UMass Boston

Apply as an International Transfer

You are an international transfer applicant if you have attended one or more post-secondary institutions after graduating from high school or receiving your GED, regardless of the number of credits earned. We strongly encourage you to apply online by completing and submitting either the UMass Boston Application or the Common Application:

UMass Boston Application   Common Application

Please be sure to send us your application and all required materials by the posted deadline. If you experience any technical problems with the application, please email us immediately.

Deadlines

Fall Semester June 15
Traditional Nursing Program

Spring Start - November 1
Fall Start - March 1 
Spring Semester  December 15

International Application Requirements

As a prospective international student, you are required to submit all of the following materials in order to be considered for admission:

  • Completed admission application
  • Official college or university transcripts from all institutions attended. Records must be sent directly from the institution to be considered official.
  • If you have earned fewer than a total of 24 credits at other colleges or universities, you must also submit an official high school record, leaving certificate, and/or graduation examination results.
  • 500-word essay
  • Documentation of English language proficiency
  • Application fee: $60

See below for further details about each of these requirements.

All documents should be mailed to:

UMass Boston
c/o Office of Undergraduate Admissions
100 Morrissey Blvd.
Boston, MA 02125

Essay Requirement

All UMass Boston applicants are asked to submit a personal essay. This gives you the opportunity to present yourself in a way that grades and test scores cannot. Our admissions counselors will use your essay to evaluate your ability to organize your thoughts and express yourself clearly. The admission essay may also be used to consider you for admission to the university’s Honors College or any scholarship opportunities for which you may qualify.

Please select one of the following questions and write an essay of about 500 words:

  • Evaluate a significant experience, achievement, risk you have taken, or ethical dilemma you have faced, and its impact on you.
  • Discuss some issue of personal, local, national, or international concern and its importance to you.
  • Describe a person who has had a significant influence on you, and describe that influence.
  • Select a character in fiction, a historical figure, or a creative work (as in art, music, science, etc.) that has had an influence on you, and explain that influence.
  • Remembering that a range of academic interests, personal perspectives, and life experiences adds much to the educational mix. Given your personal background, describe an experience that illustrates what you would bring to the diversity in a college community, or an encounter that demonstrated the importance of diversity to you.
  • Another topic of your choice.

College & University Transcripts

UMass Boston requires an official, year-by-year statement of grades or official transcript be sent directly to the Office of Undergraduate Admissions by all colleges and/or universities you have attended. If your transcripts are not modeled on the American system, a professional course-by-course evaluation of your international academic coursework will also be required.

To obtain such an evaluation, please contact one of the following organizations:

International Transfer Credits

  • Transfer applicants may be awarded credit for courses completed either at another U.S. college or university that is regionally accredited, or from a post-secondary institution outside the U.S. and approved by the government or ministry of education in its home country.
  • The Office of Undergraduate Admissions will determine the number of credits and courses a student may transfer from previously attended institutions.
  • As a transfer applicant, you may also be required to submit college/university course descriptions or syllabi from previously attended institutions for the purpose of performing a transfer-credit evaluation.  If the official transcripts of your academic record are not in English, you will also be required to send English translations validated by a certified public translator.

English Language Proficiency

If you are not a native speaker of English, you are required to demonstrate your English language proficiency in one or more of the following ways:

  • SAT-I ERWS score if you have under 12 college credits. Non-native speakers with a SAT-I ERWS score of 480 or higher do not need to take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).
  • Transcript from college or university attended in the U.S. that shows completion of First-year English Composition class with a grade of "B" or higher.  University transfers so qualified can be exempt from taking the TOEFL
  • TOEFL with minimum score of 79 on the internet-based test or minimum score of 213 on the computer-based test or a minimum of 550 on the paper-based option.
  • IELTS with minimum score of 6.0.
  • Duolingo English Test
    • Spring 24 & Fall 24 (100+)
    • Spring 25 or later (105+)

You must submit official scores directly from the testing agency. The school code (CEEB code) for the University of Massachusetts Boston is 3924.

Demonstrating English proficiency does not guarantee admission but is necessary for full admission.

Provisional Admission

UMass Boston may offer provisional admission to the international undergraduate applicants that meet all of the admission criteria, but whose TOEFL or IELTS results do not meet the minimum requirements. Students provisionally accepted to the university will be referred to the University Preparation ESL program.

Obtaining an I-20

Once you have been accepted to the UMass Boston, you will receive detailed instructions from International Student and Scholars Services (ISSS). They will contact you about submitting documents necessary for I-20 Certificate Eligibility issuance.

Cost of Attendance for International Students

Estimated Expenses for the 2023 Academic Year

  • Tuition: $36,145
  • Fees (including health insurance): $4,929
  • Living Expenses and Meals: $16,440
  • Personal Expenses: $800
  • Total: $58,750