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International Applicants

CSDCAS will not accept foreign transcripts or translated foreign transcripts. Your transcripts must be evaluated and sent directly to CSDCAS. NU requires a course-by-course evaluation of your transcript by an evaluation service to be considered for admission.

Additionally, applicants who are not citizens or permanent residents of the United States, or whose native language is not English, must certify language proficiency in one of three ways:

  1. Providing acceptable TOEFL or IELTS scores. Tests must be taken within two years of the intended quarter of entry. The minimum TOEFL scores are 550 (paper-based), 213 (computer-based), and 80 (internet-based). The minimum IELTS score is 7.0.
    If you need to submit TOEFL or IELTS scores, these scores are NOT submitted to CSDCAS and must be sent to the department. Please contact Ms. Cindy Coy (ccoy@northwestern.edu) for information on submitting your TOEFL or IELTS scores.
  2. Earning an undergraduate degree from a regionally accredited, four-year institution or equivalent, where the official language of instruction is English.
  3. Earning a graduate degree from a regionally accredited institution where the official language of instruction is English.