International Student Admission
Requirements for International Applicants
The Office of Undergraduate Admissions requires international first-year applicants to submit the following to be considered for admission. When applying, please adhere to the deadlines listed below these requirements.
You may apply using either the Coalition Application, Common Application, or QuestBridge Application. Select one application method and submit all materials through that method; do not submit both. All parts of the application should be submitted by the published deadlines. If the language of instruction at your high school is not English, all transcripts and recommendation letters must be translated into English, either by the high school or by official translation. Materials not translated into English will not complete requirements.
- All required parts of the Coalition Application, Common Application, or QuestBridge Application
- $50 nonrefundable application fee, or fee waiver for qualified students
- Official high school transcript
- Counselor letter of recommendation
- Two academic teacher recommendations
- Optional for students applying for fall 2021 entry: SAT or ACT scores (SAT code: 1871 / ACT code: 4036)
- Official results of the TOEFL, TOEFL Special Home Edition, IELTS, PTE Academic, or Duolingo English Test if applicable*
- A completed College Scholarship Service (CSS) Profile, if applicable**
*Applicants whose first language or language of instruction is not English are required to take one of the following English language proficiency examinations:
| Minimum recommended score | |
| Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) – Internet-based | 100 |
| Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) – Special Home Edition | 100 |
| International English Language Testing System (IELTS) | 7.0 |
| Pearson Test of English Academic (PTE Academic) | 70 |
| Duolingo English Test (DET) | 120 |
This requirement will be waived if a student has scored a 33 or above on the SAT Reading Test, or above a 26 on the ACT English section.
**Applicants requesting consideration for need-based financial aid are required to submit the CSS Profile showing their sources of financial support. Applicants should contact their admissions counselor for more information.
Please provide all documents in English.
Application Deadlines
Learn more about application dates and deadlines.
Interviews
Interviews are optional for all applicants. International applicants may request an optional alumni interview through the CoRPs Alumni Interviewing Program . Vanderbilt also accepts InitialView interviews from international applicants.
Testing Information
SAT or ACT — For students applying for fall 2021 entry, SAT or ACT scores are optional. These standardized university entrance examinations measure verbal and mathematic skills. Please visit either www.sat.org or www.act.org to register for these examinations. You can also contact the nearest U.S. Embassy or EducationUSA office for a list of testing centers, their locations, and exam schedule. SAT Subject Tests are optional. If official scores are sent to Vanderbilt, they may be considered during the application review process.
TOEFL, IELTS, PTE Academic, or Duolingo English Test — The results of standardized English language proficiency examinations are used by the Admission Committee to better understand a student's English language ability, especially for non-native speakers. Because the SAT and ACT are written for U.S. domestic students, we understand that many international applicants do not score as well on the SAT Critical Reading test and a TOEFL, IELTS, PTE Academic, or Duolingo English Test score will enhance the strength of a student's application.
The English language proficiency examination requirement will be waived if a student has scored 33 or above on the SAT Reading Test, or above a 26 on the ACT English section.
Learn More:
| TOEFL - toefl.org | IELTS - ielts.org | PTE Academic - pearsonpte.com | Duolingo English Test - englishtest.duolingo.com |
Please contact the nearest U.S. Embassy or EducationUSA office for a listing of testing centers, their locations, and exam schedule.
