International

Master's, Ed.D., Online and Ph.D. Applicants

Transcripts

• The transcripts you submit must have an English translation.
• International students with degrees from non-U.S. institutions are required to have their transcripts evaluated by an approved credentials evaluation agency and to have an official report sent by the agency to the Vanderbilt University Registrar's Office before enrollment.
• *Approved evaluating agencies include:
  • International Education Evaluation (IEE)*
  • World Education Services (WES)
  • Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE)

*Students who use the Vanderbilt University Institution Portal will receive their evaluation at a discounted rate in three days with standard processing

English Proficiency Testing

All international students must submit English proficiency scores when applying except under the following conditions.   

• You have received a college degree and completed coursework from an accredited institution in the United States, Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand or the United Kingdom.  
  • Students who complete coursework on campuses of U.S.-based institutions not in one of the above listed locations still need to submit English language scores. OR 
• You have received a college degree and completed coursework from an accredited institution in Ghana, India, Nigeria, or South Africa and English was the language of instruction for the entirety of your degree program. You will need to provide proof that English is the official language from your institution in the application. All documentation will be reviewed following submission of your application. 
  • Acceptable documentation must be one of the following: 
    • Official or attested letter from the undergraduate college, university Registrar, or Controller of Examinations office. 
    • Unofficial transcripts, attested mark sheets or degree statements, are also accepted if English is stated as the language of instruction.  
• An official score report sent directly from the testing agency is required. Our TOEFL institutional code is 1871, and there is no department code. As of January 21, 2026 TOEFL has a new internet-based test score scale. Our minimum recommended score will be 5.0 on the new scale. For those who took the test prior to January 21, 2026, the minimum score will remain 100.
• There is no institutional code for the IELTS. A minimum recommended score is 7.0 for the composite score with no individual band score below 6.5.
• Duolingo scores are also accepted. Test results must include subscores. If you took the test prior to July 15, 2019 when subscores were added, you should retake the test to comply with the subscore requirement. A minimum recommended score is 120.