International Students

Northwest Missouri State University is happy to say that it has students from all over the world. With over 22 different countries represented, Northwest has made its place in the world today!

Financial Section

Before deciding to attend Northwest, the international student should examine his or her financial situation very carefully.

The U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service requires Northwest to certify that international students have been accepted for full-time enrollment and have sufficient funds to meet all expenses: tuition, housing, transportation, etc. Northwest requires a Statement of Support and bank statement from the student's family, sponsor, or government.

The statement certifies that funds for tuition, room and board, as well as personal funds are available, and that the student is permitted to export and exchange those funds into the U.S. I-20 form can not be issued without this certification.

Language Requirements

Students entering Northwest are required to have a reading, writing, and conversational knowledge of the English language.

If the student's native language is not English, then he or she is required to meet the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) minimum score of:

• Paper-based: 500 for undergraduate or 550 for graduate admission
• Computer-based: 173 for undergraduate and 213 for graduate admission
• Internet-based: 61 for undergraduate and 79 for graduate admission

Students who satisfy other admission requirements but not the language requirement can apply for admission to the ESL Program and tentative acceptance to the university. They can enter the regular program after they finish in ESL.

We now accept IELTS (International English Language Testing System) scores for admissions. A minimum score of 5.0 on the Academic IELTS is acceptable for undergraduate admission and a minimum score of 6.5 on the Academic IELTS for graduate admission.

Application Deadlines

The application and documentation noted below must be received by the Office of Admissions prior to the deadline noted; applications not completed by the deadline will be considered for the next admission session. These deadlines allow for the evaluation of transcripts for admission and for transfer of credit, review of graduate applications by the respective departments, time to process, send and receive an I-20 and time for the student to obtain a visa. No exceptions are made to these deadlines.

• Fall Semester July 1
• Spring Semester November 15
• Summer Session April 1

New International Students

To be fully admitted to Northwest, students must submit each of the following items to:

Northwest Office of Admissions
Northwest Missouri State University
800 University Drive
Maryville, MO 64468-6001, USA

Forms are available by request from the Northwest Office of Admissions.

• International Application for Admission or use the Online International Student Application
• Official academic transcripts from each secondary and post-secondary institution attended. Syllabi (course descriptions) must be submitted for all courses taken at any universities outside the U.S. Transcripts will not be evaluated until syllabi have been received.
• Application fee of $50.00 in U.S. currency. This is a non-refundable fee.
• An official score report from the Test of English as a Foreign language (TOEFL) or IELTS.
• Statement of support
• Transfer recommendation form and International Student Advisor Report if applying as a transfer student from another American university.
• Applicants from countries with currency restrictions which may make it difficult to transfer funds to the United States are required to submit a prepayment of one trimester's tuition and fees before an I-20 can be issued. These countries include Bangladesh, Cameroon, Ghana, Haiti, Kenya, Nigeria and Sudan.
• GRE and/or GMAT score reports are required for graduate admission.

Apply Now to Northwest!