International Applicants

Fill Out Initial Application

Before applying, please visit your intended department’s website for all application seasons, deadlines, and start term dates. 

If your program’s application season is open, create an account through the application portal below. Carefully select the term you are applying to. Fill out all other required information.

Apply

Pay the Application Fee

Pay the $55 ($25 for graduate certificates) non-refundable application fee that must be paid electronically via debit/credit card at the time of the application submission (required of domestic and international applicants). 

• Any other payment method will not be accepted.  
• Refunds are not given for incomplete applications or for non-admittance to a graduate program. 
• NOTE: Applicants who have accidentally applied to the graduate school instead of general undergraduate admissions can contact the graduate admissions officers for assistance with a refund.   

If an applicant is having difficulties making the online payment with their debit or credit card, they can contact USU’s IT Department. 

The School of Graduate Studies does not give out application fee waivers.

• Some departments offer financial hardship fee waivers for those who may require assistance.
• Applicants should contact the department to which they are applying for more information.

Application fees will be waived for McNair Scholars and active USU Honors students.

• Applicants who qualify for one of these application waivers should contact the Graduate Program Coordinator from their prospective department for further action.

Submit the Initial Application

Once you have filled out the initial application and paid the application fee, you can then submit the initial application and move on to providing supplemental items.

Upload Supplemental Application Materials

After an applicant has paid the application fee and submitted the initial application, they can log back into the application portal and open their submitted application. 

• There will be a new tab for the applicant to upload all required supplemental items.
• Sometimes it can take a few minutes or longer for an application to update with the tab to upload supplemental items.
  • NOTE: The applicant may need to log out of their application portal, and then log back in, to upload the supplemental items required for their specific prospective degree. The supplemental items section of the application can take 24 to 48 hours to appear after submitting the initial application.
• If an applicant has questions about supplemental items required for their application, they should contact the program they are applying to for more information.  

Unless otherwise specified, please submit all supplemental items 10-14 business days before the application deadline to ensure enough time for processing. 

Not all supplemental items (such as the Statement of Purpose) listed below are required for every degree. Check with your intended program on which of the following supplemental items are required for your application.

The following supplemental items are required before an application will be marked complete: 

Statement of Purpose

IF a program requires a statement of purpose, please contact the Graduate Program Coordinator for statement of purpose details. Some programs may automatically populate a prompt within the application. 

Transcripts

Official Transcripts

• For admission, the School of Graduate Studies requires an official transcript from each previously attended college and/or university (except Utah State University). 
  • NOTE: Transcripts are considered official when they are: 
    • Sent directly to the USU School of Graduate Studies by mail (see mailing address below) from the applicant’s previous institution(s). 
    • Sent directly to the USU School of Graduate Studies by email from the applicant’s previous institution(s) to graduateadmissions@usu.edu.
    • Presented by the applicant in-person in a sealed, unopened envelope from the previous institution(s). 
    • Degree verified (the degree has been awarded and shows the award/conferral date on the transcript). 
• Some departments require official transcripts to be uploaded during the application process that must be sent to USU from the issuing university, and do not accept unofficial transcripts at all.   

Unofficial Transcripts

• Other departments accept unofficial transcripts for the application review process that can be uploaded by the student to their application.  
  • NOTE: Transcripts are considered unofficial when they are: 
    • Student copy, or degree in progress. 
    • Sent from a non-school email (e.g., gmail, yahoo, etc.). 
• Applicants will need to contact the Graduate Program Coordinator for the program to which they are applying to inquire if they allow unofficial transcripts for the application review process. 

Process for Submitting Official Transcripts

• If an applicant is accepted into a program and matriculates at USU, official copies sent directly from each issuing institution to the School of Graduate Studies will be required within the first semester of attendance.  
  
  • Any student that does not provide official transcripts within the allotted timeframe will have a hold put on their student account by the end of their first semester, preventing future course registration.  
  • This hold will be removed when the School of Graduate Studies receives the student’s official transcript with the degree verification.
• Transcripts must be submitted for all coursework above the high-school level and all prior degrees.  
  • If the applicant was awarded a degree from one institution and the transcript from that institution includes courses taken at a second college or university, and if the transcript includes the course title(s), credits, grade(s), and dates, then applicants do not have to submit a separate transcript from the second college or university.  
• Applicants should have their undergraduate institutions submit their official transcripts at least 1 month prior to the application deadline.  
• Official transcripts from the applicant's previous isntitution(s) can be sent to Utah State University School of Graduate Studies through mail or electronic clearing house.   
• Transcripts not in English must be accompanied by a notarized translation.    
  • • The USU School of Graduate Studies will need a copy sent to us from the applicant’s Institution, and if the Institution does not translate them, then the applicant will need to have a copy sent to a certified translation company.
  •  If there is a certificate or if it is listed on the applicant’s transcript that the language of instruction is English and they attended for two or more years, we can waive the language requirement once the School of Graduate Studies has received and processed the transcripts and certificate mentioned above. 
  • Companies such as WES and SPANTRAN are frequently used by International Applicants for notarized translations and certifications.
    
    • The translation company can then send the translated copy to the School of Graduate Studies.
  • We will need both an official copy sent to us from the applicant’s Institution, as well as the certified translated copy sent to us from the translation company.  
  • Applicants cannot submit transcripts that they translated by themselves, or that were not translated by their school, or a certified translation company and have them considered official.  
• For questions regarding official transcripts, please contact the Utah State University Graduate Admissions Office at graduateadmissions@usu.edu

Official Transcripts can be mailed to:

Utah State University
School of Graduate Studies 
0900 Old Main Hill 
Logan, UT 84322-0900

If by electronic clearinghouse, transcripts can be emailed to:

graduateadmissions@usu.edu.

Brought in person by the applicant or student:

The official transcripts in a sealed, unopened envelope from the previous institution(s) may also be dropped off by the applicant or student in person, to the School of Graduate Studies Office in the Old Main Building, Room 164.

• Official Transcripts will not be copied for or returned to the applicant.  
  • NOTE: International Students who may only be able to obtain one copy of their official transcript may request that the originals be returned after they have been verified by the School of Graduate Studies. 
• USU alumni do not need to provide USU transcripts; the School of Graduate Studies will pull them for the applicant.  

Any exceptions to the official transcript policy will be based on a departmental review of the applicant’s circumstances and materials.   

Three Letters of Recommendation

• Each letter should address the applicant’s potential for success in the proposed graduate degree program.
• If the applicant has been enrolled in school during the last five years, at least two of the letters must come from individuals who are familiar with and can make an authoritative assessment of the applicant’s recent academic performance.
• In order for the applicant to submit a request for letters of recommendation to be sent, the applicant must provide their prospective recommenders’ names and email addresses.
• This step is completed once a prospective student has filled out the online application and paid the application fee.
• The School of Graduate Studies cannot fill out or edit a letter of recommendation request form.
• Applicants can edit the letter of recommendation requests at any time before it is submitted.
• The School of Graduate Studies must receive letters of recommendation from the recommender directly and cannot accept copies submitted by the applicant.
• NOTE: Once the applicant has filled out the information for the letters of recommendation on their application, the Recommenders may need to look in their email SPAM folder or wait a few hours or more for the link to arrive to fill out the form.

Admissions Tests

Scores for tests such as the GRE or MAT are not required by the School of Graduate Studies but may be required by individual departments/programs.

• Applicants should refer to their intended program for any required tests, minimum required scores, or any accepted score alternatives (such as a portfolio).

Applicants should request their test report be sent directly to the School of Graduate Studies by the testing agency.

• GRE: Send scores using the institution code 4857.
• MAT: Send scores using the institution code 2273.

To prevent delays in test score processing, applicants should ensure the personal information on their test scores (i.e., first name, last name, email address, and physical address) matches what is listed on their USU application.

Expired test scores will not be accepted.

Proof of English Language Proficiency

• To learn how to meet this requirement, please review the English Language Proficiency Policy.

I-20 Applications

• The process for the I-20 begins with the Office of Global Engagement after a student is admitted and accepts their offer of admission through their application portal.
• Because of immigration regulations, international students cannot be admitted to provisional matriculation.  
• Please contact the Office of Global Engagement with further questions about the I-20. 

 

 

Complete Your Application

Once all supplemental items have been added, the School of Graduate Studies will process your final application and send it to the department for review. This step does not require any action from the applicant.

Post Application Steps

Accept Your Offer

Once departmental decisions have been made, you will receive an email from the School of Graduate Studies with your admission decision. If admitted, be sure to officially accept the offer by the deadline provided.

NOTE: If you are denied admission to a program, and have questions, please reach out to the Graduate Program Coordinator. Admissions decisions are departmental. 

Post-Admission Steps

To help you better transition into graduate school at USU, we’ve compiled a post-admission steps guide. Please take a moment to review this information and complete all immediate actions.

Review Post-Admission Steps