Graduate Students
The College of Graduate and Professional Studies welcomes applications from prospective international students.
Programs
We offer multiple degree programs in which full-time enrollment may be possible for international students if studying on F-1 or J visas. Full-time graduate study at LU is defined as six (6) credits per semester - International students wishing to be present in the US to complete a graduate degree are required to take a minimum of three (3) classroom based credits a semester.
Programs that may offer classroom-based credits
Qualified international students may complete an online graduate degree while remaining in their home countries. See all of our Graduate Programs.
Requirements
Graduate international applicants must meet the following application requirements in addition to all program-specific requirements.
Bachelor’s Degree Requirement
All graduate students must hold a conferred bachelor's degree from a college or university accredited by an appropriate institutional accreditation organization by the first day of their graduate coursework.
Recognized Accreditation Organizations
Eligible institutions must be accredited by one of the following organizations:
- Higher Learning Commission (HLC),
- Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE)
- New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE)
- Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU)
- Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC)
- WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC)
Degree Evaluation for International Applicants
Applicants who earned a degree, bachelor’s or higher, outside of the United States need to obtain a course-by-course evaluation of their degree credentials. If the evaluation determines that the background is not equivalent to a U.S. bachelor’s degree with appropriate accreditation, admission will be denied.
Applicants can request an evaluation from a member organization of one of the two national associations of credential evaluation services:
- National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) is an association of 19 credential evaluation services
- Association of International Credentials Evaluators (AICE) is an association of 10 credential evaluation services
TOEFL or IELTS
If the primary language of instruction where the applicant obtained a degree, bachelor's or higher, is not English, then submission of official English language test scores is required.
Accepted minimum scores include one of the following:
- TOEFL minimum score of 79/80
- IELTS minimum score of 6.5
- Duolingo minimum score of 115
- Cambridge English score of C2
Process
Graduate international applicants offered admission will be contacted by the International Student/Scholar Advisor who will communicate the additional requirements for international students, and who will issue the non-immigrant visa forms.
Graduate students will not be permitted to begin coursework until all additional requirements are met (financial certification, health insurance, immunization records, etc.).
Financial Assistance and Graduate Assistantships
Limited financial assistance in the form of graduate assistantships may be available. Learn more about assistantship positions and policies.