Academic
Catalog August 2008 - August 2009 Undergraduate
and Graduate
If you will attend NAU while holding an F-1 or J-1 visa, you must submit the following application materials:
our graduate online admissions application for international students
the $50 application processing fee
your official transcripts or records of all previous university work; English translations must be provided for any documents not in English
a Financial Guarantee Statement for International Applicants
your score on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)
As an international student, you may enroll at NAU only if you have been admitted to a graduate degree program or graduate certificate program. You must meet all applicable immigration standards and requirements.
Upon your arrival on campus, as an international student you are required to report to an advisor in NAU’s International Office. For more information, contact the NAU Center for International Education, NAU, PO Box 5598, Flagstaff, AZ 86011-5598, USA, EMail address: studynau@nau.edu, website: international.nau.edu, phone number: +001-928-523-2409, fax: +001-928-523-9489.
To be considered for admission, you must meet all deadlines set by the program to which you are applying.
If the academic program does not have an application deadline, you must submit your international application by March 1 for fall semester admission, or by September 15 for spring semester admission (if the academic program admits students for spring semester).
You must provide verification that you have the financial resources to cover your expenses during graduate study at NAU. The I-20 (the document you will need to obtain your student visa) is issued only after NAU has received your completed and properly verified Financial Guarantee form and supporting documentation.
You must take the TOEFL exam to prove your proficiency. Your minimum score must be 213 computer-based, 550 paper-based, or 80 internet-based. The minimum IELTS score is 7.0. Some departments require a higher minimum score (For a list of departmental minimum scores, refer to Graduate College's International page. Please note that you are exempt from this requirement if English is recognized as the official language of your country as determined by our office and the U.S. Department of State.
If you are from a non-English speaking country and have received a bachelor's degree from an English-speaking university and have demonstrated proficiency in the English language, you need not submit a TOEFL score. (However, if you are a nonnative English speaker applying to the master’s in teaching English as a second language or the doctoral program in applied linguistics, you must submit a TOEFL score.)
If you don’t have a TOEFL score, you may still apply to NAU. If you are admitted on academic criteria, you can take the TOEFL at NAU before you enroll. However, if you don’t achieve the required score, you must enroll in NAU's Program in Intensive English, which we describe in the following section.
You can obtain additional information about TOEFL by writing to the Test of English as a Foreign Language, Box 899, Educational Testing Service, Princeton, NJ 08540 or by viewing their web site at www.toefl.org.
The Program in Intensive English (PIE) meets the academic needs of our international students by providing academic English preparation and support. Our program specializes in teaching the skills that are essential to your successful performance at the university level.
If you score below the required score on the TOEFL, you may be conditionally admitted to NAU and admitted to PIE for intensive English language training. While enrolled in PIE, you are entitled to all university privileges.
The minimum period of enrollment in PIE is one semester. However, gaining proficiency in English may require as long as two semesters. You must plan your course of study and financial support accordingly.
You can obtain more information from the English department website or by writing to Program in Intensive English, PO Box 6032, Flagstaff AZ 86011-6032, calling +001-928-523-7503, or emailing pie.nau@nau.edu.
As an international student, you must purchase NAU student health insurance. The only exceptions are for sponsored students with adequate insurance provided by the government or sponsoring agency or for students whose parents or spouse have health insurance coverage through employment in the United States. Please be aware that we will not accept private policies.