International Graduate Admission Checklist

Please read carefully to insure you are submitting all documents that are required.

All Applicants

• International applicants must submit the required financial documentation after admission is offered. Find more information on the Provide Proof of Financial Ability to Attend and Request I-20 page. Please note that a graduate assistantship most likely will not cover the entire cost of attending Minnesota State University, Mankato. Email completed financial affidavit statements to gradapp@mnsu.edu.
• Credentials must be official and received directly from the institution sending the official credential. Email attachments submitted by applicants or potential applicants are not opened by this office.

Applicants Educated in the United States

• You must request one official transcript sent directly from the institutions attended.
• Submitted documents are not returned to the applicant under any circumstance.

Applicants Educated Outside the United States

• A credential evaluation prepared by a reputable credential evaluator. Minnesota State Mankato will accept evaluations prepared by a National Association of Credentials Evaluation Services member. Many students choose from one of the following services:
  • Educational Credential Evaluators
  • World Education Services
  • SpanTran
• If you are submitting a detailed credential evaluation, official transcripts or mark sheets are not required at the time of application. Official final degree verifying transcripts will be required if the degree has not been awarded at the time of application. 
  • Please keep in mind:
    • Applicants using World Education Services to evaluate credentials should be particularly careful to ensure that the evaluations are delivered to the correct campus address, and are advised that there are often delays in receiving WES evaluations.
    • Each credential evaluation agency has different names for different services. The evaluation, regardless of what it is called by the evaluation agency, must include a detailed listing of the courses completed while you were enrolled at the overseas institutions, the grade received in each course, and an overall evaluation of your cumulative coursework at each institution.
    • International applicants who will not have earned a degree prior to applying to a graduate program should request that the evaluation agency note the US equivalency of the anticipated awarded degree.
    • Evaluations must be sent directly from the evaluation service. Photocopies are not accepted.

Standardized Tests

The standardized tests required by each academic program are noted on the degree program web pages. Search the list for your desired program, and follow the link to additional admission requirements for the minimum scores required by each individual program.

• English Proficiency Exams – International students must demonstrate English language proficiency by submitting TOEFL or IELTS results. 
  • IELTS results must be from the Academic and not the General Training module. 
  • TOEFL: Unless otherwise noted, a score of 61 or better on the Internet-based exam is required, although most graduate programs require significantly higher TOEFL and IELTS scores. 
  • Applicants from countries where English is the SOLE OFFICIAL language of instruction (Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Canada-except Quebec, England, the Gambia, Ghana, Ireland, Jamaica, Kenya, New Zealand, Nigeria, Scotland, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad, Tobago, Uganda, and Wales) are typically not required to submit TOEFL results.
• The GRE (Graduate Record Examination) is required by some academic programs.

All test scores must be submitted directly by the testing agency. The Educational Testing Service (ETS) code for Minnesota State Mankato is 6677. Photocopies of test scores are not accepted.

All documents submitted as part of a graduate application will not be returned to the applicant.