Admission for International Students Seeking Master's Degrees

To be admitted to a UIS graduate program, international applicants must have completed all admission requirements, realizing that degrees earned abroad may or may not meet these requirements. Applicants must also have met all entrance requirements specified by their chosen UIS degree program. An I-20 AB or DS 2019 certificate of eligibility cannot be issued until the student has been accepted by a degree program and all required documents have been received.

Typically, a bachelor's degree is recognized as requiring four years to complete. In reality, it may take longer or shorter to complete a degree, but the amount of work involved must be relatively the same.  So long as the scope of work is deemed equitable to a four-year bachelor's degree, the degree will be recognized as equivalent to a traditional four-year bachelor's degree for admission purposes.  In addition, UIS recognizes Bologna-compliant degrees of at least three years duration. These degrees must be completed at an overall performance level equivalent to a minimum grade point average of 3.00 on a 4.00 scale. Degrees must be documented by a certified Diploma Supplement, as meeting the minimum degree requirement for general admission to graduate study at UIS.

International students seeking admission to the University of Illinois Springfield are encouraged to apply as early as possible. In order to be considered for a Graduate Assistantship or a Graduate Public Service Internship, students must be admitted to a UIS graduate program and issued an I-20.