Additional Requirements and Instructions for International Applicants
Official transcripts:
When applying for graduate study, it is standard practice in the United States to have the Registrar at the institution(s) you attended submit official transcripts or marks statements and degree certificates directly to the institution to which you are applying. See instructions for Official Transcripts on the How to Apply page on the acceptable methods for submitting an official copy of your transcript.
International transcripts that are not in English must be accompanied by certified, literal English translations. Instructions on how to interpret the transcript and an explanation of the grading system must also be provided.
If it is not possible for you to follow the preferred methods for delivering your transcript(s), then at your own expense you may use the International Credential Advantage Package ICAP provided by World Education Services WES. A document-by-document evaluation is sufficient. You may substitute another credential evaluation service if
- The service is a member of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services NACES and
- The service provides both transcript verification and credential evaluation.
Official TOEFL or IELTS scores:
If English is not your first language, your TOEFL or IELTS scores are required and must be sent directly to William & Mary by the Educational Testing Service or the International English Language Testing System.
TOEFL and IELTS scores are valid only for two years after the test date; only scores sent directly by either ETS or IELTS are accepted.Upon the recommendation of the graduate program to which you are applying, the TOEFL/IELTS requirement can be waived for applicants who will have received a degree from a college or university in which English is the primary language of instruction. A transcript is required as evidence of successful instruction in English as a primary language. Contact the graduate program to which you are applying to request such a waiver.
Admitted graduate students whose first language is not English are required to take an English language proficiency test when they arrive on campus. This requirement includes those international students who have taken the TOEFL exam, taken the IELTS exam, or requested and received a waiver as a consequence of having earned a degree from a college or university in which English is the primary language of instruction.
Three-year postsecondary degree candidates:
When applying for graduate study, it is standard practice in the United States to require all applicants to have a minimum of sixteen years of schooling and an earned degree equivalent to a U.S. bachelor’s degree. On occasion, graduates of three-year postsecondary programs in prestigious international universities may be well qualified for admission to a graduate program at William & Mary.
If you have not taken a minimum of sixteen years of schooling, but will be earning a three-year postsecondary degree, then you may request that a document-by-document evaluation by World Education Services (WES) be sent to the graduate program to which you are applying. You may substitute another credential evaluation service if
- The service is a member of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) and
- The service provides credential evaluation reports.
The Vice Dean of Research and Graduate Studies, in consultation with the faculty in the program to which you are applying, requires a credential evaluation report from a NACES member to help determine if your background is sufficient for admission to the graduate program to which you are applying.
