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Tulane Admission

International Applicants

Learning about a university far from home can be a challenge. We hope the information and resources provided throughout our site have helped to give you a good idea of what Tulane is like and the kind of educational experience you will have here.      

Tulane students come from all over the world and we pride ourselves in providing a welcoming environment for students of all backgrounds. Our process of evaluating international students is similar to the rest of the applicant pool. There are, however, a few areas that require special attention or different forms. This page explains your application process, standardized test scores, secondary school report and transcript, and finances.

Application Process
All first-year students to Tulane use the same application forms. Tulane accepts the Common Application in addition to its own application forms.

Tulane understands that international applications sent via traditional postal service may be slow to arrive in our office, so we encourage use of courier service and consider reviewing late applications case by case.

Please note Tulane's various admission deadlines and observe them carefully. If your application is completed just prior to the deadline, there may be very little time between notification of admission and the beginning of the term, thereby making it difficult to obtain a U.S. visa. It will be to your advantage to take the standardized tests and complete your application as early as possible. Most Tulane students enter the university in the fall semester.

Standardized Test Scores
International students must submit standardized test scores from the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT I) and the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the IELTS Test in lieu of the TOEFL. Freshman candidates whose native language is English and/or who can submit sufficient SAT I verbal scores of approximately 550 may request that the TOEFL requirement be waived. Transfer students may request these examinations be waived if they have successfully completed 30 credit hours at an American university. However, most international students are less competitive without these scores. The TOEFL iBT may also be submitted to demonstrate your ability to learn English. Successful international students at Tulane normally receive iBT scores of: reading 21, listening 18, speaking 23, and writing 22.

Secondary School Report and Transcript
Tulane requires a certified copy and a translated copy of your secondary school academic record. Exiting exams alone are not sufficient, unless you have already completed substantial university work; your academic record must list courses taken and grades received. Although Tulane is familiar with the grading systems of most nations, it is important that your school indicate which grades are designated as honors level performance, success, and failure.

Unless you completed secondary schooling in the United States, we will also need certified copies of government examination certificates issued by university examination syndicates, or copies of whatever general examination results are required for matriculation in universities in your country. A copy of your original record may be certified as a "true copy" by a notary public, an official of the school you are attending, or a representative of a U.S. consular official. If the original copies of your records, certificates, or examination results are not written in English, it is required that a literal English translation of these records be submitted with the documents. The English translation can be made and certified by one of the officials mentioned above.

Finances
International students must complete the Certification of Finances Form in addition to their application for admission.

Tulane University offers limited financial assistance (up to a maximum of $18,000 this year) to international students whom we determine to be financially needy. The amount of the reward will increase annually with respect to Tulane’s tuition. To determine whether you qualify for aid, submit the Foreign Student Financial Aid Application by March 1 so it can be considered during the period when maximum funds are available.

There are two privately funded scholarships for students coming from Latin America. The Brandt Dixon Scholarship is a merit based scholarship that covers all costs. Recepients of the award must be a female from Latin America pursuing a degree in Liberal Arts. Students cannot apply for this, but will be chosen by the Office of Undergraduate Admission based on their academics and extracurriculars. The Latin American Student Scholar's Award is a merit based scholarship that covers the cost of tuition for all four years (or five for students studying architecture). Students cannot apply for this, but will be chosen by the Office of Undergraduate Admission based on their academics and extracurriculars. For more information on either of these scholarships, please contact Pascale Gerdes.

I-20
You cannot apply for a Visa without your I-20. The I-20 is the doument from your American university which sates that you have been accepted to the University and that you have the funds to support yourself while attending school in the U.S.

To receive an I-20, you must be accepted and submit your deposit, showing that you plan on attending Tulane. Once we get the deposit from you, we will send you a document that we use to create your I-20 via email. Please open it immediately and make sure the information on it is correct. If any changes need to be made, please make note of those and send them back to us.You may also send us a copy of the front page of your passport, to help prevent any errors while generating the form. After we have this information back from you, we will send the form to the Office of International Students and Scholars (OISS), so they can produce your I-20.

It typically takes the OISS a week to generate the I-20. Once it is created, we will send it via Federal Express to your home.