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Undergraduate Admission

International Undergraduate Admission

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Virtual Resources for International Admissions

The University of Oklahoma's Office of International Admissions & Recruitment has generated unique virtual resources available to our international students. We want to be sure you have the opportunity to take advantage of these helpful international webinars. Click here to view these resources.

Requirements

  • Transcripts - Applicants must submit official transcripts from each institution attended.

  • English Proficiency - All applicants for whom English is a second language must present evidence of English language proficiency.

  • Financial Support Documentation - All international applicants must demonstrate adequate financial resources.

Deadlines

International students are encouraged to apply early and file supporting credentials as early as possible to allow sufficient time to process your application, obtain your visa, arrange for a foreign exchange permit (if one is required), and make travel plans.

The deadlines listed below apply to international students outside the United States. International students currently studying in the United States are held to U.S. freshman or U.S. transfer application deadlines.

INTERNATIONAL UNDERGRADUATE ADMISSION                INTERNATIONAL GRADUATE ADMISSION
  • Freshman – Have graduated from secondary school and never attended a post-secondary institution
  • Transfer – Have attempted seven or more college credit hours at a post-secondary institution
  • Readmission – Former undergraduate OU students who have not attended OU for more than one semester and a summer session
  • Non-degree – Take undergraduate courses at OU without pursuing a degree.  Students studying on an F-1 visa must be concurrently enrolled at another institution.
 

Students who have earned at least the equivalent of a U.S. Bachelor’s degree or will earn this degree before the term in which they wish to begin graduate studies

FRESHMAN APPLICATION DEADLINES:

Summer Entry: February 1

Fall Entry: February 1

Spring Entry: November 1

 

TRANSFER APPLICATION DEADLINES:

Summer Entry: February 1

Fall Entry: April 1

Spring Entry: September 1

FRESHMAN CREDENTIAL DEADLINES:

Summer Entry: March 15

Fall Entry: April 15

Spring Entry: November 15

 

TRANSFER CREDENTIAL DEADLINES:

Summer Entry: March 1

Fall Entry: May 31

Spring Entry: November 1

Application Checklist

Admission to the University of Oklahoma is based on completion of a rigorous secondary school curriculum, demonstrated by a recognized certificate of completion that would qualify you for entrance into a university in your country.

  • First time freshman – grades (marks), “class” or “division” obtained should be equivalent to a “B” average or a 3.0 grade point average on the U.S. unweighted 4.0 scale. Applicants must be 17 years of age prior to the first day of classes. The applicant’s high school class of his or her peers must have graduated as well.

  • Transfer – all post-secondary work (completed abroad or in the U.S.) is included in the transfer evaluation. Please see the transfer admissions requirement chart for specific college GPA requirements.

  • Non-degree – proof of English proficiency and a letter of good standing if concurrently enrolled at another university. Students studying on an F-1 visa must provide a letter confirming permission to concurrently enroll at OU.

  • Non-residents of Oklahoma applying for an engineering or computer science program must have a B grade point average (3.0 on a U.S. 4.0 scale) or its equivalent on all college work attempted to be admitted.

Applicants must submit official transcripts from each institution attended.

  • Freshman must submit official transcripts from all secondary or middle schools attended. If secondary school in your country includes standardized graduation exams and certificates, official copies of these should be submitted.
  • Transfers must submit official transcripts from every post-secondary institution attended, including colleges, universities, professional and technical schools.

If your transcript is issued by your school in a language other than English, we require the official, original language document as well as an official, or certified, English translation.

No college transfer credit is awarded for secondary school work through the 12th year of education. However, it is possible to earn college credit by achieving satisfactory grades on advanced standing exams conducted by the University.

International Transfer Credit Process
The Office of Admissions & Recruitment evaluates and verifies all academic credentials to determine whether transfer credit will be awarded. All college level coursework completed at an international institution accredited and recognized by the Ministry of Education in that country will be awarded. You must provide official syllabi or course descriptions for all coursework in order for courses to be equated to OU coursework. Upon admission to OU, grades for courses completed at international institutions are converted to neutral S (satisfactory) or U (unsatisfactory) grades.

Recognition of Ministry Education
We will first determine the following whenever you have attended a post-secondary college or university:

1. Is the institution recognized by the Ministry of Education or other recognized educational authorities?

  •     Yes - transfer credit will be awarded.
  •     No - transfer credit will not be awarded.
  •     If we cannot find information verifying its recognition, you are responsible for providing documentation. No credit will be awarded if recognition cannot be confirmed.

2. Is the program technical or vocational?

  • The University of Oklahoma does not recognize technical or vocational institutions. Transfer credit will not be awarded.

Course Syllabi
If you are transferring from an international college or university, Admissions and Recruitment encourages you to obtain course syllabi or course descriptions of the post-secondary courses for subjects that you have taken previously. Syllabi are preferred.

Students who do not provide syllabi or course descriptions may only expect to receive general elective credit for the courses they have taken. If you receive general credit for these courses, please make note that such courses may not apply to your degree program. Students should know that even if they provide course syllabi or course descriptions to the Office of Admissions and Recruitment, the courses may not be deemed to be the equivalent of a course at The University of Oklahoma and may instead be given general elective credit.

Completed International Transfer Credit Evaluations
The transfer credit evaluations of foreign credentials are completed only after an applicant has been formally admitted to OU.
Transfer applicants should submit their official transcripts and course syllabi or descriptions when applying to OU. This will ensure the most accurate evaluation of credit and will eliminate delays in the evaluation process. Upon admission to OU, grades for courses completed at international institutions are converted to neutral S (satisfactory) or U (unsatisfactory) grades.

Transfer Equivalency Guides
The University of Oklahoma has developed a transfer equivalency database with courses from some U.S. institutions. This list changes frequently as more courses are evaluated.

Questions?
If you have specific questions regarding our transfer credit policies, please email us at intladmissions@ou.edu or call the Office of Admissions and Recruitment at : 1-405-325-2151.

Applications must be submitted online (freshman, transfer, readmit, or non-degree). Freshman may apply to OU using the Common Application or the Coalition Application if applying to multiple universities in the United States that are part of the Common Application or Coalition Application.

Please make sure to enter your name as it appears on your passport or national identity card. If there are variations of your name on your credentials, please list these alternatives as well.

Freshmen applicants are encouraged to submit a letter of recommendation, but they are optional. Up to three letters may be submitted. 

  • Any high school official, including a counselor, teacher, principal, etc. Preferably someone who knows the student well.
  • Students will need to know the name and email address of their preferred recommender so he/she can be contacted about composing the letter of recommendation.

A non-refundable $90 processing fee must be paid for the international application. Your application cannot be reviewed for an admission decision until the fee is received.

Please submit a clear photocopy of the biographic page of your passport. If dependents will accompany you to OU, provide copies of their passport biographic pages, along with marriage and birth certificates, as applicable, to verify your family relationship.

If you currently hold a visa in the U.S., please provide a clear copy of that as well.

All applicants for whom English is a second language must present evidence of proficiency in the English Language in one of these ways:

  1. 79 on the Internet-based TOEFL. Consistency across subsections will be considered for English proficiency. For example, for the TOEFL IBT, generally, a minimum score of 20 is expected in each section of Reading, Listening, Speaking and Writing. Scores over two years old by the beginning of the term you wish to enter are not acceptable unless you have been attending school in the U.S. since the test date.
  2. 6.5 on the IELTS. Consistency across subsections will be considered for English proficiency. Scores over two years old by the beginning of the term you wish to enter are not acceptable unless you have been attending school in the U.S. since the test date.
  3. 100 on the Duolingo English Test (DET).
  4. 53 on Pearson Test of English (PTE Academic).
  5. Secondary school work in the United States, including achievement of the high school curricular requirements required for freshman admission, or attainment of the recognized certificate of completion required for entrance into a university in any other country in which English is the native language and the language of instruction in the high school.
  6. Satisfactory completion of 24 or more semester hours of college-level coursework from a regionally or nationally accredited university in the United States, or in any other country in which English is the native language.
    Note
    : Simple instruction in English, completion of 24 hours of university coursework, or completion of a degree in a country in which English is the official, but not native, language will not satisfy this requirement. See the list of OU Approved Native English Speaking Countries.
  7. Completion of a Bachelor’s degree, or higher, at an accredited university in the United States, or in any other country in which English is the native language.
  8. Successful completion of the University of Oklahoma CESL program.

Under U.S. immigration law, you must verify sufficient financial documentation of funds available for study in the U.S. for you and your dependents, as applicable. Note: If a financial document is under someone else's name, the account holder must fill out a Financial Support Letter to be submitted with the financial document.

Financial documents must clearly state bank name and logo, account number (partial is acceptable), account holder's name, date of statement, and account balance. Date on financial document cannot be more than 90 days ago. Please refer to our list of Acceptable Financial Documents for more information.

All non-US citizens applying to study in the U.S. are required to demonstrate financial support equivalent to annual academic and living expenses. View our estimated costs.

Once all the admissions steps have been completed and you have been admitted by OU, International Student Services will initiate the creation of your I-20 or DS-2019, the process of transferring your SEVIS record (I-20 or DS-2019) from another U.S. university, or will advise you on how to proceed with changing your status from another visa type to an F-1.


There are two ways you may receive your admission packet and I-20 or DS-2019:

  1. Regular US Mail. This is the default shipping method for the Office of Admissions at the University of Oklahoma. This service usually takes 4 – 6 weeks for receipt of the I-20 or DS-2019 packet.

  2. Express Shipping (FedEx or DHL) through eShip Global for an additional fee. This carrier usually takes about a week and a half for the receipt of the I-20 or DS-2019 packet. It is the only reliable method of shipment that provides accurate tracking of your packet from the moment it leaves the University of Oklahoma to its arrival in your home-country. Visit eShip Global to set up the account, and please select “University of Oklahoma Norman Campus.” Then on Department Selection choose “Office of Admissions”  as your sender. You may select any of the available carriers (DHL, FedEx, etc.). Once the I-20 or DS-2019 leaves the University, you will receive an email from eShip Global containing the tracking information for your packet.

Note: In order to obtain your physical I-20 or DS-2019 in a timely manner, we strongly recommend that you order Express Shipping (FedEx, DHL or UPS) through eShip Global. If you do not place an order with eShip Global within two business days after your admission is processed, your packet will be sent through regular airmail.

If you have any additional questions about the process of obtaining an I-20 or DS-2019, or about immigration-related documents in general, please contact:

International Student Services
Farzaneh Hall,
729 Elm Avenue, Room 144
Norman, OK 73019

405-325-3337
iss@ou.edu
ou.edu/cis/iss

 

Timeline for receiving the I-20 or DS-2019 varies*: Office of Admissions processes your admission and you are admitted to University or CESL

3-10 business days*: Your I-20 or DS-2019 is issued by International Student Services.

6-8 weeks: Student receives I-20 or DS-2019, if US regular Airmail is used.

1-2 weeks: Student receives I-20 or DS-2019 if express shipping through eShip Global is used.

*These time-frames are valid only when OU has received all requested documents and you have accepted the offer of admission.

Congratulations on your admission!

Now that you're admitted, you may be wondering what's next. We encourage you to explore the After-Admission Instructions to learn more about important post-admission steps. To view a complete list of next steps, log in to OU Bound, your post admission portal at oubound.ou.edu.

International Student Services assists international students coming to the Norman campus.

Review Coming to OU on the ISS website to learn more.