Frequently Asked Questions: international applications
- Must I take the TOEFL exam?
- Will you accept any test of English language ability other than the TOEFL?
- English is not my native language. Must I take the GRE?
- I would like to teach English as a second language. What type of degree should I pursue?
- May I transfer credits from my non-English university?
- How can I get residency?
- My grading system is different from that of American schools. How will the Committee know how to evaluate my grades?
- Will visa information be available to me?
Must I take the TOEFL exam?
Every International applicant whose native language is not English is required to take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) given through the Educational Testing Service, Princeton, New Jersey. The TOEFL must be taken and satisfactorily passed in the student's home country prior to being considered eligible for admission to the UW-Madison Graduate School. The TOEFL examination is an essential part of the student's application and must be taken at least six months before the proposed date of enrollment but not more than two years before the program application deadline.
Exceptions to this rule may be made if: their official language of instruction at the undergraduate level is English; they have completed two full-time semesters of graded work, exclusive of any ESL courses, in a U.S. college/university or American college/university; or if they have degrees from an accredited U.S. college/university or American college/university. Generally, U.S. citizenship does not exclude applicants from being required to take the TOEFL; prior higher educational experience is the determining factor.
Will you accept any test of English language ability other than the TOEFL?
We are sorry, but no.
English is not my native language. Must I take the GRE?
International applicants are not required to take the GRE (though they are encouraged to do so) unless they have spent a year or more at an anglophone institution. If the applicant has spent a year or more at an Anglophone institution, scores are required. Please arrange to have official copies of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) Verbal, Quantitative and Analytical scores sent to the University of Wisconsin-Madison. If GRE scores are required, applicants to the program in Literary Studies or either bridge program also need to take the GRE Literature in English Subject Test. All candidates will need to take the exams early enough for the scores to arrive before our deadlines.
I would like to teach English as a second language. What type of degree should I pursue?
There are a variety of programs which may be of interest to you. Many students wishing to teach English as a foreign language pursue a Master's degree in Applied English Linguistics.
Another popular program is the Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) certificate.
Students with an interest in second language processes and learning and second language pedagogical theory may wish to pursue a doctorate in the interdisciplinary Second Language Acquisition program.
May I transfer credits from my non-English university?
The Graduate School's minimum credit requirement for graduation can be satisfied only with graduate-level courses taken as a graduate student at UW-Madison. The only exception may be graduate-level course work taken as a CIC Traveling Scholar.
For a Master's degree (except MFA), the minimum credit requirement is 16 credits. For the MFA, this requirement is 24 credits. For the PhD, the minimum credit requirement is 32 credits, all of which must be completed prior to achieving dissertator status.
As long as these minimum credit requirements are met, using previous graduate work from another institution toward fulfillment of English department course requirements can be considered. Decisions are ad hoc and made by Director of Graduate Studies. In the past, questions about transferring credit have been deferred to the point after which the student has completed one semester: the better the student, the more likely it is that the credits will be transferred, and conversely, the weaker the student, the more likely that the quality of her/his prior training will be in question.
How can I get residency?
Visa and residency questions are handled by the office of International Student Services (ISS).
My grading system is different from that of American schools. How will the Committee know how to evaluate my grades?
The Admissions Committee works with the Graduate School when questions arise about the evaluation of international transcripts. The Graduate School has a number of admissions officers who have extensive experience evaluating grades from international schools using different grading systems.
Will visa information be available to me?
Yes, International Student Services (ISS) can answer all your visa questions and provide information about your visa status.
(rev. 8/2005)
