International Student Admission

We welcome applicants from around the world. As an international applicant, you must take additional steps to ensure review of your application.

Apply

First, submit your application online. You must pay a non-refundable $75 application fee before your application can be reviewed.

Credential Evaluation

DePaul University requires that you submit your official educational credentials and evaluation fee to one of the following companies to have a course-by-course evaluation completed:

• One Earth International Credential Evaluation
• Educational Credential Evaluators, Inc. (ECE)
• Educational Perspectives (EP)
• World Education Services (WES)

Evaluations from any other company will not be accepted. Please contact the evaluation company for information on payment and fees.

After receiving your credentials, the company you have chosen will submit their general evaluation directly to DePaul along with certified copies of the credentials you submitted for evaluation. These documents will be used for your admission review – please do not submit any educational credentials directly to DePaul University.

Admission Documents

To determine the specific materials required for admission to your chosen program, please review the College of Communication's admission procedures.

All supplementary application materials can be sent as .doc or .pdf attachments to gradcom@depaul.edu or mailed to the graduate admission office. Please remember that we cannot guarantee books, DVDs or bound materials will be reviewed by the college.

Proof of English Language Proficiency

All students educated outside of the United States must submit proof of their English proficiency in order to be reviewed for admission. International applicants holding a bachelor’s, master’s, or PhD from a regionally accredited United States institution will have the TOEFL requirement waived upon receipt of their U.S. transcripts.

DePaul University requires that all students earn at least 80 (ibt) with no section lower than 17 on the TOEFL exam to be considered proficient. However, most graduate programs require a higher TOEFL score to be considered for admission. Please visit your chosen program’s website for their specific TOEFL score requirements and for information regarding conditional admission. We will also accept an official Duolingo or IELTS score report in lieu of a TOEFL exam.

Note: The English language proficiency scores listed below apply to all master's programs in the College of Communication except for the Digital Communication and Media Arts (DCMA) program. Refer to the DCMA Admission page for the English language proficiency scores required by the program.

Please request your score report be sent to:

DePaul University
Office of Graduate Admission
College of Communication
1 E. Jackson Blvd.
Chicago, IL 60604-2287

The DePaul University institution code for the TOEFL exam is 1165.

Requesting a Student Visa

Individuals who come to the United States to study must apply for a student visa at a U.S. Embassy or Consulate in their home country. To apply for a student visa, you must first obtain a Certificate of Eligibility for Non-Immigrant (F-1) Student Status (also known as a SEVIS I-20 form.)

You will be required to submit documentation to our office before DePaul will issue an I-20 to you, including the following:

• Bank statements (must show proof of adequate financial support for your first year of study at DePaul)
• Financial Affidavit of Support form (lists annual tuition and living expenses)
• Copy of your passport identification page

If you plan to bring dependents (a spouse and/or children) to the U.S. with you, you will need to also submit passport identification pages for each dependent, as well as a marriage certificate for your spouse and birth certificates for your children. In addition, you will need to show a higher amount of financial support, as outlined in the Financial Affidavit of Support form.

Full instructions for requesting a student visa and detailed information about enrolling at DePaul as an international student are available through International Admission.

Application Deadlines

Application deadlines vary by program. Please review the College of Communication's admission procedures for more details.

International students should submit their applications at least one month prior to the standard application deadline.

Upon Admission

Once you have been admitted to a graduate program, you will receive an email with additional information needed for the I-20 request process.

Further instructions on how to proceed with your application to DePaul University can be found at the International Student and Scholar Services (ISS) website.