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International Admissions

The University of Missouri-St. Louis has become one of the most important educational institutions in the St. Louis metropolitan area. In less than forty years, UM-St. Louis has grown from 600 students and about a dozen instructors to a major institution with more than 15,000 students, including more than 700 international students from over 90 countries. Not only is UM-St. Louis affordable, it offers student housing, modern student facilities, and state of the art computer technology to go along with its convenient location, and world-class faculty. UM-St. Louis continues to expand its academic programs, improve its physical facilities and widen its reach.

At UM-St. Louis, you'll enjoy all the educational advantages of a major research university to build a strong foundation for your future. Although we're the largest university in St. Louis and the third largest in Missouri, our focus is our students.

Variety of Options at the University of Missouri-St. Louis
You can choose from a number of top-notch degree programs and pre-professional programs at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. Whether you're interested in business, education, engineering, nursing, architecture, law, medicine, optometry, journalism, science, social sciences or liberal arts, there are plenty of opportunities to pursue your interests and explore new options.

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Requirements for Admission to the University

The information below is intended for students who wish to start and complete a program at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. Students who are currently enrolled in a school outside of the United States, but who wish to study at our univeristy for one or two semester as an exchange student should click here for more information.

Students can apply by mailing in application documents or by completing the online application. Please read the information below on the steps necessary to apply for admissions to the University of Missouri-St. Louis for international students.

1. Application to the University:
   • Paper Application: Complete the appropriate application for either
     Undergraduate Admissions (pdf only) or
     Graduate Admissions (pdf only)
     • Fee information can sometimes be outdated on application materials. Please use the fee information below for the most up-to-date information.
   • Online Application: You can also apply electronically for both undergraduate and graduate programs. If you are completing an online application, you must print and complete a Signature Card that you can mail or fax to the ISSS office (see contact information below for ISSS office address and fax number).
   • Mailed Application: Students can also request a paper application/brochure by sending a request to iss@umsl.edu. The necessary application forms and directions as well as information about the University of Missouri - St. Louis and the city of St. Louis can all be found in this brochure.
2. Application Fee: A non-refundable application fee must accompany all applications in order to be processed. The application fee is $40.00 USD ($35.00 USD for Permanent Residents). Please make check or money order payable to "University of Missouri-St. Louis." If you would like to pay by credit card, please submit the Application Fee Payment form.
3. Educational Transcripts: Please ask your secondary school and any university or college you have attended to send official, original transcripts directly to our office in a sealed official school envelope. Credentials must be translated into English and accompanied by a conversion key to U.S. equivalents. Note: Certified copies or documents issued to the student are NOT considered official. All transcripts that you submit become property of UMSL.
4. Proof of English Language Proficiency: English language proficiency is required for all non-native speakers of English. This can be shown with an official TOEFL or IELTS score. The minimum TOEFL score for undergraduate admission is 500 Paper-based (173 computer-based, 61 Internet-based).
   Graduate students who have spent less than two of the last three years in an English-speaking country are required to submit scores from an internationally accepted standardized examination (typically TOEFL or IELTS) before a decision is made on admission.
• If you do not meet the minimum requirements or are interested only in English language training, please visit either:
  • The website for ELS St. Louis, which is located on the campus of UM - St. Louis; or
  • The website for the summer English Language Institute at UM - St. Louis.
• Click here for more information on the English language requirements and exceptions.
5. Other Graduate Applicant Requirements: Graduate students are sometimes required to submit other test scores and reference letters. See the listing for the requirements of the department you´re applying for. The application packet you received from Graduate Admissions will let you know if you need to provide letters of recommendation.You may download a letter of recommendation (PDF) form by clicking on the link.

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Additional Requirements for Immigration Documents

International students must submit additional information in order to receive the appropriate documents for immigration as mandated by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services. The following information describes what ISSS requires from students applying for admission to the University of Missouri-St. Louis.

1. Financial Support Form and Bank Statement (MS Word version, PDF version, or FILLABLE PDF version): You or your sponsor must fill out the Financial Support Form and send an original bank statement which states the exact amount in U.S. dollars or a letter from the bank certifying that you have the necessary amount in an account. This bank document must be on official bank letterhead and sent to our office in a sealed envelope. The financial support form and bank document must reflect enough funding for one year of study (tuition, fees, and living expenses). Note: you do not need to provide the financial support from if you are NOT seeking F-1 or J-1 status.
   • Fee information can sometimes be outdated on application materials. Please use the fee information below for the most up-to-date information.
2. Transfer Students: If you are an F-1 or J-1 student attending another institution in the US or if you will attend another US institution before come to UMSL (including a language school), you need to worry about transferring your SEVIS record. If you are admitted, you and an international student advisor at your current institution will worry about the process at that time. We should send you the appropriate information and forms when you are admitted. If we do not, please notify us. It is your responsibility to make sure your SEVIS record is transferred successfully.

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Other Important Information:

• Application deadlines: In general, applications for admission, transcripts, test scores, and letters of recommendation (when required) must be on file by the following dates for the corresponding semester.
  • Summer Term: March 1
  • Fall Semester: May 1
  • Winter/Spring Semester: October 1
  • Please note that some graduate programs have earlier deadlines and prospective students are encouraged to review the department's website or materials for specific dates.

 

• Remember: your application must be signed and dated to be processed. Please send ALL application materials to Office of International Student and Scholar Services, University of Missouri-St. Louis, One University Blvd. (221), 261 MSC, St. Louis, MO 63121 USA. For international students applying to programs which ask for materials to be sent directly to the department, these items must still be sent first to ISSS. ISSS will forward all necessary items to the department once we receive your complete application.

• Authorization to Release Information: The Office of International Student and Scholar Services maintains a policy that information about applicants (and current students) cannot be released to individuals other than the student him or herself. This policy is based in part on federal regulations and university-wide policy. If, however, it is necessary to have information released to an individual other than the student, our office requires written authorization to do so. Please submit the Authorization to Release Information form (HTML version) (PDF Version) with your application if you will need a specified individual to receive information about your application status.

• Financial Assistance: The University of Missouri - St. Louis is able to offer only a limited amount of financial aid to graduate students in some fields in the form of teaching and research assistantships. Please submit the assistantship application along with your other application materials if you are interested. Students may also search for private scholarships and grants using the following links.

• Application Brochure: If you would like to request an application brochure, please send a request to iss@umsl.edu. The necessary application forms and directions as well as information about the University of Missouri - St. Louis and the city of St. Louis can all be found in this brochure.

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Cost of Attending UMSL as an International Student
Managing your finances is one of the most important and challenging aspects of a successful and enjoyable academic experience. Below is some information to consider when planning a budget for attending school at UMSL and when preparing bank documents for the admission process.

Some of the expenses to remember include:
Tuition and Fees, Meals, Rent, Books, Mandatory Health Insurance, Communications (Telephone and Mail), Transportation, Personal Expenses, Clothes, Family Expenses, Taxes, Travel, Recreation

The chart below shows the amount necessary for an F-1 or J-1 student to receive immigration documents from UMSL.

Please note: Costs may rise approximately 6% to 10% per year.