International Student Application Information

For quick reference:

Application Deadlines
Application Requirements
English Proficiency Requirement  (TOEFL/IELTS)
SEVIS Requirements and Information
APPLY FOR ADMISSION
Wish to have your decision (including I-20 form) sent to you via Express Mail?

Postal Mailing Address to which all materials should be mailed:

The Graduate School
Wichita State University
1845 Fairmount
Wichita KS  67260-0004
USA

Please note - if you wish to send something to us using an express mailing service, such as Fedex, UPS, DHL, Airborne, etc., please use this address:

Wichita State University
1845 Fairmount
Jardine Hall, Room 107
The Graduate School, 316-978-3095
Wichita KS  67260-0004
USA

Institutional Code for test scores:   6884

Detailed Information for International Applicants:

In order to apply for Graduate School, International applicants must submit the following documents by the published deadline for the intended semester of admission:

-Application for admission.

-US$ 65.00 Application fee.  This fee is non refundable and cannot be waived or deferred.  Checks   must be made payable through a U.S. bank, which must be noted on the front of the check or bank  draft.  International money orders are also acceptable.  Either should be made payable to WSU Graduate School. 

-Official/Attested marksheets or transcripts from all schools attended past High School.

-Official/Attested degree certificate or provisional degree certificate.

-Acceptable Statement of Financial Responsibility 

-Official, acceptable TOEFL Score OR IELTS score.

-Photocopy of the pages of your passport that show your picture and full name.

-If you do not have a passport at the present time, please include a passport sized photo of yourself.

For more details about these required materials and the admissions process in general, please refer to the sections below.

International application requires the submission of the Wichita State University Graduate Application, a non-refundable US$65 application fee, and mark sheets or transcripts of your academic work.  Upon receipt of these items, your application will be reviewed for academic admissibility.  Applicants must also demonstrate sufficient English proficiency (TOEFL/IELTS) and resources (WSU Statement of Financial Responsibility) to support their graduate work while in the United States.  All of these items may be submitted in your application packet; or you may provide the TOEFL/IELTS and Statement of Financial Responsibility after submitting your application materials.

Applications will be reviewed once the application, application fee and acceptable mark sheets or transcripts and degree certification are received.  If found admissible, the I-20 form will not be issued until an acceptable TOEFL or IELTS score and WSU International Statement of Financial Responsibility are also received.

Graduate programs with the exception of Social Work, Nursing, Aerospace Engineering (masters) and Physician Assistant will evaluate international applicants based upon offical transcripts or mark sheets through the equivalent of the 1st semester of the applicant's final year of study toward the degree.  In most instances, this will be the 7th semester of study.  For international students on a yearly program, this will be the 6th semester.

In such instances, applicants who are recommended for admission, and who have met all other admission requirements, (including the submission of an acceptable TOEFL/IELTS score and International Financial Support Statment) will be notified of their admission and issued the I-20 form.  Students admitted in this manner, must provide the remaining transcript or mark sheet and the degree certification statement or diploma by the end of their first semester of enrollment as a graduate student at WSU.  Students who fail to meet this final requirement will be shown as "Out of Status" and will be reported to the university's Office of International Education.

Our Apply On-Line feature allows for the submission of your applcation, application fee and statment of financial support.  An acceptable TOEFL or IELTS score report must be forwarded from the appropriate testing service office.  Official mark sheets or transcripts must be provided by your college or university.  All applications must also include a photocopy of the pages from your passport which shows your photo and your full name.  Your application should reflect your name as it appears on your passport.  If you do not yet hold a passport, the name you use on your application must match your name as it will appear on your passport.  All applications without a passport at the time of application, must submit a passport size photo.

Because of possible limitations in the number of faculty and available facilities, there are restrictions on the number of students admitted to some graduate programs and these limits may prevent some qualified students from being admitted.  Since departments having enrollment limitations generally take action on new applications in March for Fall admission, early application is recommended.

Express Mail Option - students who wish to pay an additional $60.00 may request their decision sent to them by express mail (usually FEDEX or DHL).  This fee is in addition to the application fee, and is completely optional.  It is not refundable, however.  Should a student be denied admission, the decision will be sent to the student by express mail.  If the student is admitted, the I-20 and admissions documents will be sent by express mail.  Please be aware that this option does NOT speed the processing of the application - it is only a means to have decision information sent to the student by express mail.  Students applying online can select the option to pay the application and express mailing fee at the same time.  Students applying by paper should send a check or money order for the full amount - $125 ($65 application fee and $60 express mail fee).  Students who have already applied and wish to now request that their decision be sent to them by express mail should either send in a check or money order for the fee amount - $60 - or contact Carrie Henderson in our office if you wish to pay this additional fee by credit card. 

English Proficiency Requirement:

English Proficiency is determined  by submission of EITHER acceptable TOEFL scores (Test of English as a Foreign Language) or acceptable IELTS scores (International English Language Testing System).  Applicants must have an official copy of either their TOEFL scores or IELTS scores if their native language is not English.  Scores must not be more than two (2) years old.  The Internet-Based/Next Generation TOEFL score minimum requirement is 79.  A minimum score on the paperr based TOEFL is 550 and 213 on the computer-based test.  The minimum acceptable score for the IELTS is an overall band score of 6.5.  The following programs require a higher score:

The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) is administered through the Educational Testing Service located in Princeton, New Jersey.  Applicants wishing to have TOEFL scores sent to Wichita State University should use the WSU Institutional code of 6884.  Institutional TOEFL scores from institutions other than Wichita State University will not be accepted.  Please note that IELTS results must be sent to WSU directly from an IELTS Testing Center. We cannot accept any score report that was originally issued to the student.  Applicants who wish to enroll in WSU's Intensive English Program as part of the admission to graduate school, must apply directly to the Intensive English program and successfully achieve the required TOEFL/IELTS score before they will be allowed to enroll in their graduate program.

International Financial Support Statement:

Immigration law requires documented evidence that students have sufficient financial resources to cover the cost of your graduate studies.  The WSU International Statement of Financial Responsibility is the form that Wichita State University uses to meet this requirement.  Only the WSU Statement of Financial Responsibility is acceptable.  Bank statements or letters from relatives or employers will not be accepted and will only delay your admission.  Please note the the figures stated on the International Statement of Financial Responsibility is an estimate only and are subject to change.  If you are being awarded any financial aid from Wichita State University and the Graduate School has been notified, this information will be included on the I-20 or DS-2019 form.

Information Regarding Transcripts from Foreign Institutions:

You are required to provide two copies of the official, confidential mark sheet or transcript for each institution (undergraduate and graduate) which you have attended.  Transcripts must be in confidential, signed-across-the-seal envelopes provided by the registrar at each institution. Mark sheets and transcripts must provide a listing, year-by-year, of all courses taken and the grade or marks received for each listing.  It is helpful to have the grading scale of the institution and the student's rank in class when such information is available.

Mark sheets or transcripts must bear an official signature in ink of the appropriate offical of each institution, such as the Registrar or Recorder of Records.  The document must also bear the official seal.  If your college or university will not provide official academic documents, exact copies that have been verified as "Certified True Copies" by the appropriate institutional official of each institution will be acceptable.  All documents not in English must be accompanied by official English translations.  The translations must bear an official ink signature and seal.  Personal copies of academic records will not be accepted.

If your transcript or mark sheet does not indicate the award of a bachelor's degree or it's four-year equivalent degree, official copies of your degree statement, provisional certificate, or diploma will be required.  The degree certification must include the date that the degree was awarded.

Links to helpful sites for international students:

WSU's Office of International Education
WSU's Intensive English Center
Educational Testing Service (ETS)
Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)
International English Language Testing System (IELTS)
 

International Students - Requiring Visa Status

Please note:

1. On September 1, 2004, a new United State Department of Homeland Security (DHS) rule took effect. The rule requires people who want F-1 and J-1 visas to pay a one-time fee of US$100 (in addition to the normal visa processing fee of US$100). The new fee helps to pay for SEVIS (Student and Exchange Information System) that U.S. schools use to produce I-20 forms. See more information about this fee.
   
   
2. As an international graduate student, you must be enrolled as a full-time student with at least nine hours of graduate credit course work each semester. In the first semester of graduate studies, you must enroll in the program to which you have been admitted and for which your I-20 or DS-2019 form was issued.
   
   
3. Your application cannot be considered without the US$50 application fee. Unfortunately, fee waivers and deferred payments are not available through the Graduate School office regardless of the circumstances. Checks must be payable through a U.S. bank which must be noted on the front of the check. An international money order is also acceptable.