Additional Requirements for International Applicants

The application process for international students is somewhat different: You need to fill out a special university application form for international students. You have the option of filling out the application online rather than mailing in a hard copy.

Financial Proof

As part of this application, you need to fill out a statement of financial proof. This statement must originate from your source of support and must be a certified, original statement with stamp and original signature. The university cannot accept photocopies unless notarized, signed and sealed.

Application Fee

Your application fee ($50) should be paid by check or money order payable to Michigan State University and attached to the application form. Checks drawn outside the U.S. must be payable in U.S. funds through a U.S. bank. Checks drawn on foreign banks that do not have a correspondent U.S. bank may be returned. Do not send cash or international coupons.

English Proficiency Test

Applicants for whom English is not their primary language are required to submit TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) scores, and the test must be taken within two years of the application.

The university’s minimum acceptable score is 550. No international candidates will be considered for admission review until they have taken the TOEFL test and achieved a score of 550 or higher. Some international candidates ask to be admitted provisionally, with the idea that they will takes courses in English after arriving on campus. The program will not accept students on this basis. We require that international candidates demonstrate adequate skill in English before being admitted to the program.

Official results should be mailed to:
MSU Office of Admissions and Scholarships,
250 Administration Building,
Michigan State University,
East Lansing, MI 48824

To expedite an application, copies of the results are sent to the Ph.D. Program Secretary, Department of Teacher Education, Erickson Hall.

Note:- If the student has completed a degree program in an English speaking country, he or she can request a waiver of the TOEFL requirement. Once the program admissions committee is convinced of the student’s English language skills based on past program completion and other evidence, it will ask the university to waive the requirement. This waiver is usually granted, but the university may require the student to take the English proficiency test upon arrival at MSU.