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Tulane Admission

International Applicants

Learning about a university that is far from your home can be a challenge. It is our hope that the information and resources provided throughout our website can provide you with an understanding of the exceptional educational experience offered at Tulane.  

Tulane students come from all over the world, and Tulane always provides a welcoming environment for students of all backgrounds. The process used to evaluate international applicants is simular to the process used to evaluate the rest of the applicant pool. There are, however, a few parts of the application that require special attention from international applicants and a few additional forms that are required. This page contains information regarding the international student application process, required standardized test scores, required financial forms, and the secondary school report and transcript.

Application Process
All first-year applicants use the same application forms. Tulane accepts the Universal 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 the use of courier services and we also consider reviewing late applications on a case by case basis.

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, keeping in mind that most international students are less competitive without TOEFL scores. Transfer students may also request these examinations be waived if they have successfully completed 30 credit hours at an American university. 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 have completed secondary schooling in the United States, Tulane also requires certified copies of government examination certificates issued by university examination syndicates, or copies of whichever 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 (through a maximum of $20,000) to international students whom we determine to have financial need. 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 in order for it to 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. Qualified applicants are females from Latin America pursuing a degrees in Liberal Arts. Students need not fill out additional forms in order to be considered for this award; recipients are chosen by the Office of Undergraduate Admission based on their academics and extracurricular activities. 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 need not fill out additional forms in order to be considered for this award; recipients are chosen by the Office of Undergraduate Admission based on their academics and extracurricular activities. 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 states that you have been accepted to the University and that you have the funds to support yourself while attending school in the United States.

To receive an I-20, you must first be accepted to Tulane and you must also submit your initial tuition deposit which shows your intent to enroll. Once we have your deposit, we will send you a document, used 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, in order to help prevent any errors while generating the form. After we receive this information back, 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.