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First-Year International Applicants

Instructions

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

  • Completed application, including essay and CV/Resume
  • Application fee of U.S. $75
    • No fee waivers are available. Only first-year students applying for the AU Emerging Global Leader Scholarship and/or referred directly by EducationUSA or other non-government organizations may be eligible to receive an application fee waiver on a case-by-case basis. All other applicants must submit the U.S. $75 application fee. 
  • Academic records for grades 9-12 with official transcripts and certified English translations (if applicable), for each secondary institution attended. Students who study in 3-year secondary school systems only need to provide transcripts for those three years.
  • One academic letter of recommendation from a teacher is required; one letter from the school counselor/principal/headmaster is also strongly recommended.
  • Demonstrated English proficiency
  • Interruption of Studies Statement if you have already graduated from secondary school at the time of application.

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

  • Bank letter showing at least U.S.$78,296 for first year of study and living expenses

Financial documents showing less than U.S.$78,296 will not be accepted. All financial documents must be dated within the past three months to be considered valid. Our International Student & Scholar Services office provides sample bank letters, the AU CFIS and Transfer-in forms, and AU cost guide.

No SAT or ACT Needed! AU does not evaluate SAT or ACT scores for students (including U.S. citizens) graduating from secondary schools outside the United States.

Additional Documents to be Submitted by Admitted International F/J students who Enroll at AU

  • Completed AU Certification of Finances (AU CFIS) form showing at least U.S.$78,296 for first year of study and living expenses
  • Copy of your passport information page

Application Deadlines

Your application and all supporting documents must be received by the respective application deadline.

If you plan to begin your studies in August (fall semester):

Early Decision I (ED I): November 15
Early Decision II (ED II): January 15
Regular Decision (RD): January 15

If you plan to begin your studies in January (spring semester):

All spring applicants October 1

For students living outside the United States, we strongly recommend September 1

Submitting Your Application

Important: You can submit your Bank Letter electronically via the Future Eagle Portal or fax to +1-202-885-1025. Do not mail hard copies if you choose to electronically upload or fax your documents.

Note: Students cannot submit their own secondary-school transcripts or recommendation letters. These must be uploaded to the Common Application directly by the school’s counselor/teacher or mailed per courier instructions below.

If you prefer to use a courier service, keep your tracking number, and send your supplemental application materials to:

Undergraduate Admissions
Office of Enrollment
4801 Massachusetts Ave., NW STE-218
Washington, DC 20016-8001
USA
Tel: +1-202-885-6000

Questions? Contact intadm@american.edu.

The 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 your country of citizenship. Omit those three letters when completing the admission application form. Also include 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

Please have your academic records from each secondary school you attended for the U.S. equivalent of 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th grades sent directly from those schools to American University in sealed envelopes or via the Common Application. Students who study in 3-year secondary school systems only need to provide transcripts for those three years.

These records should be submitted in their original language and accompanied by notarized English translations if applicable. Include any examination results such as IB, GCSE, GCE, Bagrut, French Baccalaureate, CAPE Units One and Two, Abitur, Attestat, or Secondary School Leaving Certificates.

Certain exam results such as, but not limited to, IB, WAEC, GCE, GCSE, and CAPE must come directly to our office from the examination board or authority.

Letters of Recommendation

Although only one letter of recommendation from a teacher is required with your application, we strongly encourage you to submit a second letter of recommendation from your school’s university counselor, principal, or headmaster. These letters are confidential. Each letter must be in English. Recommenders can upload recommendation letters directly onto the Common Application. If sent by courier mail, please have your reference sign or place a school stamp across the sealed flap of the envelope.

English Proficiency

AU requires strong English language skills. All first-year applicants (including U.S. citizens and U.S. Permanent Residents) can prove English proficiency by either curriculum or testing. 

Via curriculum for Spring 2024, Fall 2024 and Beyond:

  • Four years of study (grades 9, 10, 11, and 12 or equivalent) in U.S. regionally-accredited or IB, CXC or UK curricula (inside or outside the U.S.), where English is the only medium of instruction AND no ESL courses have been taken;
  • Four years of study (grades 9, 10, 11 and 12 or equivalent) in selected English-speaking countries or in the educational systems of these countries (regardless of location) where English is the only medium of instruction AND no ESL courses have been taken.

    English speaking countries include: 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)

Or Via Testing:


IMPORTANT: Students cannot self report English proficiency exam results. Ask the testing agency to send your official results directly to American University, Undergraduate Admissions, Washington, District of Columbia (DC).

 

 

Updated Test Requirements for Spring 2024, Fall 2024 and Beyond

  • TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) - TOEFL code 5007
    • Internet based test (iBT) score of 85 or higher. Sub-scores for each section of the TOEFL must be 20 or higher. To be considered competitive, a 90 TOEFL iBT score or above is recommended, with each sub-score 20 or above.
      • Note: AU Undergraduate Admissions does accept the TOEFL iBT Special Home Edition.
      • AU does not accept TOEFL IBT "MyBest" combined scores.
      • AU does not accept the “TOEFL Essentials Test.”
      • AU does not accept TOEFL ITP Plus for China exams taken after July 11, 2020. If taken before July 11, 2020, minimum TOEFL ITP Plus for China scores are: Total 627, with sub-scores 64 for listening comprehension, 64 for structure and written expression, and 63 for reading comprehension.
    • Paper-based test sub-scores of 20 or higher (taken after May 31, 2017).
  • IELTS (International English Language Testing System): Composite score of 6.5 or higher. Sub-scores for each section of the IELTS must be 6.0 or higher
    • Note: AU Undergraduate Admissions does accept the IELTS Online exam.
  • Duolingo English Test (DET):
    • NEW: Spring 2024, Fall 2024, and beyond: DET score of 120 or higher. Each sub-score must be 110 or higher.
  • Pearson Test of English (PTE) score of 60 or higher.
    • Note: AU Undergraduate Admissions does accept the PTE Academic Online.
  • Cambridge Assessment English score of 176 or higher. Each sub-score must be 169 or higher.
  • SAT Reading Test sub-score of 30 or higher (taken after 3/1/2016)
  • New as of March 2023: Score of 610 or higher on the SAT Digital version section called "Evidence-Based Reading and Writing"
  • ACT English score of 25 or higher

 

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.

Bank Letter and AU Certification of Finances for International Students (AU CFIS)

Applicants who require a student or exchange visitor visa (F or J) must submit to the Office of Admissions by the application deadline date a letter (not a bank statement) issued by a bank showing proof of at least U.S.$78,296 for your first year of studies and living expenses. Please visit the International Student & Scholar Service's guide on financial documents for the AU Cost Guide, sample bank letters, and Transfer-In forms.

All financial documents must be dated within the past three months to be considered valid and must be submitted by the application deadline date.

Application packets without the correct bank letter will be considered incomplete and will not be reviewed.

The AU CFIS form (completed by applicant and parent) will be required at a later date if the student is accepted and decides to enroll at AU. 

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 AU exam policies.

Interruption of Studies Statement

If you have already graduated from secondary school at the time of application, please submit a short statement describing your activities since graduation.

Admissions decisions

Once you submit your application, what happens next? You will receive one of the following decisions:

Selected
Fall Admission
Waitlist
Deny

Fall admissions is familiar to most students and means you will begin as a degree-seeking student in the fall semester for which you applied.

A select group of students admitted for the fall will also be invited to participate in our AU Cornerstone Program, which allows for a study abroad or internship experience in a student’s first year.

We offer a limited number of students a waitlist decision each year. If space becomes available in the fall class and you sign up to remain on the waitlist, we will notify you in May if we’re able to offer you admission. But we do suggest that students deposit at another institution to secure a spot somewhere for the fall.

Each year, we have to deny a number of students due to the high level of talent in our applicant pool. But if you have your heart set on attending AU, we encourage you to consider transferring after at least one year at another college.

Each year, we have to deny a number of students due to the high level of talent in our applicant pool. But if you have your heart set on attending AU, we encourage you to consider transferring after at least one year at another college.