College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences > Admission & Aid > Graduate Admission > International Admission

International Admission

We welcome applicants from around the world! As an international applicant, you must take additional steps to ensure review of your application. 

First, submit your application online. You must pay a non-refundable $40 domestic application fee, $75 international application fee before your application can be reviewed. 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 evaluations 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 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.

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 be contacted via postal service 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.

Admitted international students seeking an F-1 or J-1 student visa must submit the following documents:

    • a copy of the identification page of your passport,
    • a complete Financial Affidavit of Support Form (available online after admission),
  • and original financial documents showing your ability to afford tuition and living expenses (through personal expenses or a sponsor). Please note that the Financial Affidavit of Support Form and original bank statement verifying the availability of funds cannot be more than six months old. In addition, all documents must be written in English or accompanied by an official translation. Promissory notes or employers statement of estimated earnings will not be accepted.

If you are currently in F-1 visa status and attending another school, college, university or English language program in the U.S. and are admitted to DePaul University, you must receive a new DePaul I-20 form and must submit the following documents in addition to the documents listed above:

    • a copy of your current or expired student visa page of passport,
    • a copy of the front and back of your I-94 card,
    • a copy of your current or previous I-20 form ,
    • a completed Transfer Release Form (provided upon admission),
  • and a copy of EAD card if you are currently on OPT.

You must receive your new DePaul I-20 within 60 days of completing your studies at your current institution. The documents outlined above are not requirements for admission but are necessary for the issuance of your I-20 form. Please note that I-20 forms can only be issued to students who are accepted to DePaul in a full-time, degree-seeking program.

Once a student is accepted, the Office of Graduate Admission will send each student an email listing the next steps to take, the specific documents you will need to submit in order to obtain your I-20 or DS-2019, as well as the website to which you may log on and submit all of the required documents. All admitted students are required to submit their documents online.

Further instructions on how to proceed with your application to DePaul University, how to obtain health insurance, and other important information can be found at the International Student and Scholar Services (ISS) website.