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Graduate College of Social Work

Persons who hold a nonimmigrant type visa (F1 or J1) are classified as international applicants/students by the University of Houston. Because the application process is more time consuming for persons from other countries or persons whose degrees were earned abroad, international applicants are encouraged to apply as early as possible.

In addition to the application materials required by the GCSW, international applicants must submit the following:

1. Statement of Understanding

2. Letter of Financial Backing

3. A nonrefundable application/evaluation fee of US $75.00 made payable to the University of Houston. Payment may be made with a personal check drawn from a US bank, cashier’s check, or money order or visa or master card denominated in US dollars. If payment is being sent from outside the United States, it must be in the form of an American Express money order. NOTE: This fee is in addition to the nonrefundable US $100.00 application fee required by the Graduate School of Social Work. Please submit a separate check or money order for each fee.

4. Two passport-sized photographs

5. Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) score of at least 550. This is required of all applicants from countries where English is not the native language. Test scores may not be more than two years old. Applicants must have earned the bachelor’s degree, or equivalent, from an institution accredited by a recognized accrediting agency.

The University of Houston reserves the right to evaluate foreign credentials. In general, these evaluations will follow nationally accepted review practices and will rely on standard references, such as the World Education Series published by the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admission Officers.

You are exempt from the TOEFL requirement if you:

• Have earned a bachelor’s degree or higher from an accredited United States college or university.
• Studied for your bachelor’s degree, or equivalent, in Australia, Bahamas, British Isles, English speaking Canadian provinces, Jamaica, Virgin Islands, West Indies, Trinidad, South Africa, Fiji Islands, Liberia, Zimbabwe, New Zealand, Sierra Leone, Belize, and St. Thomas.