Students: Graduate Information
Important Information for International Students
The university welcomes the opportunity to enrich our environment with the varied perspectives of people from other cultures. Prospective students who are not U.S. citizens and/or native speakers of English must meet several special requirements in order to be considered for admission.- All students who are not native speakers of English need to be fluent in the English language and must demonstrate their competence by submitting test scores for the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). Successful applicants typically have scores of 600 or above. The Ohio State University Graduate School requires a minimum score of 550. The minimum score on the computer-based TOEFL (CBT) is 213. This requirement applies to all applicants from countries where the first language is not English, unless a degree was earned in an English-speaking country. Thus, if you are a non-native speaker but are currently completing a B.A. or M.A. degree at an American or English university, you do not need to take the TOEFL.
- Financial support for graduate students in the Department is provided mostly in the form of Graduate Teaching Associateships (GTAs), although there are also a limited number of Graduate Research Associateships and fellowships for dissertation students. To qualify for a teaching position, students whose first language is not English must submit a Test of Spoken English (TSE) score with their applications. A score of 60 on the TSE is required before a GTA position can be offered to an applicant whose first language is not English. Alternatively, students will be asked to take a SPEAK test when they arrive at the University. The University’s Spoken English program offers this test in early September at no cost to incoming graduate students. Students must pass the test with a minimum score of 230 in order to accept a teaching appointment. If you have questions about the SPEAK test, you can contact Andrea M. Sondrini at sondrini.2@osu.edu or by phone at (614) 292-5005.
- Students who have received an M.A. degree at a Unversity where English is not the primary language should apply for the M.A. program in our Department before applying for the Ph.D. In some cases it will be possible to bypass the M.A. once you arrive on campus, but it is departmental policy that students in the Ph.D. program have an M.A. degree from an English-speaking University.
- If you plan to attend Ohio State as a non-immigrant student, you will need a Certificate of Eligibility (I-20 for the F-1 visa, or IAP 66 for the J-1 visa). Ohio State will issue you this Certificate once you have been admitted, based upon documented evidence provided by you that enough funds exist to cover all of your expenses. If you are awarded a Graduate Teaching Associate, you will be paid at least $11,056 for three quarters of teaching; your tuition will also be paid. For further information, visit the Admissions office Web site: http://www-afa.adm.ohio-state.edu/international.html and the Office of International Education Web site: http://www.oie.ohio-state.edu/int_students/Default.asp. The international application should be used by all international applicants who intend to hold a foreign student or other non-immigrant visa while in the United States.
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