Admissions Requirements for Students Educated Outside the United States
Applicants educated outside of the United States are required to submit transcript evaluation(s) and translation(s) for each post-secondary school attended, and Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or International English Language Testing System (IELTS) scores.
Who must submit a foreign transcript evaluation and translation?
The scenarios below require official foreign transcripts to be evaluated by a Foreign Transcript Evaluation Agency. Transcripts and additional documents in languages other than English must be accompanied by an English translation. CUNY Document Translation Guidelines (PDF).
- Applicants who have attended post-secondary schools outside of the United States and are currently studying in the United States on a non-immigrant (temporary) status. We define applicants in this case as international students*. If a Student Visa is needed, click on need a Student Visa for instructions.
- Applicants studying in the United States on an immigrant status (permanent resident) or who are Naturalized Citizens and completed all or part of their education outside of the United States.
- Applicants who have participated in a study abroad program.
Evaluations must include the:
- course-by-course evaluation with grade point average (GPA)
- degree evaluation, which must be equivalent to a United States Bachelor's Degree
- notarized English translation for documents in languages other than English
- See the CUNY Document Translation Guidelines.
- copy of the official transcript in the original language submitted to the evaluation service
Preferred evaluation agencies:
Evaluations and translations should be completed 8-10 weeks prior to the deadline.
We accept foreign credit evaluations from the preferred agencies listed below or you may use an agency that is currently a member of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES).
Please note: We do not accept evaluations from former NACES members (i.e. Global Services Associates, Inc.).
| Evaluation Service | Translate | Evaluate | Authenticate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Academic Evaluation Services, Inc. | Y | Y | Y |
| Educational Credential Evaluators, Inc. | N | Y | Y |
| SpanTran: The Evaluation Company | Y | Y | Y |
| World Education Services | Y | Y | Y |
English Language Proficiency Exam
A test of English language proficiency is required for applicants who fit one or both descriptions below:
- Applicants who have submitted academic records from a non-English speaking country.
- *International Students
| Test | Score Requirement | Test Website |
|---|---|---|
| Duolingo | The minimum Duolingo score accepted is 85. | https://englishtest.duolingo.com/applicants |
| International English Language Testing Service (IELTS) - Academic | The minimum IELTS Academic score accepted is 6. | https://ielts.org/ielts-usa |
| Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) | The minimum TOEFL score accepted is 500 (paper-based test), 61 (TOEFL iBT). | https://ets.org/toefl.html |
Please note: The scores listed above are the required minimums for admission to Lehman and are higher in most fields.
Official score reports
should be sent electronically directly from the testing service to the Graduate Admissions Office.
*At Lehman, an "international student" is defined as any person studying in the United States on a nonimmigrant visa.
