Submitting examination results

To ensure timely receipt and processing, all required examinations should be completed at least six weeks before your graduate program’s application deadline. Official test results must be sent directly to Iowa State University by the testing agency to be considered valid. 

After submitting your application, upload copies of your examination results in your Admissions MyAccount. While these copies are unofficial, they can assist the university in locating your official scores during the application review process. 

For detailed instructions about uploading unofficial English proficiency results, click here. 

English proficiency requirements 

English may be considered your primary language if it is the language you are most proficient in and/or the first language you learned and spoke from childhood in your home. If English is not your primary language, you must meet the university’s English proficiency requirements through one of the following methods: 

Earning a Degree from an English-Medium University 

You may satisfy the English proficiency requirement if you have completed a bachelor's, master's, or doctoral degree from an English-medium institution in an English-speaking country. These countries recognize English as an official language: 

Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, Botswana, British Virgin Islands, Burundi, Cameroon, Canada, Cayman Islands, Curacao, Dominica, Eritrea, Eswatini, Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas), Fiji, Gambia, Ghana, Gibraltar, Grenada, Guernsey, Guyana, Hong Kong, Ireland, Kenya, Kiribati, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Micronesia, Malta, Mauritius, Montserrat, Namibia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Rwanda, Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha, Saint Lucia, Saint Martin, Samoa, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Solomon Islands, South Africa, South Sudan, St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Vincent & Grenadines, Sudan, Tanzania, Tonga, Trinidad & Tobago, Turks & Caicos, Tuvalu, Uganda, United Kingdom, Vanuatu, Zambia, Zimbabwe. 

Submitting Official English Language Test Scores 

If you have not earned a degree from an English-speaking country, you must provide official scores from one of the following exams. Both the Graduate College and your specific graduate program's minimum requirements must be met. The minimum scores accepted by the Graduate College are: 

  • Paper-Based Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL Paper-Based Test): 550 
  • Internet-Based Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL iBT): 79 
  • International English Language Testing System (IELTS): 6.5 
  • Pearson Test of English (PTE): 53 
  • Duolingo English Test (approved for use through Spring 2026): 105 (Fall 2025), 115 (Spring 2026)

Submission Instructions 

Official TOEFL results must be sent electronically directly from the educational testing service to Iowa State. Our school code is 6306. The IELTS testing agency may send electronic results or mail official results to:  

Office of Admissions 
Iowa State University 
100 Enrollment Services Center 
2433 Union Drive 
Ames, IA 50011-2042 

If variations of your name appear on examination score reports or academic records, please provide those variations in the designated field. If you have only one name, enter it in the "Last Name" or "Surname" field. International applicants should use the exact spelling shown on their passport to avoid issues with the visa process. 

International degrees must be equivalent to a U.S. bachelor’s degree or higher and granted by a college or university recognized by the Ministry of Education in that country. 

Note: 3-year degrees from India, Bangladesh, Canada (excluding Quebec), Nepal, and Pakistan are not accepted. Degrees from other countries are evaluated individually. 

Applicants may upload unofficial copies of academic records for initial application review. If you are offered admission, you will be required to provide official academic records. 

For detailed instructions about uploading unofficial transcripts, click here.   

What are academic records? 

Academic records go by different names worldwide. For example: 

  • In the U.S.: Transcripts 
  • In India: Annual Mark Sheets 
  • In Spanish-speaking countries: Certificado de Estudios 
  • In France: Relevé de Notes 

If your transcript includes an encrypted electronic signature, it cannot be uploaded directly. Print a copy, rescan it, and then upload the rescanned version. 

International transcript evaluations 

International students may submit course-by-course evaluations from International Education Evaluation (IEE), World Education Services (WES), or Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE). These evaluations must include copies of your transcripts in a single PDF and be uploaded to the transcript action item on your Admissions MyAccount. The use of external evaluators is not required and is optional. 

Degree Statements

International applicants must upload unofficial degree statements for all degrees earned outside the United States.   

A degree statement may be presented as a certificate or diploma and must include the following: 

  • Your full name 
  • The degree awarded 
  • The name of the issuing institution 
  • A clear confirmation that the degree was granted, awarded, or conferred, including the date of conferral. 

For detailed instructions about uploading your degree statement, click here.   

Specific requirements for applicants from India

  • Submit required semester or annual mark sheets. 
  • College-issued mark sheets are only accepted from autonomous colleges. 
  • Consolidated mark sheets are accepted only if they include all attempts, retakes, and failures. 
  • Degree statements must be issued and certified by the granting university, not the college. 
  • When uploading mark sheets, use the "Transcripts" section, not "Exams.

Translations 

Academic records must be in the official language of the country where they were earned. If the language is not English, include a literal (word-for-word) English translation from a qualified translator alongside the original document. Interpretative translations are not accepted. 

Submitting Official Academic Documents 

If the graduate dean approves your admission to Iowa State University, you will be instructed to submit hard copies of your official final academic records and degree statements. Any documents transcripts that you uploaded during the application process are considered unofficial academic documents. Transcripts sent directly from your university’s registrar to Iowa State University's Office of Admissions are considered official. Transcripts uploaded to your application before your degree was awarded are not considered final documents.  

Records are considered official when they bear the original stamp or seal of the institution's authorized official (e.g., registrar, principal, or controller of exams). Documents certified by professors, lecturers, or other non-authorized personnel are not considered official. Records printed from a school’s website are also not accepted.  Copies must be complete with official school seals/stamps and signatures of the person issuing the document.  

The Office of Admissions requires official final transcripts from each school you attended and completed courses for a minimum of 15 credits. 

For detailed instructions about submitting official academic documents, click here

For country specific information, click here. 

Mailing Address for Official Documents 

Transcripts can be received via courier, directly from the school to Iowa State using the following addresses:  
 
Office of Admissions 
100 Enrollment Services Center 
2433 Union Drive 
Iowa State University 
Ames, IA 50011-2042 

Electronic transcripts 

Official final documents from U.S. institutions may be sent electronically directly from the issuing school directly to Iowa State University using Parchment, National Clearinghouse, or directly to etranscript@iastate.edu. 

Official final documents from international institutions may have one of the approved external evaluation companies (IEE, WES, or ECE) submit a report directly to the Iowa State University Office of Admissions.  Or, applicants may have their academic documents authenticated by TrueCopy and have their authorization made available to the office of admissions.   

Important Information

All documents submitted in support of your application become the property of Iowa State University and will not be returned in original or copied form. 

Financial documents are not required as part of the application process.  These documents do not need to be uploaded until an offer of admission is made and accepted by the applicant at which time financial documents are required to issue an I20 for visa purposes. 

Funds must be liquid and can be in the form of a bank statement, education loan, scholarship, or government bond (as long as it appears the bonds can be cashed in). If any funds are not personal, you must fill out the financial statement form documenting your financial arrangements and your sponsor's promise of support if applicable. You MUST upload financial documents or a sanction letter for educational loans, with the completed statement to the financial support documents action item. 

For detailed instructions about uploading your financial documents, click here.  

For International students who need an I-20 or DS-2019, you will be asked to upload the information page of your passport in the Student Portal. This information will be used by the Office of International Students and Scholars (ISSO) to prepare your I-20 or DS-2019 so that you can apply for an F-1 or J-1 visa at a U.S. embassy or consulate. 

You will need a student (F-1) or exchange visitor (J-1) visa from the American embassy or consulate in your home country. Do not obtain a "B" (tourist/visitor) visa, because it is very difficult to change it to an "F" or "J" status. When applying for a visa, you must present your offer letter, a valid passport, and the I-20 or the DS-2019 form during your visit. You will also be asked to show proof that you have adequate financial support to attend ISU and demonstrate strong ties to your home country.  

F-1 Visa: This is the most common visa for students.  After your application for admission is approved, ISU will issue you a Certificate of Eligibility (I-20 Form). If you choose to attend ISU, be sure to use the Certificate of Eligibility issued by Iowa State University to apply for you F-1 Visa at the U.S. embassy or consulate. 

J-1 Visa: The exchange visitor visa classification is available to students supported financially by ISU, an agency, or government. After your application for admissions is approved, the Office of International Students and Scholars (ISSO) will issue a Certificate of Eligibility for Exchange Visitor Status (DS-2019 Form). If you choose to attend ISU, be sure to use the Certificate of Eligibility issued by Iowa State University to apply for your J-1 Visa at the U.S. embassy or consulate. 

Depart for the United States only after you receive formal notice of acceptance and the I-20/DS-2019 Form from the Office of Admissions AND obtain the student visa. You are only allowed to enter the U.S. up to 30 days prior to the start date on the Certificate of Eligibility. 

All international students holding F and J visas will be required to comply with U.S. Government regulations.  The Student/Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) is designed to help the U.S. Government keep track of nonimmigrant students.  The U.S. Department of Homeland Security now requires that a SEVIS fee be paid for each visa applicant. The Certificate of Eligibility form (for I-20 or DS-2019) that ISU issues to you has a unique identifying number referred to as the SEVIS number or "N" number. This SEVIS number is needed to pay the SEVIS fee.  Please print out your receipt when you pay the SEVIS fee and keep it for your records.  You must present the Certificate of Eligibility every time you enter the U.S. It is very important that you keep track of this form.