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International Admission Requirements 

  • International Admissions Application Deadlines

    International Undergraduate and Graduate Programs

    Undergraduate admission deadlines: 

    • Fall: June 15
    • Spring: Nov. 30
    • Summer: March 28

    Graduate program deadlines and requirements vary by program, be sure to visit the Degrees and Programs web page of your intended area of study for specific details.

    If you are applying to a program that requires you to apply for a student visa, the application and all required supporting documents must be received by the appropriate term deadline below:

    • Fall: June 15
    • Spring: November 15
    • Summer: March 15

    Intensive English Program

    Please visit the Apply to the Intensive English Program webpage for IEP application deadlines.

  • Application fee

    The $50 non-refundable application fee can be paid using a VISA, MasterCard or Discover card. You will pay the fee after you complete all of the application questions and submit the application.

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  • Transcripts

    Graduate Applicants

    • Official transcripts, mark sheets, graduation certificates and degree certificates from all colleges/universities attended need to be submitted in an envelope sealed by the issuing institution or local ministry of education.
      • Official transcripts from U.S. colleges/universities need to be sent to us directly from the institution’s Registrar’s office. Parchment and eScrip-Safe transcripts from U.S. institutions can be sent to international@unco.edu.
    • All documents issued in a foreign language must be accompanied by a certified literal and complete English translation.
    • We do not require a third-party evaluation of foreign credentials. A WES evaluation report will be accepted if the report includes a copy of the official foreign credential. We will still perform our own evaluation of the credential. We do not accept third party evaluations from other providers.
    • Students wanting to obtain a teaching license after completing a program: For international students or students who hold a Bachelor’s Degree from a non-US institution or in a transcript in a language other than English, you will need to have a transcript that is evaluated by National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) member.  You do not need to have this to apply to the program, but you will need it to obtain your Colorado teaching license once you complete the program.
    • All documents submitted to us become the property of the Graduate School and International Admissions and will not be returned to the applicant.
    • Official documents should be mailed to:

    University of Northern Colorado
    Office of Admissions
    Campus Box 10 
    501 20th St.
    Greeley, CO 80639 United States

    Undergraduate Applicants

    • Official high school transcripts and graduation certificates need to be submitted in an envelope sealed by the issuing institution or local ministry of education, unless:
      • You have completed more than 30 semester hours of college/university coursework.
      • You have taken external examinations to complete your secondary education (e.g., GCSE, A Levels, GCE, etc.) — please request the official results to be mailed directly to us by the external examining body.
      • You have completed an International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Program (DP) — if your results have been released, please request your transcript be sent by visiting rrs.ibo.org.
      • U.S. high school transcripts need to be mailed to us directly from the high school.
    • Transfer credit may be awarded for Cambridge International AS & A Level (AICE) and International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Program (DP). Detailed information about receiving transfer credit for these can be found at the Office of the Registrar.
    • Transfer students: For information about receiving transfer credit from previous college or university coursework, please review our Transfer Evaluation and Policies.
    • Official documents should be mailed to:

    University of Northern Colorado
    Office of Admissions
    Campus Box 10 
    501 20th St.
    Greeley, CO 80639 United States

    For undergraduates only:
    Unofficial copies of your international academic document(s) can be submitted at the time of application for review purposes only. If admitted, you will be required to submit final official documents to the Graduate School and International Admissions office before the end of your first semester of study. You will not be able to enroll for a second semester if official transcripts are not received.

    Unofficial copies of your academic document(s) can be sent to international@unco.edu.

    Note: UNC reserves the right to require official transcripts at any time during the application process and to rescind any offer of admission made if discrepancies between unofficial and official transcript(s) are found, if it is discovered that the educational history was incomplete, if there is any suspected forgery of the unofficial transcript, or if upon final GPA and degree verification it is discovered that the minimum admissions requirements were not met.

  • GPA Requirements

    • Transcripts from previously attended institutions are evaluated by the International Admissions team and a U.S. grade point average equivalent on a 4.0 scale is calculated.
    • Undergraduate applicants are expected to meet a 2.5 GPA equivalent
    • Graduate applicants are expected to meet a 3.0 GPA equivalent
  • English proficiency scores

    Applicants are required to demonstrate English language proficiency by one of the following:

    • Submitting results of an acceptable English proficiency test
    • Having completed previous education in a recognized English-speaking country within the last two years
    • Completing UNC’s Intensive English Program

    UNC's Minimum English Proficiency Scores

    Undergraduate

    • TOEFL iBT: 72 with cut scores no lower than: Listening (16), Reading (16), Speaking (18) and Writing (18)
    • IELTS: 6.0 with subscores no lower than 5.5 in each of the following proficiency areas: Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking
    • English3 Proficiency Test: 60 E3PT with a minimum of 15 in each of the following: Speaking, Reading, Listening and Writing.
    • UNC IEP: Level 6 

    Graduate

    • TOEFL iBT: 80 with cut scores no lower than: Listening (16), Reading (16), Speaking (20) and Writing (22)
    • IELTS: 6.5 with subscores no lower than 6 in each of the following proficiency areas: Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking.
    • English3 Proficiency Test: 67 E3PT with a minimum of 16.5 in each of the following: Speaking, Reading, Listening and Writing.
    • UNC IEP: Level 7

    error Some graduate programs may have higher English proficiency score requirements, including Teaching American Sign Language M.A. and Teaching American Sign Language M.A.: Licensure: World Languages (Grades K-12).

    UNC's Institutional Code for TOEFL is 4074

  • Financial documents

    Please note: These documents are only required for applicants who will be coming to the United States.

    •  Applicants need to provide proof of funding for one year of study at UNC. For the academic year 2019-2020 the amounts are:
      • $31,060 for IEP applicants
      • $39,466 for undergraduate applicants
      • $40,130 for graduate (master’s) applicants
      • $42,130 for graduate (doctoral) applicants.
    • Financial documents must be dated within the last six (6) months.
    • Acceptable forms of financial documents include:
      • Checking and/or savings accounts bank statements
      • Certification on bank’s letterhead
      • Financial guarantee from your government
      • Scholarship/assistantship award letters and loan confirmation letters.
    • An affidavit of support needs to accompany bank statements that are not issued in the student’s name. 
    • Scholarship award letters must indicate the initial term (semester) of attendance and be valid for one year.
    • If you will have dependents (spouse and/or children) coming to the US with you, please show funds for them also:
      • $6,000 for the first dependent
      • $5,000 for each additional dependent.
    • You will upload your financial documents after you have been admitted and provided the information to set-up your UNC Global Account.
  • Passport copy

    • Please provide a clear, high resolution photocopy of the bio-page (photo-page) of your passport
    • If you are currently in the U.S. please include a copy of your visa
    • If you are planning to bring your dependents (spouse and/or children) to the U.S., please submit photocopies of their passports and proof of relationship (marriage certificate, birth certificates for children).
  • Supplemental materials (graduate applicants)

    Some graduate programs require supplemental application materials. Be sure to check with your program to find out if any additional materials are needed (i.e., GRE scores, Statement of Purpose, Letters of Recommendation, Supplemental Data Form, Audition, Interview, etc.).