International Student Applicants

An international student is anyone who is not a U.S. citizen or classified as a permanent resident of the United States. At JSU, international students are students who are not Permanent Residents, U. S. Citizens or Undocumented/DACA students. You are an international student if you need a student visa to come to the United States or if you hold any other visa status that makes you eligible to attend universities in the United States. International students who seek admission to JSU must hold either a bachelor’s degree from a institutionally accredited U.S. institution or a degree equivalent to a bachelor’s degree from a institutionally accredited U.S. institution. Federal financial aid is not available to international students.

The Dean of the Graduate School will make the final decision regarding a student’s application for admission to graduate studies at JSU.

Specific admission criteria can be found in each individual program section of this catalog, and all required application materials must be submitted to:

Graduate Admissions
Jacksonville State University
700 Pelham Road North,
Jacksonville, Alabama 36265-1602

  1. Completed JSU Graduate Application for Admission.
  2. Non-refundable $35.00 application processing fee.
  3. Official transcripts from the baccalaureate degree awarding institution and all transcripts where post-baccalaureate work has been completed1. Submit official bachelor’s degree certificate/diploma in issuing institution’s sealed envelope, AND submit complete and official college/university transcripts in issuing institution’s sealed envelope. These must be translated in English.
  4. Copy of bank letter or bank statement showing a minimum balance of $33,500 (U.S. dollars). The letter or statement should bear the bank’s seal/stamp along with an authorized signature.
  5. Submit a copy of passport.
  6. If English is not the applicant’s native language, the applicant is required to submit or complete one of the following items. This is not required for international students who have earned a bachelor’s or higher degree from a United States regionally accredited institution.
    1. An official Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) score report. A minimum score of 550 on the paper-based TOEFL, 213 on the computer-based TOEFL, or 79 on the internet-based TOEFL is required for admission.
    2. An official International English Language Testing System (IELTS) score report. A minimum score of 6.0 on the IELTS is required for admission.
    3. An official Pearson Test of English (PTE) score report. A minimum score of 56 on the PTE is required for admission.
    4. An official Duolingo Test score report. A minimum score of 100 is required for admission. 
    5. Or an official International Test of English Proficiency (iTEP) score report. A minimum score of 3.9 on the iTEP is required for admission.
    6. Alternatively, the applicant may successfully complete Level 4 of the Intensive English program at JSU’s English Language Institute.
    7. Note: Students with degrees from the following countries, which have English as the official language, are exempted from the above tests: Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, Botswana, British Virgin Islands, Canada (except Quebec), Cayman Islands, Dominica, Fiji, Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guyana, Ireland, Jamaica, Kiribati, Liberia, Malawi, Marshal Islands, Micronesia, Monserrat, Namibia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, South Africa, St. Helena, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Tanzania, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda, and United Kingdom, U. S. Virgin Islands, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
  7. Additional items may be required by programs, such as Graduate Reference Forms2; official test scores on the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT), General Test of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), or the Miller Analogies Test (MAT); valid professional educator certificates; background checks; resumes; etc. A complete list of all required application items for a given program can be found in each individual program section of this catalog.
1

Please see information regarding International Student Transcripts below.

2

Graduate Reference Forms may be submitted electronically through the online application account, or international applicants may scan recommendation letters and send them as attachments to graduate@jsu.edu to be added to their application files by the Graduate Admissions staff.  PDF files are required.

International Student Transcripts

Many programs will review application packages and make admission decisions based on official transcripts of degrees still in progress. However, applicants must submit their final transcripts with degrees posted during International Student Orientation Week, facilitated by the Office of International House and Programs. Students will be given 30 days from their arrival in the U.S. to submit all required documents. If they fail to submit the documents, further registration will not be permitted, the students' immigration records will be terminated for non-enrollment, and they will be reported to the Department of Homeland Security.

For pre-approval purposes, unofficial, scanned copies of transcripts may be accepted on a temporary basis. JSU will only accept scanned copies of applicants' transcripts from international recruiting agents and partners who are acting as official representatives of JSU. JSU will not accept scanned copies of transcripts directly from applicants. Official representatives of JSU may scan applicants' transcripts and email them as attachments to intladmissions@jsu.edu (PDF files are required). Applicants must submit their official transcripts during International Student Orientation Week, facilitated by the Office of International House and Programs. Students will be given 30 days from their arrival in the U.S. to submit all required documents. If they fail to submit the documents, further registration will not be permitted, the students' immigration records will be terminated for non-enrollment, and they will be reported to the Department of Homeland Security.

JSU reserves the right to request all official documents at any point in the admissions process.

Upon receipt of applicants' academic credentials, an evaluation of Foreign Education Credentials will be completed by the Office of International House and Programs. When needed, a course-by-course evaluation report prepared by an evaluator acceptable to the university will have to be submitted in addition to the official transcripts and bachelor’s degree certificate/diploma. Please check with the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) for a complete list of service providers acceptable to JSU. Applicants to JSU’s Alternative Class A teacher education programs should see that section of this catalog for a list of service providers accepted by the Alabama State Department of Education.

International Student Enrollment Requirements

  1. Official copies of the bachelor’s degree certificate/diploma AND complete and official college/university transcripts must be on file in the Graduate School before a student will be allowed to enroll in classes. Please see the section titled "International Student Transcripts" above for further details.
  2. International students will be required to enroll as full time students with at least nine credit hours each semester. At least six of those hours must be taken in traditional or web-assisted/hybrid format, if the student plans to reside in the United States. Our graduate classes are scheduled to accommodate this requirement, and it is the university’s expectation that all students abide by this law. Failure to do so will result in termination of the student’s immigration record.
  3. If the student plans to earn a degree online and does not plan to travel to the United States, the stipulation above does not apply. Please refer to Online@JSU’s website to view a listing of programs that can be earned completely online.
  4. International graduate students with prerequisite/foundation/deficiency courses must maintain at least 12 semester credit hours at all times. The classes can be a combination of undergraduate and graduate courses. International students must have at least nine semester credit hours of traditional or web-assisted/hybrid classes (non-online courses) out of a total of 12 credit hours.
  5. International students are required to carry health and repatriation insurance.
  6. Government sponsored students, such as Saudi Arabian Cultural Mission (SACM) Scholarship, Embassy of Kuwait Scholarship, and Embassy of UAE Scholarship students, etc., will have to check with their embassy and/or government before enrolling in any number of online courses.