International Applicants FAQs

Yes. If English is not your native language, the Graduate School requires that applicants submit current scores from the TOEFL or IELTS academic exams, or the Duolingo English Test. Scores older than two years will not be accepted. Taking both tests is not required. Applicants who have received a degree from an institution in the U.S. or the United Kingdom are not required to take the TOEFL/ IELTS/ Duolingo test.

Register for exams here:

• TOEFL at www.toefl.org
• IELTS at www.ielts.org
• Duolingo English Test at www.englishtest.duolingo.com

UNC Charlotte’s school code is 5105. A department code is not necessary.

• A minimum TOEFL score of 220 (computer-based), 557 (paper-based), or 83 (Internet-based) is required.
• The minimum IELTS band score of 6.5 is required.
• The minimum score for the Duolingo English Test is 115.

As a reminder, this is a requirement for The Graduate School at UNC Charlotte. Only applicants who have received a degree from an accredited institution in the U.S. or United Kingdom can request a waiver.

There are several conversion tools available online. We recommend the free WES evaluation tool.

Yes. International applicants who have earned three-year bachelor’s degrees are required to submit a “foreign credential evaluation” along with their supplemental application requirement. Such evaluation must be performed by a member of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES), for example, the World Education Services (WES). Either a document-to-document or a course-by-course foreign credential evaluation meets this requirement. UNC Charlotte will consider such an agency’s assessment as to whether the academic credential earned is, or is not, equivalent to a U.S. bachelor’s degree as well as its recalculation of grades. A listing of other NACES members is available at https://www.naces.org/members.