INTERNATIONAL APPLICANTS
We're happy to welcome international students to graduate study at Newhouse. Usually 10-15% of our graduate population is international students. Many of our international students have some background in a specific communications field, either through coursework or professional experience in their home country. They choose to study at Newhouse to learn the U.S. approach to that profession, and then either take those skills back home with them or stay on to work here. Please keep in mind as you read over the following policies that we're not trying to discourage qualified applicants, but simply to make clear the qualifications needed for success at Syracuse University and Newhouse.
Post-Secondary Education Requirements
An applicant to a graduate program at Syracuse University must provide official documentation of having earned at least a U.S. bachelor's degree or its equivalent from another country before enrolling at Syracuse. Some programs require a master's degree and in such cases this must be officially documented before enrollment as well. International applicants must have graduated from colleges or universities that are recognized by the national educational authorities of their home countries. The following are some specific guidelines for equivalents to the U.S. bachelor's degree:
Canada: a three-year bachelor's degree from Quebec or a four-year bachelor's degree from the other provinces
Central and South America: a university degree requiring four years of study
European countries (other than the United Kingdom) and countries following the French system: a post-secondary degree that qualifies its bearer for admission to master’s degree programs in his/her home country
United Kingdom and countries following the British system: a bachelor's degree with honors
Asian countries (except those noted below): a university degree requiring four years of study
India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nepal: a bachelor's degree in engineering or a master's degree in any other field
English Language Score Requirement
International applicants from countries other than Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Canada, Ireland, Jamaica, New Zealand, Trinidad and Tobago, and the United Kingdom must provide a score from an approved English language test. Applicants who have studied for at least one year in a higher education institution in one of those countries or the United States are exempt from this requirement.
Most students take the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language). We require a minimum score of 600 (PBT), 250 (CBT), or 100 (iBT). The average TOEFL score for international students we admit is 108 (iBT score scale).
We also accept scores from IELTS (International English Language Testing System) in place of the TOEFL. Our minimum requirement is a score of 7.0.
These scores must be officially reported to Syracuse University by our application deadline. All of our programs require a great deal of writing, frequently under deadline pressure. Our experience has been that students who are not able to score at these minimum levels cannot complete a Newhouse master's program successfully. If your score does not meet this minimum requirement, we recommend that you not apply to a master’s degree program at Newhouse.
Syracuse University has a very good English Language Institute (ELI) that specializes in helping international students improve their written and spoken English language skills to a level where the students can be successful in American graduate classes.
Finances
Syracuse University requires that international applicants who have been admitted to a degree program provide proof of sufficient financial support to cover the costs of their program of study. International applicants must show sufficient funding for at least the first year of graduate study in order to have a student visa authorized. Please click here (pdf) to view estimated costs of attendance. Applicants must provide two separate documents: (1) an original, signed letter of support from a sponsor, including the amount of support in U.S. dollars; (2) a certified bank statement indicating that the sponsor has sufficient funds to pay at least first-year expenses. Additional information about these requirements is available on Form SUIA, which is included in the application and required at the time the application is submitted.
Any scholarship support awarded by the University or Newhouse is subtracted from the overall amount, reducing the dollar amount the student needs to prove they have available. A student visa will not be issued until this financial documentation has been received and reviewed. VERY IMPORTANT: To speed up the process, please provide the requested support documentation when you file your application for admission. Providing this documentation does not hurt your chances of being awarded merit-based financial aid. Please note that the majority of our aid awards offer only partial funding.
Practical Training
International students may take a non-paid internship (either for credit or simply for the experience) once they are enrolled in a Newhouse program. Paid internships are not permitted until the student has been a resident in the United States for at least nine months, and then only after the student has filed a request for Practical Training. The University's Center for International Services can help you with the application process; you'll go through an orientation session organized by that office once you've been admitted to Newhouse and arrive on campus.
After you complete your Newhouse degree, you may apply for continued practical training in the United States for one year past your degree completion date.
You may also wish to link to the Graduate School's information for international students.