.TOEFL.org.
Information about the IELTS can be found on the IELTS web site at http://www.ielts.org/.
Transcripts and other documents submitted become the property of Oklahoma State University and are not returned to the applicant.
Note to current or former students enrolled at OSU-Stillwater or OSU-Tulsa: You do not need to submit official OSU transcripts. One of the services our office provides to current or former OSU students enrolled at OSU-Stillwater or OSU-Tulsa is to obtain copies of OSU course work.
Click here to submit an application via the web
Click here to download a paper version of the application
Only after receiving this information is your application complete. After the above documents are received in the Graduate College, the application will be referred to the department. Because of the amount of time it takes to review international credentials and send immigration papers (e.g., an I-20), international students should expect that the application process will take several weeks to be completed.
Please remember that you may need to provide additional information to the program or department to which you are applying such as a vita or recommendation letters. This information can be sent directly to the Graduate Coordinator of that department. You should contact the program directly if you have any questions about additional materials or test scores (such as the GRE or GMAT).
The GRE institution code for OSU is 6546.
We provide a list of the preferred GRE department codes.
Financial Statement for F1 or J1 Visa Types:
A Financial
affidavit (Financial Guarantee or Confirmation
of Financial Resources) is required for applicants expecting to be F1
or J1 visa holders prior to our being able to send an I-20.
Please
note that we CAN process your application without this financial
statement, and you are encouraged to send us all your application materials
as soon as possible. However, you should also note that by Federal law
we must have a completed Financial Guarantee document before we can send
you an I-20. Scholarships, assistantships, and other financial resources
offered by OSU may be included in the amounts reported in this document.
You can download the form from the Graduate College web site at: http://gradcollege.okstate.edu/download/misc.htm
Solvency statements are not acceptable as part of the financial guarantee.
The following amount of financial support is required for the 2006-2007 school year:
- Student alone; 9-months: $21,156
- Student alone; 12-months: $23,618
- Student with family must submit the 12-month
amount plus:
*spouse - add $6,000.00
*each child - add $4,000
For a detailed list of estimated costs, download an Estimate of Costs form.
Most commonly downloaded files for international applicants:
| International Application | Format:
Adobe Acrobat 6.0 Filename: InternationalBrochure.pdf |
 |
| Financial
Guarantee (Confirmation of Financial Sources for international students) |
Format:
Adobe Acrobat 6.0 Filename: FinancialGuarantee.pdf Size: 33k |
|
| Estimate of Costs | Format:
Adobe Acrobat 6.0 Filename: EstimateOfCosts.pdf |
|
Mexico Liaison Office
OSU now sponsors an office in Mexico. The Mexico Liaison Office mission is to pursue and support academic, cultural, and business exchange programs between the Oklahoma State University system and the country of Mexico. Read more about their office on their website.
NEW INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS ARE ELIGIBLE FOR A ONE-TIME $100 ADMISSION SCHOLARSHIP
New international students who enter the United States for the first time to attend graduate school at OSU are eligible to apply for a $100 International Admission Scholarship. The $100 admission scholarship is intended to help defray the costs of the SEVIS fee. To apply for this scholarship upon arrival to OSU new international students should:
- Stop by the Graduate College (in 202 Whitehurst);
- Complete a short form available in the Graduate College; and
- Provide a copy of the receipt for the SEVIS fee payment. The receipt should show proof the SEVIS payment was made by the individual student. Students for whom SEVIS fees are paid by a third party or government agency are not eligible for this scholarship.
- Allow 4 to 6 weeks after the beginning of the semester for the $100 to be deposited in the student's Bursar account.
Bachelor Degree Requirements
International applicants with a baccalaureate or first professional degrees from colleges and universities of recognized standing are eligible to seek admission to the Graduate College. In some cases, the Graduate College, in consultation with the major department, may require certain prerequisite courses to bring the applicant's credentials to the equivalent of a four-year U.S. bachelor's degree. These "bridge" courses must be completed within a designated period of time and/or prior to enrollment beyond a prescribed number of hours of graduate course work.
Degree
Certification and Placement Recommendations
The Graduate College follows guidelines set forth in the AIA (Association
of International Advisors) Handbook on the evaluation of credentials and
placement of international graduate students.
Scholarships, and Graduate Assistantships
International graduate students can apply for tuition aids in the form
of research or teaching assistantships through the academic department
they wish to enter. We recommend that you contact the academic department
to inquire about the kinds and amount of financial assistance it has available.
US immigration regulations severely limit an international student's opportunity to be self-supporting by working. It is essential that students secure adequate financial resources to support themselves before they arrive in the United States.
The TELP test
At Oklahoma State University, we want to ensure that all students succeed in their studies and perform at the highest academic level. The OSU faculty is concerned about the writing abilities of all graduate students, and in particular students whose first language may not have been English. To ensure that graduate students are sufficiently skilled at written English the Test of English Language Proficiency (TELP) is required for all graduate students before their first semester enrollment. However, a waiver of the TELP requirement can be granted to a student who:
- has achieved on the TOEFL a score of 250 CBT/600 PBT or higher and a score of 5.0 or higher on the Test of Written English (TWE) or Essay. Alternatively, a waiver can be granted to a student who achieved an IELTS, academic stream, overall band score of 6.5 or higher and 6.5 or higher on each of the band scores for Listening, Reading, and Writing, or
- has completed two full-time semesters of study in an accredited college or university at which English is the primary language of instruction, or
- has graduated with a degree from an accredited institution of higher learning, at which English is the primary language of instruction.
Students completing the Internet-based TOEFL test (iBT) are considered separately and are not required to take the TELP. Students who score at least 42 on the combined Reading and Listening portions, with a score of at least 20 in each section, are not required to enroll in any remedial coursework. Students who score less than this on the Reading and Listening portions of the TOEFL (irrespective of the score on the Written portion) are required to enroll in ENGL 0003 during their first semester. ENGL 0003 carries a grade of S/U and may not be used toward minimum degree requirements. Students must enroll in ENGL 0003 each semester until a grade of S is earned. Students who score at or above the minimum score(s) on the Reading and Listening portion of the TOEFL, but less than 22 on the Writing portion, are required to enroll in ENGL 4893* at some point in their studies. ENGL 4893* carries graduate credit and may be used toward minimum degree requirements; a grade of C or better in this course is required. Both ENGL 0003 and ENGL 4893*, as applicable, must be listed on the student's Plan of Study.
For those required to take the TELP, it is a test of written English and assesses the academic English skills necessary for students to function well in graduate-level university classes. The test has two sections: Listening/Dictation and Reading/Writing. A score of 70 on both portions of the TELP is considered passing. Students who score less than 70 on the Listening/Dictation portion of the TELP (irrespective of the score on the writing portion) are required to enroll in ENGL 0003 during their first semester. ENGL 0003 carries a grade of satisfactory/unsatisfactory and may not be used toward minimum degree requirements. Students must enroll in ENGL 0003 each semester until a grade of satisfactory is earned.
Students who score at least 70 on the Listening/Dictation portion of the TELP, but less than 70 on the Writing portion are required to enroll in ENGL 4893* at some point in their studies. ENGL 4893* carries graduate credit and may be used toward minimum degree requirements; a grade of C or better in this course is required. Both ENGL 0003 and ENGL 4893*, as applicable, must be listed on the student's Plan of Study.
Spoken English Proficiency for Employment
OSU policy and laws of the State of Oklahoma requires all persons for
whom English is a second language to demonstrate an acceptable level of
spoken English before being employed in an instructionally related capacity.
Employment requires demonstrated proficiency on the Test of Spoken English
(TSE) or by taking from OSU the institutional version, SPEAK (Spoken English
Assessment Kit). International students who have been offered a teaching
assistantship must take one of these tests. The test score is used
as a condition of employment and is not a condition for admission to the
Graduate College. Other spoken English examinations are not acceptable
as substitutes for the TSE or OSU administered SPEAK.
The TSE test may be taken on campus or at any of the many testing sites provided by the Educational Testing Service. Results must be received prior to the beginning of the school semester in which the student will be teaching. SPEAK Tests are given the Monday and Tuesday before the Fall and Spring semesters begin and only in Stillwater.
The purpose of the SPEAK Test is to determine the spoken language proficiency of speakers of English as a Second Language (ESL). The test is administered in a language laboratory and takes about half an hour. It is divided into seven sections, each of which is evaluated for two or more of the following categories: pronunciation, grammar, fluency, and comprehensibility.
Further information about the OSU SPEAK can be found at this web address: http://english.okstate.edu/ita/
International Teaching Assistant Program
Any new international teaching assistant (ITA) is required to participate
in the international teaching assistant orientation and evaluation workshop.
New ITA's must attend the three sessions of the Orientation (whether they
have taught in a classroom somewhere else or not). Then, those ITA's who
pass SPEAK and the ITA Test will be eligible to teach in the classroom.
The ITA Test is a 10-minute evaluation procedure in which the ITA presents 5 minutes of information for an undergraduate lab, recitation, or lecture. Each ITA Test (the 5-minute mini-lesson plus the q/a period) will be evaluated by two faculty members from the English Department, a faculty member from the ITA's department, and a small group of undergraduate students.
International graduate students who wish to take the ITA Test should:
- have a passing score of at least 220 on the SPEAK, or 50 on TSE
- prepare a 5-minute presentation on a topic that they might be asked to teach, i.e. a topic appropriate for an undergraduate course in their field,
- be prepared to respond to questions in a five minute question/answer period following the presentation.
The ITA program is offered at the beginning of the fall and spring semesters. The program is currently only offered in Stillwater and is given from 3:00- 5:30 in room 313 Classroom Building on Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday the week prior to school starting. Students must attend all three sessions.
Further information about the ITA can be found at this web address: http://english.okstate.edu/ita/
