International Admissions Requirements
Requirements for Standardized College Entrance Examinations
All freshmen and transfer students, with less than 24 transferable credit hours, are required to take a U.S. standardized college entrance examination, regardless of your citizenship/visa status or whether you have attended secondary school in the U.S. or abroad.
The UM-Dearborn will accept either the SAT or the ACT. Students should submit all available exams scores. These tests are available throughout the world, and should be taken well in advance of the intended starting term. SAT and ACT scores may take 6-8 weeks after the test date to arrive at UM-Dearborn. You may take the test(s) more than once, and your highest composite score will be considered.
Your score will be used as one factor in the admissions process. If your secondary education has been completed partially or entirely abroad, and if English is not your native language, your individual circumstances will be considered when evaluating your test scores.
For students with international backgrounds, the score required for admission in each case will depend on various other factors, such as high school courses and grades, and English proficiency test scores (if requested).
An English proficiency test is required for non-native speakers of English, and may be used as a positive factor to offset a low SAT or ACT score. Please see below for information on English proficiency testing.
For information and registration materials for the SAT or ACT, please contact your high school counselor if you are in the U.S., or contact the testing agencies directly if you are currently living abroad:
SAT
College Board ATP
P.O. Box 6200
Princeton, NJ 08451, U.S.A.
Phone: 609-771-7600
ACT
P.O. Box 414
Iowa City, Iowa 52443, U.S.A.
Phone: 319-337-1270
Academic Records
Translations
Translations are required for all documents not originally in English. These translations must be complete, word-for-word, and in the same format as the original document. You must submit both the original document and the translation to the Office of Undergraduate Admissions.
High School Records
All freshmen must submit official transcripts for all years of secondary school work completed (U.S. and abroad). UM-Dearborn does not require a third-party credential evaluation, however, we strongly encourage course-by-course evaluations in order to expedite the application review process and aid our students in their future endeavors including U.S. job applications, other higher education institution applications, or meeting professional licensure or certification requirements.
Applicants with international transcripts who do not submit an approved third-party transcript evaluation will have an internal evaluation completed. The results of the internal evaluation are for internal purposes only and will not be shared with the applicant. This process cannot start until all other required materials have been received and generally adds 3-5 weeks to the admissions process before your file can be considered for admission.
If your secondary school work has been completed in a country which has national standardized examinations, you must also submit official certificates showing results of these examinations ("O" or "A" levels, Baccalaureate, Standard X and XII, etc.). Trend of grades and mix of academic courses will be considered. Students must successfully complete their secondary school program before enrollment at UM-Dearborn.
Transfer students must provide proof of secondary school completion (diploma, final transcript, leaving certificate, examination certificate, etc.), but are usually not required to provide records from all years of secondary school. However, you must provide complete records if you have attended college for less than one year of full-time study.
College and University Records
Transfers must have official transcripts sent to the Office of Undergraduate Admissions for all post-secondary institutions attended. Notarized copies may be acceptable from institutions outside the U.S. (if originals are typically difficult to obtain).
If you have attended college or university outside the U.S., there may be an additional requirement. UM-Dearborn requires a third-party credential evaluation for most international transfer coursework, however, we need course-by-course evaluations in order to complete the application review process and aid our students in their future endeavors including U.S. job applications, other higher education institution applications, or meeting professional licensure or certification requirements. Most evaluation services require that you submit records from your last year of secondary school along with your college or university records.
We accept course-by-course evaluations from the following services:
- Educational Credential Evaluators
- World Education Services (Course-by-Course ICAP type)
- SpanTran (Course Analysis type)
- Educational Perspectives
Course-by-course evaluations from other NACES members may be utilized on a case-by-case basis.
Undergraduate English Language Proficiency
If you are not a native speaker of English, you must prove an adequate level of English language proficiency, even if you are a U.S. citizen or permanent resident and regardless of how long you have resided or been educated in the U.S.
You must fulfill the English language proficiency requirement in one of the ways described below before admission will be granted.
Undergraduate English Language Proficiency
If you are not a native speaker of English, you must prove an adequate level of English language proficiency, even if you are a U.S. citizen or permanent resident and regardless of how long you have resided or been educated in the U.S.
You must fulfill the English language proficiency requirement in one of the ways described below before admission will be granted.
- Completing two full years of general track English courses in a U.S. high school with grades of "C" or better, or
- By achieving a minimum score of 620 on the verbal section of the SAT or 26 on the English section of the ACT
- Completing two full years of general track English courses in a U.S. high school with grades of "C" or better, or
- By achieving a minimum score of 620 on the verbal section of the SAT or 26 on the English section of the ACT, or
- Completing two semesters of transferable English composition courses, equivalent to UM-Dearborn's Composition 105 and 106, with grades of "C" or better in both courses. If you are enrolled in the second semester of English composition while applying, conditional admission may be possible.
- Anguila
- Antigua
- Barbuda
- Australia
- Bahamas
- Barbados
- Bermuda
- British Virgin Islands
- Canada (except Quebec)
- Cayman Islands
- Dominica
- England
- Federated States of Micronesia
- Grenada
- Guyana
- Ireland
- Jamaica
- Monserrat
- New Zealand
- Northern Ireland
- Scotland
- Seychelles
- Shetland Islands
- St. Kitts-Nevis
- St. Lucia
- St. Vincent and the Grenadines
- Trinidad and Tobago
- Turks and Caicos Islands
- United States (other than Puerto Rico)
- US Virgin Islands
- Wales
Students educated in American based, British based, and IB based curriculums will be evaluated individually to determine whether an English Language Proficiency Exam is required.
For all internationally educated students, SAT Reading/Writing sub-score or ACT English score will be taken into consideration. The University of Michigan-Dearborn reserves the right to request an English Language Proficiency Exam after reviewing the SAT/ACT sub-score.
Applicants whose language of instruction was exclusively in English may be granted a waiver. Verification from the school is required. Some institutions post a designation directly on the transcript or related academic record. In cases where there is not a designation on the transcript, a supplemental letter from the institution will likely be required. If you have questions, please contact the Office of Undergraduate Admissions for further details regarding verification for your case.
Testing Information
Accepted English language proficiency exams are the Duolingo English Test, International English Language Testing System (IELTS), Michigan Language Assessment (MET), and Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). Applicants only need to take one of these test options. You may take any of the exams more than once, but only your most recent score will be considered. Scores must be no more than 2 years old You should complete an assessment well in advance of your intended starting term. Test scores may take 2-8 weeks to arrive at UM-Dearborn depending on the location and test-taking method.
You should complete an assessment well in advance of your intended starting term. Test scores may take 2-8 weeks to arrive at UM-Dearborn depending on the location and test-taking method.
Proficiency Test
| Admission | Computer-Based TOEFL | DuoLingo | IELTS | Internet-Based TOEFL | MET | Paper-Based TOEFL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Score for Full Academic Admission | 213 | 105 | 6.5 | 79 | 57 | 550 |
For testing information and registration materials, please contact:
DuoLingo
5900 Penn Ave, Second FL
Pittsburgh, PA 15206, U.S.A.
Telephone: 412-567-6602
duolingo.com
IELTS
100 East Corson Street, Suite 200
Pasadena, CA, 91103, U.S.A.
Telephone: 626-564-2954
[email protected]
MET
Argus 1 Building
535 West William St., Suite 310
Ann Arbor, MI, 48103, U.S.A.
Telephone: 734-615-9629
my.michiganassessment.org
TOEFL
P.O. Box 6151
Princeton, NJ, 08541, U.S.A.
Telephone: 609-771-7600
[email protected]