International Application Requirements
The University at Buffalo is one of the United States' most international universities and offers a welcoming environment for students from over 100 countries.
Degree Prerequisites
In addition to the other application prerequisites for their degree program, international students must have:
- The equivalent of a 4-year U.S. bachelor's degree to apply to the Master of Social Work (MSW) program.
- The equivalent of a U.S. Master of Social Work (MSW) degree to apply to the PhD or DSW program.
In order to determine equivalency, we appreciate when students are able to provide a transcript evaluation (we recommend WES) showing degree equivalency as well as a course-by-course evaluation.
Advanced Standing Eligibility
In addition to meeting all other advanced standing prerequisites:
Canadian students can qualify for advanced standing provided they attended a Canadian Association for Social Work Education (CASWE) accredited Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) program.
Students educated outside the U.S or Canada would need to have their degree reviewed by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) and determined to be equivalent to a U.S. Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) degree in order to be advanced standing eligible.
Students who do not meet the advanced standing prerequisites must apply to the Traditional MSW program instead.
Non-Canadian international applicants are strongly encouraged to apply by March 1 for the full-time MSW program.
In addition to your MSW degree, PhD degree, or DSW degree program application, as an international student you will need to provide the following materials:
Upload a photocopy of your passport (photo page) to the proper section on your application checklist.
If you are currently studying in the United States, you must upload a copy of your current I-20 and Visa to your application checklist.
If you are an international applicant and English is not your first language, you must submit a Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), International English Language Testing System (IELTS), Pearson Test of English (PTE) Academic or Duolingo English Test (DET) score. The minimum accepted scores are:
- TOEFL iBT®, 90
- TOEFL CBT, 233
- TOEFL PBT, 577
- IELTS, 7.5
- PTE Academic, 61
- Duolingo, 120
The test must be dated no more than two years prior to the semester start date.
While we encourage you to upload your unofficial score report to your application portal, your application will not be complete until we receive the official score report directly from the testing agency.
English Proficiency Waiver
Students who meet certain criteria may qualify for an English proficiency waiver. If you would like to inquire about an English waiver, please send an email to swinfo@buffalo.edu indicating 1) your country of citizenship, 2) the country and school where you earned your most recent degree, 3) the year you graduated with your degree, and 4) whether or not you previously took an English language test and what your score was (or attach a copy of the old score report).
We highly recommend that international students educated outside the U.S. and Canada provide an evaluation of their transcript(s) that demonstrates U.S. degree equivalency as well as a course-by-course evaluation and GPA equivalency. While we can accept a transcript evaluation from any organization that is a member of NACES, we recommend World Education Services (WES).
We specifically recommend the WES ICAP package, as it includes all the information above as well as being able to send the official WES report in place of your official transcript if you are admitted to the program.
After you submit your application, please email a copy of your transcript evaluation to swinfo@buffalo.edu so we can include it in your application.
These documents can be submitted after students are accepted; feel free to leave it blank on the application checklist. You will be able to submit them later when prompted.
Accepted students need to submit the Financial Form, along with bank documents showing funding for the first year of academic study (minus any scholarships you may be receiving).
This documentation is required in order to receive an I-20 and visa.*
*Please note that Canadian students in the online programs do not need a visa, so they will not be issued an I-20.
Accepted Students