General requirements
As an international applicant, you must meet certain requirements so that you can take full advantage of VCU’s educational opportunities and contribute to our academic community. You must demonstrate:
- Satisfactory academic achievement
- Adequate English language proficiency
- The ability to finance your education
Academic records
All applicants must present grades (marks) that reflect superior ability and serious effort. To be considered for admission, you must submit complete official, certified documents of previous academic work. Your school records must include:
- Dates of attendance at each institution
- A complete list of courses taken and grades received at each institution, including the number of weeks and hours per week in lecture or laboratory for each course
- Degrees and diplomas earned from each school or university, indicating class or division of diploma (if appropriate)
- Names of examinations passed, grades received and minimum/maximum possible grades (if appropriate)
The grading (marking) system must be clearly stated on each record. The university or school must mail academic records. External examination results must be forwarded from the ministry of education or appropriate examining board.
If your school’s official transcripts are not produced in English, complete and official English translations must be attached to the original records. The original records and the translations must each be signed by the appropriate school or government official and bear the school or government seal. Photographic copies or other duplications are not acceptable unless the copies have been signed and sealed by the appropriate school or government official.
Scholarships for prospective undergraduate students
Prospective international undergraduate students are eligible for merit-based scholarships. Scholarships are awarded to fall semester applicants only and are academically competitive.
Although others factors are considered for the awarding of scholarships, GPA and SAT scores are heavily weighted and both are compulsory for consideration. Please include any awards, honors, extracurricular activities, leadership positions, community service and employment that you have participated in along with your application packet.
If you are applying for fall semester entry and wish to be considered for these awards, please follow the instructions provided here: www.ugrad.vcu.edu/admissions101/financing/scholarships.html.
Please note that all documents should be sent to the Office of International Admissions and arrive by Dec. 1 of the preceding calendar year for consideration.
Corresponding with VCU
Write your name and address on each letter and envelope each time you correspond with VCU. Write your full name — no initials — exactly as it appears on your passport. Use the same order of names for all documents, test scores, etc. If you have a U.S. Social Security number, write it on your application and use it on all correspondence with the university. If you do not have a U.S. Social Security number, a student identification number will be assigned. Once you have been assigned a student identification number you may use it on the application and all other correspondence with the university.
English language proficiency requirements
Since lectures, laboratory instructions and written and oral examinations are conducted in English, you must be proficient in the language. If your native language is not exclusively English, you must satisfy VCU’s English proficiency requirement — before you begin your academic classes — in one of the following ways:
- Present an official Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) score or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) score (at the appropriate level)
The following qualifiers must be submitted to meet the English-Language requisite: 80iBT (undergraduate)/100 iBT (graduate) or 6.0 IELTS academic band score (undergraduate)/ 6.5 (graduate). - Pass the VCU English Language Placement Examination
- Successfully complete VCU’s intensive English language course
If you have taken the TOEFL or IELTS, your official score report must be sent to the university directly from the testing service.
VCU also considers other factors affecting English language proficiency, such as amount and type of formal U.S. education and standardized test scores. The university provides English-as-a-second-language instruction for students who require additional language support.
Application fee
A $50 state-required application fee must accompany all applications. The application fee is nonrefundable and must be submitted with the application. Applicants who apply online may submit their application fee online using a credit card. Applicants who apply by paper application may submit their application fee in the form of a check drawn on a U.S. bank, an international money order, or a bank draft in the amount of $50 made payable to Virginia Commonwealth University. Applications may not be processed if submitted without a fee.