International Student Requirements

The Department of Geography welcomes applications from foreign students. OSU has a large and diverse international graduate student population and has special requirements for admission of international graduate students. To comply with U.S. Immigration laws, international students should submit applications several months prior to the desired enrollment date.

In order to apply for graduate programs at OSU, an international student must provide evidence of financial support to meet U.S. Immigration requirements. If a student has been offered an assistantship by the Department of Geography, the student will be sent a letter from OSU stating the value of the assistantship with an indication of how much additional financial support, if any, is required before an I-20 form can be issued. The office of International Students and Scholars (ISS) and the Graduate College supervise these requirements, and all inquiries should be directed to those offices rather than the department.

All persons for whom English is a second language are required to present proof of English competency. However, an applicant who has or will have completed a baccalaureate or graduate degree from a college or university where English is the primary teaching language, and which is located in a country where English is a primary language, is not required to submit a TOEFL or IELTS score. Note, however, that submission of an internet based TOEFL score to the Department of Geography is necessary if employment as a graduate teaching assistant/associate is desired.

If required, an official TOEFL score of 86 (internet based test) is required to be submitted. The TOEFL institution code for OSU is 6546.

Alternatively, an official IELTS, academic stream, examination with a minimum overall band score of 6.5 will satisfy the English proficiency requirements for admission to a graduate program. Either examination must have been taken within the last two years.