International Applicants

English Proficiency Requirements for Graduate Admission 

All international degree-seeking applicants are required to submit the results of an accepted test as evidence of English proficiency unless they qualify for an exemption. 

Official scores are required to be submitted directly from the testing agency. All scores must be dated within two years of the beginning of the proposed admission term. Acceptable tests and corresponding minimum scores are available below. 

Additional Score Information 

• The English as a Second Language Placement Test (EPT) will be required prior to enrolling at Illinois for all students who score below the full status minimums listed in the chart above. Based on the EPT results, students are generally required to enroll in non-credit "English as a Second Language" coursework and take a reduced academic load beginning the first semester at the University.  
• Individual academic programs may require a higher score, or additional evidence of spoken English language proficiency; please review your proposed program of study's website for program requirements for admission. 
• Accepted scores and minimums listed above are for admission purposes only. If applying to hold a Teaching Assistantship, please review the English proficiency requirements for teaching assistants below. 

Instructions for Requesting Official Scores 

• TOEFL iBT: The traditional TOEFL iBT and the TOEFL iBT Home Edition tests are accepted for admission. Please review the TOEFL iBT Test Centers and Dates page for more information about these tests. Applicants should send their official scores to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign using our institution code number 1836. 
• IELTS: The IELTS Academic Test (in person and online) is accepted for admission. Please review the IELTS Test Takers page for more information about this test. Scores should be sent electronically via your testing center to the following account name: University of Illinois Urbana Champaign Graduate. 
• DUOLINGO ENGLISH TEST: The Duolingo English Test is accepted for admission. Please review the Duolingo Applicants page for more information about this test. Scores should be sent electronically to the following account name: University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign Graduate Admissions. The Duolingo English Test cannot be used to satisfy the English proficiency requirement for teaching assistants. Students who submit a Duolingo score for admission will need to either take the TOEFL/IELTS at a later date or take the English Proficiency Interview (EPI) upon arrival to campus if planning to hold a teaching assistantship. 
• TOEFL SCORES NOT ACCEPTED: We do not accept the TOEFL Essentials test, TOEFL MyBest scores, or IELTS One Skill Retake scores.  

English Proficiency Requirement Exemptions 

Applicants who meet one of the following criteria are exempt from the English proficiency requirement for admission: 

• Received a post-secondary degree from a U.S. institution (or an institution within an approved country) within five years of the proposed admission term. 
• Completion of at least two years of post-secondary study in the U.S. (or an approved country) within five years of the proposed term of initial enrollment. 
• Completion of at least two years of professional work experience in the U.S. (or an approved country) within five years of the proposed term of initial enrollment. 

Approved Countries with English as the Primary Language 

Illinois Graduate Admissions recognizes the following countries as having English as the primary language: Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, Canada, Dominica, Fiji, Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guyana, Ireland, Jamaica, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, New Zealand, Nigeria, Philippines, Scotland, Sierra Leone, Singapore, South Africa, St. Kitts, Trinidad & Tobago, Uganda, United Kingdom, United States, and Zimbabwe. 

English Proficiency for Teaching Assistants 

Please note that all English proficiency requirements and exemptions listed above are for admission purposes only. Admissions minimums are not equivalent to minimums required for holding a teaching assistantship; and not all exemptions apply for those holding a teaching assistantship. 

International students who wish to be considered for a Teaching Assistantship are required to submit the results of an accepted test as evidence of spoken English language proficiency. University policy regarding appointing non-native English speaking teaching assistants is available on the Office of the Provost website.

Official scores are required to be submitted directly from the testing agency. All scores must be dated within two years of the beginning of the proposed admission term. Acceptable tests and corresponding minimum scores are available below.

Some graduate programs may require a higher score; It is important to review their website for additional requirements.

Oral English Assessment Interview (OEAI) Option

International students who have not taken or passed the one of the required proficiency tests specified above, may take the Oral English Assessment Interview (OEAI). Additional information regarding the OEAI is available on the Department of Linguistics website.

For more information about the English proficiency requirement for teaching assistants, please contact your program of study office or refer to the Department of Linguistics website.

Visa Information 

All applicants who are not a U.S. Citizen or Lawful Permanent Resident will be required to indicate a visa eligibility document that you need. 

Requesting an I-20 or DS-2019

F-1 Students: Admitted applicants who request and are eligible for an F-1 visa will be issued a Certificate of Eligibility (Form I-20). To be eligible for this form, students must provide evidence of financial resources and a copy of their passport. 

Students with F-1 visas may hold graduate assistantships and other forms on-campus employment; however, these appointments may not exceed 20 hours of work per week. F-1 students may not work off-campus. Twelve months of optional practical training (OPT) in a study program may be authorized. Students enrolled in designated STEM fields may qualify for additional OPT. Dependents of F-1 students cannot be employed. 

J-1 Students: For applicants requesting and qualifying for a J-1 visa, a DS-2019 Form will be issued. Eligibility for the DS-2019 requires evidence of financial resources and a copy of the student’s passport. This form is available for applicants sponsored by governments, international foundations, or agencies, who are receiving at least 50% of their funding from sources other than personal or family funds, or who are part of a university exchange program.

Entry into the U.S. is only for the total period of the study program as specified on the DS-2019. J-1 students may work on or off-campus only with written approval from their sponsor. Students may participate in up to 18 months of academic training and up to 36 months of post-doctoral training. Changing visa category is very difficult and may not be allowed. J-1 visa holders may be subject to a 2-year home country residence requirement. Dependents on J-2 visas may seek employment. 

For both F-1 and J-1 applicants, you will need to specify which type of visa eligibility document you require: 

• Initial Documents: For students arriving in the U.S. from abroad to begin their studies at Illinois.
• Change of Level Documents: For current Illinois students transitioning from an undergraduate to a graduate program.
• Transfer Documents: For students currently enrolled or on practical training at another U.S. institution, with no more than a 5-month gap between enrollment/training. You will need to provide your current SEVIS number and the name of the institution that issued your current I-20 or DS-2019.
• Change of Status Documents: For students already in the U.S. on a non-student visa who wish to change their status to an F-1 or J-1 student visa. You will be asked for your current visa type and whether you plan to leave the U.S. before your program begins and enter with an initial I-20 or DS-2019, or if you will remain in the U.S. and file your change of status while staying in the country.

You will also be asked if you need any dependent I-20s/DS-2019s: 

• If yes, you will be prompted to upload a copy of each dependent's passport. Please note this can be provided at a later time if it is not available at the time of application. 
• For each dependent, you will need to provide their full legal name, legal sex, relationship to you (spouse or child), birth city and country, as well as country of citizenship and country of legal permanent residence. 

All students issued an I-20 or DS-2019 must pay the SEVIS I-901 fee prior to scheduling their visa interview. Additional information regarding the SEVIS I-901 fee may be obtained from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security website. 

Online Program Applicants 

If you are applying to an online program and will not enter the US, you can indicate this and we need no further visa status information. However, if you will be in the US for your program, you will need to show proof of non-student visa status. Please see the information for current non-student visa holders below. 

Current Non-Student Visa Holders 

If you are currently in the US on a non-student visa (such as an H-1 work visa) and are planning to remain on this visa for the duration of your studies at Illinois, you will need to indicate your current visa type. In addition, you will need to upload a copy of your current visa. Note that a student may choose to enroll and pursue studies while on an H-1 visa; however, H-1 visa holders cannot hold a graduate assistantship appointment. 

Sponsored J-1 Students 

If another organization, such as IIE Fulbright or LASPAU, will be issuing your DS-2019, you will need to provide us with the name of this organization and upload a copy of your award letter. 

In-Progress U.S. Permanent Resident or Asylee Applicants

If you have applied for U.S. Permanent Resident or Asylee status, but have not yet been approved for this student, you will need to provide us with a copy of your Application Receipt Notice from USCIS.

Asylee, Paroled in Public Interest, Refugee Status 

Asylee, Paroled in Public Interest, and Refugee applicants will be asked to indicate a visa eligibility document that you need; please select None and find your appropriate status option. If you have been granted one of these statuses, you will need to upload documentation of this status. You will then be classified as a domestic student.

Funding Requirements

All international applicants requesting visa eligibility documents (I-20 or DS-2019) are required to demonstrate that they have adequate financial resources to cover the cost of their education while in the United States. International applicants should upload proof of funding documentation directly to the online application. Note that this documentation may be submitted after you submit your graduate application.  

Funding Sources

Personal Funds: If the student will provide funding from personal funds, a bank statement with sufficient funding for at least one year’s total cost* is required. 

Family/Individual Sponsor Funds: If a family member or other personal sponsor will provide funding, a bank statement with sufficient funding for at least one year’s total cost* is required. Sponsors must also complete the Declaration and Certification of Finances form verifying sponsorship for full length and cost of the program or provide a signed letter of sponsorship detailing the specific amounts and length of sponsorship. 

Organization Funds: If an employer, government or other organization will provide funding, a signed letter of sponsorship detailing amounts and length of sponsorship is required. 

Funding Documentation Types

Bank Statements: All bank statements must include the bank's letterhead or logo, as well as a bank stamp or signature. The statement must list the account holder’s name and show sufficient funding for one year’s costs* (or the amount of sponsorship for one year), must be dated within one year of submission, and must show funding in liquid accounts, such as savings, checking, money market accounts, or CDs. Non-liquid funding such as stocks, bonds, auto/land deeds are not acceptable forms of financial support. Solvency and opinion statements are not acceptable forms of financial support. 

Declaration and Certification of Finance Forms: Family or other individual sponsors must sign and print their name and relationship to the student, and the form must be dated within one year of submission. Signing this document verifies sponsorship for the full length and cost of the program. Organizations should NOT use this form and should instead provide a letter of sponsorship (see below). The form is available in PDF format here. 

Individual Letters of Sponsorship: Family or other individual sponsors may provide a letter of sponsorship to detail the amounts and length of their sponsorship. These letters should include a printed name and signature from the sponsor and be dated within one year of submission. 

Organization Letters of Sponsorship: Employer, government or other organization sponsors must provide an official letter of sponsorship on organizational letterhead and include a signature or stamp showing the authenticity of the letter. The letter must detail amounts and length of sponsorship and be dated within one year of submission. 

*Please view the Declaration and Certificate of Finance Form for annual cost information. Please also note that J-1 students will be required to show proof of funding (via bank statement) for the entire cost of the program (or the portion for which funds are being covered by personal or other individual sponsor funding). 

Uploading Funding Documentation 

You are required to upload a copy of your proof of funding documentation to the online application. English translations should be included if the documentation is not in English. 

Please obtain an electronic version of your proof of financial documentation (bank statements, declaration forms, letters of sponsorship) or scan a copy of the document you may already have at the lowest resolution that results in a legible document (we recommend using under 200 dpi whenever possible). You may upload an institutional web-based bank statement if the financial institution has put your name on the statement. 

Please be certain that your document is saved as a PDF file or Word document. Scanning in “gray scale” or black and white may produce the best results. If the scanned file is too large you may want to make a photocopy first (experiment with different settings until you find one that results in the smallest file size) then scan the photocopy.  

Non-legible scans will not be accepted.  

The University of Illinois reserves the right to require official proof of funding documentation at any time during the SEVIS review process. 

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