Degrees Completed Outside of the United States

Three-Year Degrees

Individuals who complete a three-year bachelor’s degree from countries where this is a common standard are eligible to apply to graduate programs at JMU. An additional year of coursework is not required. Programs evaluate the courses completed by each student. In the rare case that deficiencies are identified, programs may require or recommend some specific preparatory courses beyond the normal graduate program to help the student successfully complete their graduate program.

Because academic programs vary among countries, students who complete degree programs outside of the United States must document that they have earned prior degrees from accredited universities, and that they have completed particular courses with satisfactory grades. Applicants are permitted to submit unofficial documentation of their prior coursework during the initial admission review. However, applicants should consider that your admission review is based on the materials that you provide to us, and you are more likely to be admitted when you provide us information that allows us to be confident about your prior experiences. So please consider:

• The best information you can send us is a course-by-course credential evaluation from a NACES member agency.

• If the curriculum for your degree is similar to programs offered in the United States, then a copy of university document that shows the courses you have taken and your grades will be acceptable if this document is in English.

• If your course-by-course record is not in English, we will accept an unofficial English translation. Please send a copy of your course record in the official university language and also an English language translation. List the courses you have taken and the grades you have earned. Keep in mind that while we will accept this form of documentation, this may not be considered strong evidence of prior academic work by some program admission committees. Admission committees have the right to not accept a candidate because they do not have sufficient evidence of preparation for graduate school which includes their prior course history.

As described above, transcripts from universities in the United States and official course-by-course credential evaluations for universities outside of the United States are considered the best documentation of prior academic work. We advise applicants to submit the best documentation available, given their circumstances.

Admitted students who are accepted based on unofficial documentation, and students who completed credential evaluations prior to the completion of their degree, will be required to submit additional documentation by the end of their first semester of enrollment.

This documentation may be official transcripts sent directly from the university awarding the degree if these transcripts are in English, they list the courses completed with grades, and the grading system is explained. When these conditions are not met, the student must submit a credential evaluation.

Acceptable Credential Evaluation Services

You may use any one of these services.