International Admission

First, submit your application online. You must pay a non-refundable $75 international application fee before your application can be reviewed. The application fee cannot be waived and payment is required before the free evaluation service process is started (see Credential Evaluations section below).  You may pay the fee online while submitting your application, or send a check or money order made payable to DePaul University with your supplementary application materials to the graduate admission office at 2400 N. Sheffield Ave, Chicago, IL 60614-3936.

Please note that students requiring an F-1 visa are not eligible to enroll in programs offered completely online.

DePaul University provides a free course-by-course transcript evaluation for coursework completed outside of the U.S. The evaluation can be used for DePaul admission purposes only. If you would like to take advantage of this service, you will need to upload complete academic documents for all post-secondary levels of study at the time of application. These should be in original language with English translation (as needed).

If you choose to "opt out" of DePaul's credential evaluation, you will need to provide your own credential evaluation by following these instructions: You will need to submit official educational credentials and evaluation fee to one of the following companies listed below. A general evaluation verifying the degree and the U.S. grade point average is sufficient. Students with degrees from Canadian universities should contact the office of graduate admission (graddepaul@depaul.edu) for information about the credential evaluation.

One Earth International Credential Evaluation
Educational Credential Evaluators, Inc. (ECE)
Educational Perspectives (EP)

Please contact the evaluation company for information on payment and fees.  As an alternative, students who have a course-by-course evaluation from an organization approved by the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) may contact the Office of Graduate Admission to request permission to submit it as part of their admission application.

After receiving your credentials, the company you have chosen will submit their general evaluation directly to DePaul along with certified copies of the credentials you submitted for evaluation. These documents will be used for your admission review. Please do not submit any educational credentials directly to DePaul University.

International applicants with degrees in progress:
If you are applying to a program before completing your undergraduate degree, you will need to send final transcripts documenting completion and conferral of your bachelor's degree to the credit evaluation company you used for the initial credit evaluation. The evaluation company will send us a final evaluation with copies of your transcripts that we will accept as official. If you have chosen this option, please do not send official final transcripts to the Office of Graduate Admission.

Supplementary application materials (writing sample, personal statement, letters of recommendations, etc.) vary by program. To determine the specific materials required for admission to your chosen program, please visit the program website.

All supplementary application materials can be uploaded directly within the application portal or sent as .doc or .pdf attachments to gradtranscripts@depaul.edu or mailed to the graduate admission office. Please remember that we cannot guarantee books, DVDs, or bound materials will be reviewed by the department.

All students educated outside of the United States must submit proof of their English proficiency in order to be reviewed for admission regardless of language of instruction or native language. Students holding a bachelor's, master's, or PhD from a regionally accredited United States institution will have the TOEFL requirement waived upon receipt of their U.S. transcripts.

DePaul University requires that all students earn at least 80 (ibt) with no section lower than 17 on the TOEFL exam to be considered proficient. However, most graduate programs require a higher TOEFL score to be considered for admission. Please visit your chosen program's website for their specific TOEFL score requirements.

Please request your score report be sent to:

DePaul University
Office of Graduate Admission
College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences
2400 N Sheffield Ave.
Chicago, IL 60614-3936

The DePaul University institution code for the TOEFL exam is 1165. We will also accept an official IELTS or Duolingo score report in lieu of a TOEFL exam. No other substitution will be accepted.

Application deadlines vary by program please visit your chosen department's website for their application deadline.

As an international student, we recommend completing your application at least one month prior to your programs standard application deadline.

Most graduate programs will review your application and contact you with a decision within four to six weeks after the admission review process begins. All students will receive an email directing you to your portal to review your decision, regardless of the decision you receive.

DePaul University offers conditional admission to qualified applicants in select disciplines. Conditional admission may be offered to students who have been educated in a language other than English and whose academic record qualifies them for admission, but whose level of English proficiency, as measured by either the IELTS, Duolingo, or TOEFL, is not at the required level. For more information visit the international conditional admission website.

An admission email will be sent to provide next steps.  Admitted international students seeking an F-1 or J-1 student visa must take the following steps: 

Step 1: Pay Your $2,000 Enrollment Confirmation Deposit 

• This creates your DePaul student record. 
• The Enrollment Confirmation Deposit is non-refundable unless you provide documented evidence of a visa denial. 
• The Enrollment Confirmation Deposit is credited towards your first term tuition.

Step 2: Submit Your Intent to Enroll Form 

• This tells us that you plan to join the DePaul community.  
• Approximately 3-5 days after you complete both Step 1 and Step 2, you will receive an email invitation to request your I-20.

You can find more information on the I20 request process here.  The I20 document checklist can be found here.