International Admissions Policies

Who is an "International Applicant"? 
Rowan considers international applicants students who entered or plan to enter the United States on a non-immigrant visa (e.g., F-1 or J-1) and maintain non-immigrant status throughout their study at Rowan University. This includes those who have submitted residency application documents to USCIS, but have not received formal approval verifying that you have become a permanent resident of the United States of America. Domestic (or U.S.) applicants are students who are United States citizens, permanent residents of the United States (“Green Card” holder), asylees, refugees, undocumented students, or DACA students. 

Application Fee
International undergraduate applicants (freshmen and transfer applicants): $45.00 (USD) non-refundable
International graduate applicants (masters coursework-only applicants): $65.00 (USD) non-refundable
*If you already have a foreign credential evaluation from a provider who is a member of NACES, and you submit an official copy during the application process, we will provide an application fee waiver and offer you the opportunity to apply to Rowan free of charge. Otherwise there are no other waivers available.

Enrollment Deposit
International undergraduate applicants (freshmen and transfer applicants): $100.00 (USD) non-refundable
International graduate applicants (masters coursework-only applicants): $250.00 (USD) non-refundable
*Deposits are required prior to receiving an I-20. There are no waivers available. Enrollment deposits are applied to students' tuition and fees once enrolled. 

English Language Proficiency
Prospective international students must submit proof of English language proficiency. For accepted English Language Proficiency Tests and exemptions, view our Language Policy. 

Admission Decision Process
Rowan University’s Office of International Admissions releases admission decisions on an ongoing basis throughout an admission cycle. Once a decision is released it will be posted in the Application Portal.

Each year, we receive thousands of applications for our international graduate class, and competition for graduate admission to Rowan has continued to increase over the past several years. The Office of International Admissions will preemptively deny international graduate applicants that do not meet the University standards of a minimum 2.5 overall GPA on a 4.0 scale, based on the foreign credential guiding principles for U.S. equivalency by The American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO). Course-by-course foreign credential evaluations will be produced by Rowan University for qualified applicants only (as needed).  

Students interested in submitting an appeal related to their admission decision or an admission deadline may contact the Office of International Admissions for assistance.

Deadlines
International admissions operates one term at a time. Only one enrollment term is listed on the applications at a time, and the next term will appear after each term’s deadline. Rowan University only offers Fall and Spring terms to international students.

Deadlines for students without a visa: 

Deadlines for students with an eligible visa: 

*Only fully enrolled students can apply for the Form I-20, therefore students must first confirm/accept their offer of admission as well as pay the required enrollment deposit. For more information on applying for the Form I-20 and F-1 Student visa click here. 

If applicants do not provide all required checklist items to complete their application by the document submission deadline, we are not able to complete our evaluation and the application remains incomplete. All incomplete applications are withdrawn after the document submission deadline and students must reapply to Rowan University. 

Deferrals
International freshmen and graduate applicants can defer their admission offers with no penalty or fees. 

International transfer applicants cannot defer their admission. They must reapply to Rowan University.

International freshmen and graduate students are allowed to defer their admission once. International freshmen can only defer one consecutive semester. Graduate students can defer up to one year. For example, a graduate student admitted to Fall 2021 can defer to Spring 2022 or Fall 2022. Students must have confirmed their original offer of admission and paid their enrollment deposit for their deferral request to be processed.

The deadline to request to defer is by Rowan University's Regular Add/Drop deadline of the term you were expecting to enroll. 

Students interested in deferring their admission should contact the Office of International Admissions for assistance. Submitting a deferral request form does not guarantee your deferral request will be approved. Additionally, Research Assistantships or Fellowships awarded will be re-evaluated by the program committee and are not guaranteed for later terms. 

Rowan University only offers Fall and Spring terms to international students. If students cannot enroll for the term requested, their admission is void and they need to reapply to Rowan University. All admissions fees paid will be applied towards the deferred term. 

Foreign Credential Evaluations 
We conduct a course-by-course evaluation of the student's transcript free of cost for admissions purposes only. If students already have a foreign credential evaluation, Rowan accepts Foreign Credential Evaluation Reports from service providers ​which are members of NACES. Official copies are required for the application fee waiver. Or students can also upload unofficial scanned copies to their application portal and then official copies will be required if admission is offered - no application fee waiver offered for unofficial copies. 

We require the individual mark sheets showing all courses attempted, withdrawn and repeated, as well as the University-issued Provisional Certificate or University-issued Original Degree Certificate. *Note: These must come from the University and not Autonomous Colleges. Additionally, we require Certified English translations of all academic records and degree or graduation certificates.

For students in their final year of Bachelor's degree completion, we require transcripts/mark sheets from all completed semesters (3 years) for evaluation. We do not accept coursework in progress. Additionally, we require a Bonafide Certificate in place of the University-issued Provisional or Original Degree Certificate. Upon enrollment at Rowan University, we will then require the University-issued Provisional Certificate, or University-issued Original Degree if received. 

For students who just recently graduated and have not yet received a University-issued Provisional or Original Degree Certificate, we required a Course Completion Certificate in place of the University-issued Provisional or Original Degree Certificate. Upon enrollment at Rowan University, we will then require the University-issued Provisional Certificate, or University-issued Original Degree if received. 

Official Transcripts
Rowan accepts scanned unofficial copies of transcripts and degree certificates for admissions purposes only. Admitted international students are required to submit official transcripts (paper or electronic) prior to registering for classes. If admission is offered, there will be a hold on your student account pending these requirements that will restrict you from registering for classes, viewing your schedule, attending class, adding or dropping courses and more. 

Please note your official transcripts and/or degree conferral documents become the property of Rowan University once we receive them. We are unable to accommodate student requests to access physical official transcripts received by our office. In the rare case that your institution will issue only one official transcript in your lifetime, please email International-Documents@rowan.edu to discuss potential options for your situation.

Submitting Official Documents
Official Transcripts Definition: Copies of transcripts printed, scanned and/or uploaded by a student to your portal are considered "unofficial". "Official" transcripts must be printed in color on official paper, obtain an embossed or raised institutional seal, an administrative signature, and be in an sealed (unopened) official institution envelope.

Official transcripts are required for all admitted international students. Students should request these to be sent to us via postal mail or electronically prior to applying for an I-20. Official documents must be sent directly from a University official/administrator. These cannot be sent by the student. 

*Please note for admitted international transfer students, official electronic transcripts must come directly from the institution via postal mail or secure portal (such as Parchment or Clearing House) in order to be evaluated for transfer credits. These cannot be emailed from a University official. Official documents can be sent directly from a University official/administrator using an institutional email for Freshman and Graduate students only.

Official electronic submissions should be sent to International-Documents@rowan.edu. 

Official paper submissions through postal mail should be sent to:
Office of International Admissions
Rowan University
Enterprise Center, 3rd Floor
225 Rowan Blvd
Glassboro, New Jersey 08028

If we do NOT receive students' official academic transcripts and proof of graduation/degree by Rowan University's Regular Add/Drop deadline of the term enrolled, students I-20 status will be canceled.