Mason is Virginia’s most diverse university, and we proudly welcome students from 130 different countries.
Here, you’ll always find familiar faces, while also being exposed to new ideas and cultures, as you live and study while earning your degree.
The communities surrounding Mason campuses are similarly diverse, allowing you to find many of the comforts of home while pursuing your degree. And with our proximity to Washington, D.C., you’ll have the opportunity to collaborate and network with government and industry professionals to make a better tomorrow for yourself and your community.
Please take a moment to review basic requirements and deadlines for international graduate student applications. And we hope to see you at Mason.
International Graduate Student Requirements:
- Completed online application for graduate study and application fee
- An earned baccalaureate from an institution of higher education accredited by a Mason-recognized U.S. institutional accrediting agency, or international equivalent, verified from official transcripts.
- Effective for Fall 2025 admission: For applicants whose initial post-secondary degree is a three-year bachelor degree earned from a full member country that follows the Bologna Process as verified from official transcripts, the degree is considered sufficient.
- For those applicants who have an initial post-secondary bachelor three-year degree plus a post-graduate diploma or certificate, master’s, or doctoral degree in a similar discipline, verified from official transcripts by Mason Admissions and earned from an institution of higher education accredited by a Mason-recognized U.S. institutional accrediting agency, or international equivalent, the degrees will be considered sufficient.
- For applicants whose initial post-secondary degree is an integrated master’s degree or higher (no baccalaureate degree was earned), the earned graduate degree is sufficient if earned from an institution of higher education accredited by a Mason-recognized U.S. institutional accrediting agency, or international equivalent, as verified from official transcripts.
- Note: Due to admissions deadlines, graduate students are sometimes admitted before conferral of a bachelor’s degree. Students who are awaiting conferral of the degree will be permitted to register for their first semester. However, continuance in any graduate program requires an official transcript which verifies conferral of a bachelor’s degree.
- Enrollment beyond the first semester in any graduate program requires official transcripts showing degree conferral from all previously earned degrees, including undergraduate bachelor's degrees and higher, as well as any graduate coursework that the student wishes to be applied to the Mason degree program.
- Copies of unofficial university transcripts from any earned degree uploaded to the online application portal from all universities attended.
- All transcripts from colleges or universities outside the United States must be translated into English, if applicable, and submitted for evaluation to the Mason Office of Admissions. Mason will provide evaluation service free of charge for all international transcripts, however, some programs may request an outside evaluation be completed.
- Because of volume, more time may be needed to process applications requiring a Mason evaluation. For expedited service, students may submit their documents to any NACES member organization at their own expense. Suggested NACES evaluation services include:
- If you decide to use an external evaluation service or if your program requires an outside evaluation, GPA and Degree equivalences must be included with your course-by-course evaluation. The Office of Admissions has final authority on all evaluations. Evaluations are used for internal purposes and are not released to applicants. For information on international transcript requirements, go here.
- Verification of English language proficiency. Please see the English language requirements page.
- Official GRE, GMAT, LSAT, or MAT or other official test scores, as required by your program sent directly to Mason from the testing agency.
- Other supplemental materials specified by your academic program such as essays, departmental forms, portfolios, or interviews.