International Applicants: Required Documents

Please note our international documents policy was revised on January 21, 2020. Please contact GraduateAdmissions@baylor.edu or 254-710-3588 with any questions.

The Graduate School requires that all applicants have either a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution in the United States or proof of equivalent training at a foreign institution of higher learning.

Unofficial documents will suffice for the application process.  Any document uploaded to the application file by the applicant is considered unofficial.  If given an offer of admission, official copies must be provided to verify your admission credentials.

A credential evaluation is not required for admission, however it is strongly encouraged and could expedite the admissions process.

Required Academic Records:

• Transcripts: Yearly or semester records from each college or university where a degree was earned.  Transcripts must indicate the number of lecture and/or laboratory hours per week, per course, and the grade received in each course.  If given an offer of admission, official transcripts are required to verify admission credentials (see below for an explanation of "official").
• Diplomas/Proof of Degree/Academic Certificates: will be required for each degree you have received. The documents must include the title and date of the degree conferred. If the title of the degree and the date conferred are listed on your transcript, that will satisfy this requirement.  If given an offer of admission, official proof of degree is required to verify admission credentials (see below for an explanation of "official").
• See our Required Documents by Country.
• Please note you must also provide the following: 
  • Test  Score Report for GRE/GMAT if required by your prospective program; 
  • Test Score Report for TOEFL/IELTS or exemption request with proof of English proficiency;
  • Three (3) letters of recommendation (you will be able to request these via an automated email as part of your online application).
  • A completed and submitted online application.
  • Application fee payment (you pay after submitting the application online; applications are not reviewed until the application fee is paid).

Translation of non-English Documents:

 If the language of instruction at your institution is not English, then you must provide:

• Original-language copies of all transcripts and diplomas/academic certificates; and
• A separate, word-for-word, English-language translation of all academic records you submit to us.
  • The translation should either come directly from the school itself or a professional, certified translator.
  • It must contain all information shown on the original-language documents and "mirror" them as precisely as possible.

Dual-language transcripts are acceptable.

Official Documents

Official School Records

Official transcripts and proof of degree certificates must bear the facsimile signature of the registrar and the seal of the issuing institution.  Paper documents must be issued in an unopened envelope sealed by the university. 

For a transcript/proof of degree to be official, it must arrive by one of these methods:

• Your home institution directly mails paper copies to Baylor.  Official transcripts must bear the facsimile signature of the registrar and the seal of the issuing institution, and be issued in an unopened envelope sealed by the university.  If your institution only issues one original transcript, you can copy your documents and send the copies to the issuing institution. Then, the issuing institution can attest the copy and send the attested copy directly to Baylor Graduate Admissions at:

            Baylor University
            Graduate Admissions
            One Bear Place #97264
            Waco TX  76798-7264 USA.

• If you have to get an official copy in person, you can send it or bring it to us; it will be official if it comes in an unopened envelope sealed by the university.  
• If your school only issues one original and does not attest copies, you can bring your official documents in person to be reviewed by the Graduate School Admissions Director.  When you arrive on campus, after checking in with the Center for Global Engagement, come to the Graduate School Office, 200 Morrison Hall, with your documents in hand.  These must be presented before the first day of class or a hold will be placed on your account, which will prevent you from registering for your second semester.  
• Your home institution sends an electronic copy of your school documents to Baylor via a secure service such as e-Scrip-Safe or Parchment.  These should be addressed to Baylor University Graduate Admissions (Grad_Transcripts@baylor.edu).

Official Test Scores

Official testing scores must be sent to Baylor University directly from ETS (the Baylor University Graduate School CEEB Code is 6032), Pearson Education, or other testing service provider.  

Proving Equivalency

The Graduate School requires that all applicants have either a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution in the United States or proof of equivalent training at a foreign institution of higher learning. Our admissions coordinators may ask an applicant to provide supplemental information or to obtain an evaluation from a foreign credential evaluation service.

Baylor University has partnered with WES (World Education Services) and SpanTran in an attempt to offer a viable solution to international applicants when evaluations are required. 

If you elect to utilize another evaluation service, we only accept those that are members of NACES. 

Please note that if an education evaluation report is required, this process may take up to several weeks.  We strongly encourage applicants to start this procedure promptly to avoid delays in admission processes. Please contact GraduateAdmissions@baylor.edu with any questions.