Undergraduate Admissions

International Student Admission

Requirements and Expectations

The University of Wisconsin is a world-class university and admission is both competitive and selective.

Our international admission counselors review each application individually and are looking for students who demonstrate strong academic ability in a competitive secondary school program. We consider the characteristics of your national system of education, level and stream of studies completed, quality of achievement, and type of institution(s) attended. Other personal characteristics that will contribute to the strength and diversity of our university are also considered.

• Freshman Admission
• Transfer Admission

Freshman Admission

The majority of students enter as freshmen. These are first-year university students who have completed secondary school but have not pursued university-level studies. To be considered for freshman admission, international students must meet the same requirements and expectations of other UW-Madison applicants. Review our Freshman Requirements and Expectations page to ensure you are qualified for admission. In addition, international students should note the following:

• University-Preparatory Curriculum: You must complete a university-preparatory secondary school curriculum and earn a completion certificate or diploma that leads to university admission in the country where you study and live. The curriculum must include the specific courses listed for Freshman Academic Course Preparation. Please note, if you have pursued an academic stream in commerce, social studies, or language at the secondary level, you will likely not be considered for freshman admission. These streams are not considered university-preparatory in the United States.
• English Proficiency. International applicants must submit results from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) that meet our minimum English proficiency requirement for admission consideration. A minimum score of 550 on the paper test, 213 on the computer test, or 80 on the Internet-based test is required of all students whose native language is not English and who were not educated in an entirely English-speaking country.

Please note: You will likely not be considered for freshman admission if you:

• Have begun a post-secondary program of study. In this case, you should consider applying for transfer admission to UW-Madison
• Completed your secondary-level studies in a country that requires a total of less than 12 years of formal education before entering a university
• Pursued an academic stream in commerce, social studies, or language at the secondary level

In the cases of the second and third bullets above, your pattern of course work will not be competitive with that of other first-year students.  We recommend you begin your university education elsewhere and apply for transfer admission to UW-Madison in the future.

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Transfer Admission

A transfer student is one who has already completed one or more years of university-level studies. International students should apply for transfer admission (as opposed to freshman admission) after completing one or more years of university-level studies. To be considered for transfer admission, you must meet the same requirements and expectations of other UW-Madison applicants. Review our Transfer Requirements and Expectations to ensure you are qualified for admission. In addition, international students should note the following:

• Secondary-Level (High School) Courses. You must complete a university-preparatory secondary school curriculum and earn a completion certificate or diploma that leads to university admission in the country where you study and live. The curriculum must include the specific courses listed under Transfer High School Record.
• English Proficiency. International applicants must submit results from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) that meet our minimum English proficiency requirement for admission consideration. A minimum score of 550 on the paper test, 213 on the computer test, or 80 on the Internet-based test is required of all students whose native language is not English and who were not educated in an entirely English-speaking country. Students interested in transferring into programs in the College of Engineering, the School of Pharmacy, and the School of Medicine and Public Health must meet higher TOEFL score requirements. Refer to the appropriate program for more information.

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