Graduate student applicants should be
aware that deadlines vary from department to department. In addition, the
application deadline and the deadline to apply for assistantship funding may
differ within a department. The graduate school reviews all applications
and makes the final determination on admission. For more information on this
process please go to
www.uwm.edu/Dept/Grad_Sch/Prospective/app_overview.html.
The graduate school has a Priority Filing Date
of January 1 for the Fall term and a September 1 priority filing date for the
Spring term. Please check with your individual department for department
specific deadlines and recommendations.
The Office of International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS) strongly
recommends international graduate student applicants to apply to the
University at least nine months before the semester in which they would like
to enroll. Applying in advance allows students sufficient time to receive
appropriate government documents (most typically the I-20) needed to apply for
a student visa to enter the United States.
General Requirements
UWM admits undergraduate students with good academic records who provide proof
of successful completion of their secondary education, have adequate preparation
in mathematics, languages, and other academic areas, and sufficient command of
the English language for successful study.
Graduate applicants who provide proof of having completed the U.S. equivalent of
a four-year undergraduate degree must fulfill a number of additional
requirements as determined by the faculty of the desired graduate program.
If you require an F-1 or J-1 visa, you must also provide evidence of sufficient
financial support. If you have dependents (spouse and children), additional
information must be provided prior to the issuance of a visa eligibility form
(I-20 or IAP-66).
Credentials
You must submit official certificates and grade reports of all secondary and
post-secondary work. These credentials must include a list of the subjects
studied, the minimum passing grade, the maximum grade possible in each subject,
and the grades attained, as well as the applicant's rank in the graduating
class, if it is available. Official graduation certificates, diplomas, and
degrees must also be submitted. All documents must bear the original seal or
signature of the registrar of the institution attended. If a photocopy of a
document is sent, it must be certified by the institution issuing the document.
Credentials written in languages other than English must be submitted along with
a certified translation (NOTE: a translation alone is not sufficient). Any
translation should be literal and not interpretive. Credentials submitted to UWM
become the property of the University. PHOTOCOPIES THAT ARE NOT CERTIFIED BY THE
INSTITUTION THAT ISSUED THEM OR PHOTOCOPIES WITH THE SEAL OF A NOTARY PUBLIC ARE
NOT ACCEPTABLE.
English Proficiency Requirement
International applicants
are required to demonstrate proficiency in the English language. Most applicants
do this by submitting certification of proficiency in English by means of the
"Test of English as a Foreign Language" (TOEFL)
prior to admission. The TOEFL is administered in more than 90 testing centers
throughout the world. For information about TOEFL tests, services, policies, or
procedures, call 1-609-771-7100. To schedule an appointment to take the test,
call 1-800-465-6335 or the appropriate Regional Registration Center. Applicants
to graduate programs also have the option to take the "International English
Language Testing System" (IELTS) exam rather than the TOEFL to prove English
proficiency. For more information about IELTS testing, visit their website
http://www.ielts.org.
Additionally, applicants to
graduate programs may be considered to have proven proficiency in English if
they have received a baccalaureate or higher degree from UWM, or another
approved institution where English is the language of instruction within the
last 2 years. Important: please see our
Admission Requirements page for complete details about how to satisfy
the English proficiency requirement.
The requirement for English
proficiency is the same for Non-Degree Candidates as for Degree Candidates.
If you are not yet
proficient in English, UWM has a special non-credit English as a Second Language
program. If you are an academically qualified student, but your score is below
the required or recommended scores on the TOEFL or IELTS (for graduate
students), study of English as a Second Language at UWM prior to academic
enrollment is required. Other students may choose to enroll in English as a
Second Language Program courses for extra help building their college-level
English skills.
For more information, contact:
English as a Second Language Program
The University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee
P.O. Box 413
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53201 U.S.A.
(414) 229-5757
(414) 229-6258 Fax
E-mail: esl@uwm.edu
Web Site: www.uwm.edu/Dept/ESL
Note: If you receive a teaching assistantship (TA), you will be required to take
the SPEAK (Spoken Proficiency in English Assessment Kit) test during the
international TA orientation. If you do not pass the SPEAK test, you may not be
eligible to teach and will be required to enroll (at your own expense) in the
'Oral Skills for International Teaching Assistants' course. For further
information, contact the English as a Second Language program.
Non-immigrant Student Requirements
Applicants also may obtain information on non-immigrant student requirements,
including student visas (F-1), the F-1 non-immigrant document (form I-20), and
other legal requirements related to attending the university from the Center for
International Education. In addition, non-immigrant documents are
provided for international visiting faculty and scholars.
