EIU Office of International Students and Scholars

Graduate Checklist for Admission

1. Application for Admission¹ 

*To defer admission submit a Defer Admission form which can be found under Forms and Documents . You may be required to pay the application fee again as well as submit updated financial documents. 

2. Official records (transcripts or mark sheets) beginning with post-secondary school. Transcripts must bear the seal and signature of the appropriate school official, and be accompanied by an official English translation if necessary. A minimum grade point average of a 2.75 on a 4.0 scale is required. All transcripts become property of this University. 
Unofficial copies of all transcripts, diplomas, mark sheets, and certificates from each secondary school can be uploaded on the MyEIU portal. These copies will be considered unofficial documents to make academic decisions until official transcripts are provided. All students who plan to attend Eastern Illinois University are required to provide official, final transcripts. Without official copies of your educational records, an I-20 will not be issued.  

• • For transfer credit, students must submit either of the following:
    • External evaluation provided by World Education Services (WES) or Education Credential Evaluation (ECE), or an approved evaluation agency, with official transcripts or marksheets
    • Syllabi/class plan for courses taken   

Failure to List All Schools:  If you do not list all schools on your application, you will be expelled, denied admission, or refused transfer credit.

Falsified Documents:  You will be denied admission or subject to investigation and possible dismissal if you send falsified transcripts, bank statements, or any other documents.

In response to the global pandemic, the OISS office will allow documents to be sent electronically to international@eiu.edu.

3. Official Entrance Examination Score (GRE, MAT, GMAT)² These must be mailed directly from the testing center to OISS. The school code for Eastern Illinois University is 1199. Not all programs require an entrance examination.

4. English Language Proficiency Requirement³: Official TOEFL, IELTS, STEP EIKEN; Michigan English Language Assessment Battery (MELAB), or iTEP Academic Plus Examination (effective Fall 2014 admission cycle) mailed directly from the respective testing service. The school code for Eastern Illinois University is 1199. Test results are valid for two years only. Required scores are listed here. Please note, conditional admission is possible for students who have not met the English requirement.

5. A completed International Student Financial Affidavit Form and a bank statement (submitted online via MyEIU account), documenting sufficient funding for the intended program of study. To see the total cost of one year of study, please see our Costs page.

6. A passport copy is required.

7. Non-refundable application fee of $30.00 U.S. in the form of a check, certified check or money order made payable to Eastern Illinois University, application fee is valid for one year.

¹Admission deadlines are as follows: May 15 for Fall Admission/November 1 for Spring Admission. Some graduate programs have earlier deadlines.
²Not all graduate programs require admission tests. Please check the Graduate Degrees website to see if a test is required.
³English Proficiency Requirements can be waived under the following circumstances:

1. You have successfully completed the 3 levels Advanced Proficiency Level (APL) at one of The Language Company centers in the United States. 

2. You have successfully completed 24 semester hours of academic credit from a U.S. college or university, or

3. You have completed Level 112 courses with a Certificate of Proficiency from an ELS Language Center in the U.S., or

4. You have successfully completed two consecutive years of courses in a country where English is the primary language and medium of instruction (within the past two years).

5. You have successfully completed Graduate Student English (Level 7) at the Center for English as a Second Language (CESL) at Southern Illinois University - Carbondale.

6. You have successfully completed the Proficiency Level, Certificate of Achievement from Kaplan International Colleges.