Instructions

Apply online using the Common Application. Your file will not be reviewed until all the materials below have been received by the Office of Admissions:

• Completed application, including essay and CV/resume
• Application fee of US$75
• Academic records with official transcripts and certified English translations, if applicable, for each postsecondary institution attended
• Demonstrated English proficiency 

The following item is only required from students who need a student visa (F or J visa holders):

• The AU Declaration of Finances Form (AU DFF) must be submitted (through your AU applicant portal) by the application deadline and must reflect at least US$83,680 for the first year of study and living expenses. Be prepared to pay at least this amount for each additional year at AU.
• Once you submit your admissions application and create your portal, the completed and signed two-page AU DFF form can be completed through your AU applicant portal.
• An official bank letter, the AU CFIS form completed by the applicant and parent, and a copy of the student’s passport will be required at a later date if the student is accepted and decides to enroll at AU. The full list of required documents can be found on our International Student & Scholar Services Office (ISSS) website.

Important Information - Proof of Finances for International Students

1. Undergraduate admission to American University is need aware for all international students. This means that AU considers the student's ability to cover all costs when making admissions' decisions.
2. AU does not provide need-based financial aid, need-based grants, or federal financial aid to international students. Need-based aid is only available for U.S. citizens and U.S. permanent residents.
3. All international students who will need an F-1 student visa /J-1 exchange visa must complete and submit the AU Declaration of Finances Form (AU DFF) through their AU applicant portal, confirming a minimum of US$83,680 by the appropriate deadline, even if they hope to receive a partial merit-based scholarship.
4. The AU DFF form must be signed and dated within the past three months to be considered valid.
5. AU does not accept the CSS profile, FAFSA form, or the College Board ISFAA forms for international students.
6. Students receiving or applying for an outside scholarship from a government, parents' employer, or other organization may be contacted by an admissions representative for more information regarding the scholarship application timeline and scholarship disbursement date.

Transfer Application Deadlines

Your application and all supporting documents must be received by the dates below.

Fall Semester

• The final deadline for students attending college or university inside or outside the United States is May 1

Important: For international transfer students applying from outside the U.S., we strongly recommend that you submit all required documents and university transcripts by April 15.

Spring Semester

• The final deadline for international transfer students inside and outside the United States is October 1

Important: For international transfer students applying from outside the U.S., we strongly recommend that you submit all required documents and university transcripts by September 1.

Submitting Your Application and Supporting Documents

1. Complete your AU Declaration of Finances form (AU DFF) in your AU applicant portal once you’ve submitted your application.  Applications missing the AU Declaration of Finances Form (AU DFF) will remain incomplete.
2. Students cannot self-report results of their English proficiency exams (Duolingo, TOEFL, or IELTS). Please ask the testing agency to send your official score report to American University, Undergraduate Admissions, Washington, District of Columbia. 
3. Students cannot submit their own secondary and/or post-secondary transcripts or recommendation letters. Ask your university/college official to upload these documents directly to the Common Application. Alternatively, your university official may use their university official email account to send electronic copies of your official documents (with English translation if needed) as PDF attachments to admissionsdocuments@american.edu. Note: Do not mail hard copies if you choose this electronic option.
4. If your university/college does not wish to submit documents electronically, ask them to use a courier service (and keep your tracking number) to send your official transcripts and recommendation letters to:
   • Undergraduate Admissions
     Office of Enrollment
     4801 Massachusetts Ave., NW STE-218
     Washington, DC 20016-8001
     USA
     Tel: +1-202-885-6000 

If you have any questions, please contact International Admissions at intadm@american.edu.

Application Form

Complete the application carefully. Please make sure to include your full name exactly as it appears in the machine-readable section of your passport (check the bottom of your passport page). The first three letters stand for the country of your citizenship. Omit those three letters when completing the admission application form. Also include your date of birth, complete educational history, country of birth, citizenship, current mailing address and a permanent address outside of the United States, even if you currently live or study in the United States.

Your Academic Records

If you have completed less than one year of full-time academic study at a postsecondary institution in the United States or overseas at the time of application (i.e. you have less than 24 semester credits per the U.S. system of higher education), please submit all of the following:

1. Your secondary school diploma and academic credentials (examination results and certificates; transcripts for grades 9, 10, 11 and 12; etc.) for each secondary institution attended. Students who studied in 3-year secondary school systems only need to provide transcripts for those three years.
2. Your academic credentials or transcripts from each postsecondary institution attended.

If you have completed at least one year of full-time postsecondary academic study at the time of application, submit only your postsecondary academic credentials. No secondary school academic records are required.

Please have academic records from each secondary and/or postsecondary school you attended sent directly from those schools to American University. These records should be submitted in their original language and accompanied by official English translations if applicable. You may submit certified or notarized copies of your original official transcripts if your country issues only one copy of your academic documents.

Contact intadm@american.edu with any questions regarding submission of documents.

College Transfer Report

Only Required for Admitted Students who Plan to Enroll at AU

Please have a college official from your current or most recent institution complete the Transfer Registrar Report if you plan to enroll at AU. This form ensures that you are in good academic and disciplinary standing at your current or most recent institution.

You can access the form through the Common Application. Within your My Colleges tab:

1. Click Assign Recommenders
2. Scroll to the bottom and click College Report
3. Download the form
4. Submit the form to a College Official and have them mail the completed form directly to American University.

Advanced Credit for Postsecondary Coursework

Courses completed at accredited postsecondary institutions within or outside the United States may be eligible to receive transfer credit.

Please visit AU's Transfer Credit Guidelines site for more information.

Advanced Credit for IB, AP, A Level, OIB English, and CAPE Secondary Exams

Students may be eligible to receive advanced credit for exams passed during secondary school. If you took IB, A level, AP, OIB English or CAPE exams while in secondary school, visit our exam credit page for full details on AU exam policies.

Letter of Recommendation

A letter of recommendation for transfer students is optional. You may select and assign at least one Academic Evaluator within the Common Application. If you request recommendations outside of the Common Application, they should appear on official letterhead and include your full name and date of birth and be sent directly to American University.

English Proficiency

AU requires strong English language skills. All transfer applicants (including US citizens) can prove English proficiency by one of the options below.

Via Curriculum:

Proof of English proficiency via testing is not required of non-native English-speaking transfer applicants who:

• Have been educated in U.S. regionally accredited post-secondary institutions inside or outside the U.S. where English is the only medium of instruction and where the student successfully completes two English college-composition (non-ESL) classes with a "C" or higher;
• Have graduated 4 years (grades 9, 10, 11 and 12 or equivalent) of secondary/high school where English was the only medium of instruction with no ESL within the past two years in one of the following:

• U.S. regionally accredited high schools inside or outside the U.S.
• IB secondary schools inside or outside the U.S.

Internal transfer students—those who have taken prescribed coursework at AU and who are applying for degree-seeking status—must earn a grade of "C" or higher in all required English as a second language courses and the WRTG-100 course taken at AU to meet the

Or Via Testing:

Accepted Examinations and Test Score Requirements

The following English language proficiency exams are accepted by American University:

• Cambridge English
• Duolingo English Test (DET)
• International English Language Testing System (IELTS)
• Pearson Test of English (PTE)
• TOEFL (TOEFL iBT and Home Edition)

Note that only official test scores will be accepted for English proficiency and students cannot self-report exam results. Meeting the minimum score does not guarantee admission. Official results should be sent directly to American University’s Office of Undergraduate Admissions, Washington, DC.

English Proficiency Exams - Minimum Test Scores

TOEFL	IELTS	Cambridge English	Duolingo English Test	Pearson Test of English	SAT-EBRW	ACT-English
85	6.5	176	120	60	610	25

Important: Though English proficiency may be met in one of the above ways, the Office of Admissions may still request TOEFL, IELTS, DET, Cambridge Assessment English, PTE scores or other additional documentation if deemed necessary.

Note for Native Speakers of English: For native speakers of English from the U.S., UK and Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Australia, New Zealand, Canada (except Quebec), Singapore, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and these countries in the Caribbean (Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Montserrat, Saint Helena, Saint Kitts & Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent & Grenadines, Trinidad & Tobago, Turks & Caicos Islands, U.S. Virgin Islands) who list English as their first language on the Common Application, proof of English proficiency is not required, but may be requested.

Advanced Credit for IB, AP, A Level, CAPE Secondary Exams

Students may be eligible to receive advanced credit for exams passed during secondary school. If you took IB, A Level, AP, the OIB English, or CAPE Unit Two exams while in school, please visit Credit by Exam page for full details on American University’s exam policies.

Interruption of Studies Statement

If you have already graduated from secondary school at the time of application, you must submit a short interruption of studies statement describing your activities (e.g., work, travel, internships, study at another university, etc.)  since graduation.

Discover EducationUSA Resources in Your Country

For further assistance with the application process, visa, and pre-departure orientation sessions and information specific to your country, please contact the Public Diplomacy Section at your local U.S. Embassy or U.S. Consulate for referral to an overseas educational advising center near you. You may also wish to consult the U.S. Department of State’s website, https://educationusa.state.gov/, to locate an EducationUSA Advising Center in your region.