Admissions Requirements for International Students
International Freshman Requirements
The following factors are considered when reviewing applications for admission:
Completed online application and application fee
Certified official, original transcripts from all secondary schools as well as official results from any leaving certificates or university entrance exams taken. A certified English translation must be submitted for any documents not already in English. All application materials are property of George Mason University and will not be returned to the applicant, nor shared with another individual, institution, or organization under any circumstances.
Official scores from SAT or ACT. International students may be considered for admission with no SAT or ACT test score via the score optional admission program. This program allows for highly qualified students to be evaluated with no SAT or ACT score. More information can be found on our Score Optional information page. International applicants to engineering or computer science majors within the Volgenau School of Engineering are required to submit SAT or ACT scores.
Verification of English language proficiency. See the English Proficiency requirements below.
Secondary School Report (PDF) and counselor recommendations. We suggest sending two (2) letters of recommendation, one from a high school counselor and one from a teacher. There is no special recommendation form and letters can be submitted electronically or via e-mail to admissions@gmu.edu.
Essay or personal statement on a topic of your choice.
International Transfer Requirements
The Admissions Committee considers each transfer application individually, reviewing all grades received in courses attempted as well as the rigor of the applicant’s academic program. There are certain requirements all transfer applicants must present:
Completed online application and application fee
Official transcripts from each post-secondary institution attended sent directly to Mason from the institution
A certified English translation for documents not already in English
A certified course-by-course evaluation for all post-secondary level studies completed outside of the U.S at institutions that do not hold regional accreditation in the United States. All fees charged by translators or external evaluators must be paid by the student.
Verification of English language proficiency. See English proficiency requirements below.
An essay. Although optional, applicants are encouraged to use the essay to provide information about their background that can’t be gleaned from a resume.
Resume for any applicant with gaps in enrollment.
Transfer applicants with fewer than the equivalent to 30 university credits are required to submit:
Secondary school transcript
ACT or SAT scores
English Proficiency Requirements
All Mason students must have a full command of academic English to be successful in their studies. For this reason, Mason requires applicants to demonstrate English proficiency for admission consideration.
Examinations and Scores
The university will not accept English-proficiency examination scores that are more than two years old as verification of English language proficiency including SAT Critical Reading and ACT English scores. All scores must be sent directly to the Office of Admissions from the testing agency.
TOEFL iBT
Undergraduate: 80 or higher, minimum of 18 in each subsection. Our testing code is 5827.
IELTS
Undergraduate: 6.5 or higher on the academic exam, with a minimum of 6.0 in each subsection. Institutional code is NOT required.
Pearson Academic Test of English
A minimum score of 59, all applicants
SAT I Critical Reading
A score of 450 or higher. Mason’s SAT testing code is 5827. Undergraduate applicants only.
ACT-English
A score of 20 or higher. Mason’s ACT testing code is 4357. Undergraduate applicants only.
University level English Composition courses
Completion of English Composition I & II with grades of C or higher in each course at a regionally accredited college or university, where instruction was delivered in the United States. ESL and remedial English courses are not accepted. The University Admissions Committee makes the final decision about the acceptability of all English composition courses used in lieu of a TOEFL/IELTS requirement.Undergraduate applicants only.
