UL Lafayette has a thriving community of international students and scholars, and we welcome applications to our graduate programs from around the world.
International applicants must adhere to the general admissions requirements and several additional requirements.
International Students applying for the Fall semester should do so by May 15th
International Students applying for the Spring semester should do so by October 1st
Incoming international students may not apply for the summer semester as their first term.
For international students, there are also deadlines for receiving initial I-20s.
For applications that do not have a decision made before these deadlines, no initial I-20s will be issued.
Read more about I-20 requirements here.
In addition to the Graduate School application and admission requirements, international applicants must provide the following documentation.
International Transcripts
International official transcripts must be submitted to the Graduate School in the institution’s native language and include the following:
A certified, literal/exact English translation, for any transcript document not originally issued in English.
An individual mark sheet, in addition to consolidated transcripts. If only copies of individual mark sheets are available, the Registrar or Controller of Examiners must officially attest the copy.
If a transcript does not specifically state that a degree has been conferred, an official (attested) diploma showing conferral of degree is required.
Learn more about how to submit official transcripts.
Foreign Transcript Evaluation
The University of Louisiana at Lafayette Graduate School provides international applicants with complementary foreign transcript evaluation. Evaluations from an approved credential evaluation service are accepted but must include official transcripts used for the evaluation.
We reserve the right to require an external credential evaluation (including a course-by-course evaluation) by an approved credential evaluation service at the applicant’s expense.
English Language Proficiency (Duolingo, IELTS, TOEFL, TOEFL-Essentials, PTE Scores)
Only applicants who hold a baccalaureate or graduate degree, with primary instruction in English, from an accredited institution in one of the following locations are not required to demonstrate English language proficiency.
American Samoa Anguilla Antigua and Barbuda Australia Bahamas Barbados Belize Bermuda British Virgin Islands Canada Cayman Islands Dominica Federated States of Micronesia Gambia Ghana | Gibraltar Grenada Guyana Ireland Jamaica Liberia New Zealand Nigeria Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Trinidad and Tobago Turks and Caicos Islands United Kingdom (England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales) United States |
We reserve the right to require a demonstration of English language proficiency, even if you have received your degree from one of these countries.
All other applicants must demonstrate English language proficiency by submitting satisfactory official scores on one of the following tests:
Duolingo English Test: A satisfactory score (110 or higher) is required. Duolingo scores are valid for two years.
IELTS: A satisfactory score (6.5 or higher) is required. IELTS scores are valid for two years.
TOEFL iBT: A satisfactory score (79 or higher) is required. TOEFL iBT scores are valid for two years.
TOEFL Essentials: A satisfactory score (8.5 or higher) is required. TOEFL Essential scores are valid for two years.
PTE Academic: A satisfactory score (53 or higher) is required. PTE Academic scores are valid for two years.
Official scores must be submitted directly from the testing agency.
UL Lafayette’s institution code is 6672.
Please allow 2-4 weeks from the date of your test or score request for delivery and processing of your scores. Your application status will be updated when we receive each official test score. If you do not meet these English language proficiency requirements, we encourage you to apply to the