Application instructions
The admission process for international students can be completed in two to three business days provided the applicant has sent all the necessary materials.
Applicants must complete and sign an application. The online application form may be printed out and completed; or applicants may request a traditional paper application be mailed from International Admissions. Once complete, the signed application form must be submitted to VCU with the following materials — all of which are required for application processing.
Fees
A $50 state-required application fee must accompany all applications. The School of the Arts application fee is $50 for undergraduates. Fees can be submitted 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. This is a nonrefundable fee. Fees also can be submitted online. Please print the payment confirmation sheet and submit with your application.
Academic documentation
Original or officially certified copies of all grade reports for all secondary and higher school studies — as well as original or officially certified copies of all academic diplomas, certificates, and national or other major examination results — must be submitted in the native language and must be accompanied by an official English translation. Notarized copies will not be accepted. Official records should be sent directly from your institution to:
Virginia Commonwealth University GEO – International Admissions
817 West Franklin Street
P.O. Box 843043
Richmond, Virginia 23284-3043, U.S.A.
Students also are advised to consult the website of the school or department in which they plan to study for any additional academic requirements. SAT or GRE scores are required for all pre-nursing and nursing applicants.
School of the Arts applicants are required to submit additional application materials. For more information, please visit the School of the Arts website.
Transfer students from outside the U.S.
If you have earned previous college credits from a secondary school or a university-level institution outside of the U.S., you must submit your official secondary school transcript and university transcript, as well as an official English translation of each document, at the time of your application. Your admission to VCU will be based on both records.
For credit earned from your previous, postsecondary school to be transferable, VCU asks that you have a World Education Services or Educational Credential Evaluators course-by-course evaluation completed and sent directly to International Admissions along with official transcripts and diplomas. Your credentials will be evaluated by our office if an external evaluation is not provided.
You must also request that your previous college or university provide you with detailed course descriptions, course syllabi and a catalog in English. You should bring these documents to VCU as early as possible prior to enrolling in order to accelerate the process of evaluating and awarding your transfer credit.
Your credit will not be finalized until the VCU Transfer Center is able to assist you in having your prior credit evaluated by the appropriate academic departments. Some of your credits may transfer as university core curriculum, major and/or elective credits. You will want to know this prior to registering for your courses at VCU.
Transfer students from U.S. colleges and universities
If you are transferring from a university-level institution within the U.S., you must submit your secondary school records as well as university transcripts. Admission will be based on your U.S. records only if you have completed more than one year of full-time study.
Transfer students from within the U.S. must be in good academic standing and eligible to return to the last college or university attended. You must submit the International Student Adviser Transfer form and comply with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services regulations.
Your U.S. school’s foreign student adviser should complete the I-20 transfer form ![[PDF]](../../../images/layout/icon-pdf.gif){kind=icon}
and send it to international admissions.
Undergraduate Pre-Health programs
VCU provides various preparatory programs in the health sciences. Please note that although students may apply and receive admission to Pre-Pharmacy and Pre-Medicine, international students are currently not eligible for the subsequent graduate programs at VCU (i.e. Pharm.D. and M.D.). International students, however, may apply for non-professional, graduate research-based programs in the health sciences, but this is not guaranteed with undergraduate admission and requires a separate, graduate application upon completing all relevant requisites.
Students should consider this carefully before deciding to matriculate. Further details may be found online at www.vcu.edu/uc/prehealth/index.htm.
Proof of English proficiency
All applicants whose native language is not English must sit for the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), offered by the Educational Testing Service in countries throughout the world, or International English Language Testing System (IELTS) test and arrange for the testing agency to send the results to VCU (code 5570). The required TOEFL score for undergraduate applicants is 80 iBT, 550 PBT or IELTS of 6.0 (academic band score). Students who have not taken a TOEFL exam or have not achieved the required score may take the VCU English Language Placement exam on arrival. However, please note that students who do not achieve the required level of proficiency will be required to take English courses prior to enrollment in the academic program at an additional expense.
Financial certification
The applicant must provide proof of adequate funds to live and study full time at VCU. Applicants must submit a completed financial statement accompanied by an original bank verification letter. The U.S. government requires this certification before VCU can issue the appropriate U.S. government forms necessary for obtaining a visa at a U.S. Embassy or Consulate.
Deadlines
Applications should be received by June 1 for the fall semester and by Oct. 1 for the spring semester.
