International Undergraduate Students

WVU welcomes students from around the world. Over 900 students from 90 nations study at WVU. You are considered an international student if you are not a U.S. citizen or U.S. permanent resident.

How to Apply as an International Student

If you are applying as an international graduate student, please follow the steps for international graduate applicants. To apply to as an international undergraduate student, please complete the following steps:

How to Submit Materials

Most freshman applications can be reviewed based on unofficial transcripts. Upload copies of your transcripts with your application if possible. If not, or if you need to provide more documents, you will have an opportunity to provide them after you submit your application.

Transfer and second bachelor’s degree applications require official transcripts for review. If your school uses eScrip-Safe, the National Student Clearinghouse or Parchment, please use that to send transcripts to internationaladmissions@mail.wvu.edu. If not, official transcripts can be sent by mail to:

To enroll, you will need to provide official copies of any unofficial documents used during your application review. You will need to provide final documents if the documents provided for review were not final. You can also send those to the address above or bring them with you when you arrive on campus.

WVU accepts electronic score delivery for SAT, ACT, TOEFL, IELTS, PTE and Duolingo scores. WVU also accepts scores from those exams that we can verify through the testing agency.

Tips:

• You are required to send transcripts from all institutions you attended.
• No documents are returned to applicants. 
• It is important that you use the same name and spelling of your name on all documents, scores and forms. Your name on your WVU record needs match your name on your passport.
• If your documents are not in English, you will need to provide an English translation.
• You may provide a  World Education Services (WES) evaluation, but it is not required. WES may also be used to appeal a GPA decision from the Office of Admissions (international applicants only).
• WVU’s Office of Admissions may make exceptions to the requirement for official transcripts in cases of war, civil unrest or extenuating circumstances deemed out of the student’s control.

Admission Requirements for International Students

The following are the minimum admissions requirements for international students applying as freshman or undergraduate transfer students.

Freshman:

• Must have at least a 2.5 grade-point average on a 4.0 scale for general admission.
• Must meet English Proficiency or request conditional admission and admission to the Intensive English Program (IEP).
• Please be advised that some Engineering majors may reach capacity and therefore will be restricted from entry.
• For direct admission to some colleges and majors, SAT or ACT scores are required and must be sent to WVU directly from the respective testing services. Please review the program requirements. For all other majors, international students are encouraged but not required to submit SAT or ACT scores, if available. SAT/ACT scores are useful for determining scholarship eligibility.
• WVU welcomes applications from students with IGCSE and O-Level Certificates from an approved UK exam board for admissions consideration. We require a minimum of five subject passes, of which two must be English and Mathematics. The average of the grades must be at least a 2.5 (on a 4.0 scale). A passing grade in the subject of English will be accepted as evidence of sufficient English ability.

Transfer:

• Must have at least a 2.0 grade point average on a 4.0 scale in all college work attempted.
• Must meet English Proficiency or request conditional admission and admission to the Intensive English Program (IEP).
• In addition, transfer students who have fewer than 24 transferable credit hours, must also meet freshman admission standards and submit secondary school/high school transcripts. 
• Some individual programs and majors have different course requirements and higher grade point average requirements; please review the various program requirements.
• Grades and credits are transferable for college-level courses from regionally accredited U.S. institutions.

English Language Proficiency Requirements (undergraduate levels only)

Generally, undergraduate applicants, whose native language is not English must submit one of the following test scores, before an application can be considered for academic admission to WVU:

Other options for establishing English proficiency are:

GCSE or GCE English exam from an approved UK exam board – Letter grades A, B or C, or numerical grades 4-9

International Baccalaureate Diploma

Average grade of B (3.0) or higher in two introductory English composition courses including coursework on research and the writing process taken at a regionally accredited U.S. university.

If you are a citizen of one of the following countries, then you do not have to submit a test score for English proficiency: Australia, Canada, Republic of Ireland, New Zealand, United Kingdom, United States, Commonwealth Caribbean Countries (Anguilla, Antigua, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, British Virgin Islands, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Montserrat, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos).  

Application Deadlines

For an applicant to be considered for admission and to be able to process immigration papers, all application materials and supporting documents must be received by these dates:

• Fall semester – Apply by June 1. All academic documents must be received by July 1.

• Spring semester – Apply by October 1. All academic documents must be received by November 1.

• Summer semester – Apply by February 15. All academic documents must be received by April 1.

Applications submitted after the deadline and incomplete applications will be considered for the next term.

Questions

If you have a question about the application process or requirements for international students, please email us at  international.undergraduate@mail.wvu.edu.

Financial

Scholarships

International scholarship information is available on Student Financial Support and Services' International Scholarships page.

Documentation for Student Visa

Before WVU can issue the document necessary to apply for a student visa (Form I-20 or Form DS-2019) the student must provide proof that he or she has the adequate financial resources to provide for his or her expenses incurred while studying at WVU. For more on the student visa process, visit the Office of Global Affairs.

Student Health Insurance

International students will be automatically enrolled in our student health plan unless an appropriate waiver has been submitted and approved. Information regarding the plan, enrollment information, waiver forms, etc., can be found at the Student Insurance Office.

Student Support and Organizations

Once you are admitted to WVU, the Office of Global Affairs offers support and various cross-cultural programs and activities in which you can be involved.