International Application Deadlines
In order to account for the time in obtaining visas, international applicants are expected to apply for fall programs by February 1. After that date, you must contact your program in order to proceed further in the application process.
Education Requirements
Undergraduate Degree
You must hold a baccalaureate degree or its equivalent from a regionally accredited college or university. We do not consider 3-year bachelor’s degrees from India, Canada, Australia, Sri Lanka, Scotland and certain other countries to be equivalent to a 4-year US bachelor’s degree. While we cannot give absolute assurance that your academic documentation will qualify you for graduate study until we have reviewed your documents, there are certain situations which may render a 3-year bachelor’s degree admissible if met with certain conditions as listed below:
A 3-year bachelor’s degree from an institution outside of the U.S. plus one of the following:
- A master’s degree (or higher)
- A post-graduate diploma
- A combination of 1 year of education outside of the U.S. either before or after a 3-year bachelor’s degree
Evaluation of Transcripts and Degrees Awarded
The Graduate School does not require those with foreign transcripts to have them evaluated by a credential evaluation agency, however, it is highly recommended and may be requested after an initial review of your application, especially if clarity is needed on US equivalencies. If you are submitting your transcripts in lieu of a formal evaluation then they MUST be in English or translated into English by an official translator. If you do submit a transcript evaluation, you will need a third-party course-by-course and degree credential evaluation for transcripts and degrees awarded by schools outside the U.S. You may choose any evaluator you wish to use from the following list:
- TEC (formerly SpanTran) is a NACES member organization and a preferred partner that has created a custom portal for The Graduate School at URI that will ensure you select the right kind of evaluation at a discounted rate. You can access their portal here: TEC Application – URI Graduate School
- ECE is also offering URI graduate applicants a discounted rate for credential evaluations. You can access their portal here: ECE Select – URI Graduate School
- Any member of NACES (National Association of Credential Evaluation Services) or
- Any member of AICE (Association of International Credential Evaluators)
If you have obtained a third-party credential evaluation from a member of one of these associations, please include this in your application.
To try and minimize international mail delays after submitting your application, The Graduate School recommends sending official transcripts and degree diplomas/certificates from each college/university you have attended. (Please note official transcripts and degrees are not required to be sent to The Graduate School until after an offer of admission has been made.) Please mail these documents to:
ATTN: Admission Office
URI Graduate School
55 Lower College Road, 204 Quinn Hall
Kingston, RI 02881
Click here for the Graduate Applicant Checklist.
Language Proficiency
Applicants whose native language is not English must submit an official test report from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) taken within the past two years. You must arrange for ETS to report your scores directly to CAS. The ETS institution code for URI is B886 for GradCAS, B887 for EngineeringCAS, and B888 for BusinessCAS. You do not need to specify a department.
Required scores on the Internet-based (iBT) and Computer-based TOEFL:
- An overall score of 80 or above (82 for teaching assistantship consideration), AND
- Minimum scores in the following areas:
- Reading: 19
- Writing: 18
- Listening: 17
- Speaking: 18 (the suggested minimum speaking score for a teaching assistantship is 20)
- If you are below the minimum in one area by two points, or in two areas by one point, but have an overall score of 80 or above, the Dean will make a determination if you can be considered.
The minimum score on the Paper-based TOEFL is 550. Individual programs may require a higher score; please check the requirements for your specific program.
* Minimum scores as of 12/6/2021
Other scores that may be accepted in place of TOEFL scores (please check with your department):
- International English Language Testing System (IELTS): All scores must be sent directly to URI. Required minimum score of 6.5, AND minimum scores in the following areas:
- Reading: 6.5
- Writing: 6.5
- Listening: 6.5
- Speaking: 6.5 (The suggested minimum speaking score for a teaching assistantship is 7)
- Duolingo English Test: Required minimum score of 115 (Score of 120 for a teaching assistantship)
- Pearson Test of English: Required minimum scores are Reading 53, Writing 59, Listening 47, and Speaking 47 (62 for international teaching assistants)
- Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR): Required minimum score of B2
* Minimum scores as of 10/29/2024
A Language Proficiency Exam is not required if an applicant satisfies one or more of these conditions:
- Citizenship of Australia, Canada, Great Britain, Guyana, Ireland, New Zealand, United States, an Anglophone country of Africa, or an English speaking country of the Caribbean
- A college or university degree earned in the United States or in one of the countries listed above
- A degree earned from the American University in Beirut, American University in Bulgaria, American College in Greece or from Bogazici University in Istanbul, Turkey
Immigration Information
If you are accepted to URI and choose to enroll, you will need to provide financial documents to the Office of International Students and Scholars along with your application for the Form I-20. The Graduate School does not need this information to process your application.
Visit URI’s Office of International Students and Scholars for information on student visas and the Form I-20.