INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

Step 1: Complete Online Application

Complete the online application for admission and pay the $50 non-refundable application fee. The application fee can be submitted online by credit card, or mailed to the office by check or money order drawn on a U.S. bank. Upon submitting your application, you will receive an email confirming your application was received.

The application deadline for the fall semester is July 15. The deadline for the spring semester is October 1.

 

Step 2: Submit all Official Transcripts

After applying, you should send an official transcript, in your original language and with an English translation, from all secondary schools, colleges, and universities attended to the address below. An official transcript is an official record prepared by the issuing institution and sealed in the institution’s official envelope.

Please note: All required documents should be sent at least 120 days before the start of a semester to allow for adequate processing time, which can be extensive for some applications.

LSU’s Office of Enrollment Management is solely responsible for evaluating and determining the equivalencies of international credentials and grading scales.

LSU Office of Enrollment Management
1146 Pleasant Hall
Baton Rouge, LA 70803

 

Step 3: Submit TOEFL or IELTS Scores

If English is not your native language, you must provide your TOEFL or IELTS scores for proof of English language proficiency. Either test’s scores must be sent directly through the TOEFL or IELTS website. TOEFL scores require LSU’s school code of 6373.

International students who have never attended a post-secondary education institution will apply as a freshman (first-year student), and must have the equivalent of a U.S. high school diploma with an academic average equivalent to a “B” (3.0 or better on the U.S. 4-point grading system).

 

The “academic average” is determined by averaging the grades of secondary school academic courses, excluding nonacademic courses such as physical education, vocational/technical courses, religion, art, music, etc.

 

Students must submit complete official records for the secondary level of education and are strongly encouraged to submit ACT or SAT scores. Students who have taken advanced-level exams, international baccalaureate higher-level exams, or other types of secondary education beyond the 12th year of schooling should submit the official certificates, transcripts, and course syllabi for possible advanced placement university credit.

International students who have attended any post-secondary level college, university or institution must apply as transfer students. LSU requires the equivalent of a 3.0 (“B” average on the U.S. 4-point grading system) for all transferable credit from accredited international institutions. Applicants with less than the equivalent of 30 semester hours of transferable credit (approximately one year of full-time study) must also qualify for freshman admission.

Students must submit official transcripts from each post-secondary institution attended, listing courses taken and grades earned. Also required are the official course descriptions or syllabi to be evaluated for possible credit toward an LSU degree. Transfer credit is not given for English as a second language, non-English native language courses, or vocational/technical courses. For LSU to award transfer credit, the institution must be accredited or recognized by the Ministry of Education or equivalent government agency in that country, and be suitable for university level credit.

 

Transfer Credit from U.S. Institutions

International students who have attended a regionally accredited U.S. college or university must meet U.S. transfer requirements: an overall GPA of at least 2.50, and 30 semester hours of transferable credit, including a college-level course in English and mathematics. If less than 30 hours are earned, freshman requirements must also be met.

Transfer Credit from Both International & U.S. Institutions

If credit is earned from both international and U.S. post-secondary accredited institutions, a 3.0 GPA is required from international institutions, and a 2.5 GPA on all U.S. college work. Students who have less than a 3.0 GPA from international institutions may be admitted if they:

1. Meet the requirements for transfer from a U.S. accredited college or university (30 semester hours of credit above remedial, 2.50 GPA, math and English courses)
2. Have an overall GPA of 2.50 or higher when the U.S. GPA is combined with the international GPA. In this case, courses passed with the equivalent of “C” or higher will be considered for transfer credit from accredited post-secondary international institutions

An applicant whose native language is not English and/or who has been educated outside of the U.S. in a country or province where English is not the only official language must demonstrate proof of English proficiency by submitting either a TOEFL or an IELTS score.

 

Applicants may be exempt from the TOEFL/IELTS requirement if they have completed one of the following:

• U.S. high school diploma earned, having attended all 4 years of high school in the U.S.
• Bachelor’s degree earned from an accredited U.S. institution
• A score of 500 on the EBRW section of the SAT; or 18 on the English Section of the ACT
• U.S. transfer requirements (minimum 2.50 overall GPA on 30 or more semester hours above remedial level, including a college-level course in English and in mathematics, or two consecutive English courses, from a regionally accredited U.S. college or university)
• Secondary or tertiary education in a country where English is the primary official language.

Official transcripts or scores are required showing completion of one of the above before a student can be exempted from the TOEFL/IELTS requirement. The Office of Enrollment Management reserves the right to require a satisfactory TOEFL/IELTS score from any applicant.

All international students who are admitted (except for transfer students who have submitted a satisfactory TOEFL/IELTS score and have received transfer credit from an accredited U.S. institution for the equivalent of LSU’s English 1001 and 1002 or 1004 and 1005 with a grade of “C” or better in each) will be required to take an English placement test prior to registration.