Below please find answers to some common questions about submitting documents required to complete your admission file.

Read this page carefully. If you do not find the answer to your question on this page, below, please complete this form. Your request will be sent directly by email to the International Undergraduate Admissions Team. 

Important: If you have contacted us asking for an update on your case, or to ask if we have received your documents, please be patient and wait for our reply. Do not send duplicate emails or call the office for updates. Only contact us by email so that we may be able to more efficiently track your specific case.

• Login URL: NDSU has separate portals for graduate applicants, international undergraduate applicants, and domestic (U.S.) applicants. Be sure you are logging into the correct portal. The portal for international undergraduate (bachelor's degree level) applicants is located here: https://ndsugrad.my.site.com/internationaladmissions.
• Your Username: Your username is always the email address you used to set up your account on https://ndsugrad.my.site.com/internationaladmissions.
• Password: If you have forgotten your password, click the "Forgot Password" link on the login page and you will receive an email in the next few minutes which will allow you to reset your password.
  • Watch closely for this reset email - be sure that you are checking the correct email account, and that you have looked through your junk/spam folders for the email from our office.
  • The title of the email is: "Welcome to your NDSU Application for International Admission" and is sent fromNDSU.Intl.Admissions@ndsu.edu.
• Did you start an application but realize you intended to apply as a graduate applicant? Students seeking a Masters or Doctoral level program should apply HERE at the NDSU Graduate School online application site instead.  If you already created an account with us on the undergraduate side by mistake, you can use the same credentials (username/password) to log in to the online application, to begin your new graduate level application. If you’ve forgotten the password, click Forgot Password and you will receive an email to reset/create a new password.

• A $35 application fee is required as part of the international undergraduate application process, each term that you apply, even if you defer your admission from one term to another future term.
• Application fee waivers are not possible.
• The payment for the $35 application fee is found within the application itself, through our payment service "Nelnet QuikPay." You must have a credit/debit card to pay. If you do not have a credit/debit card of your own, and you have a family member or friend who wants to pay on your behalf, please email us at NDSU.Intl.Admissions@ndsu.edu to ask for a special payment link for the person assisting you.

If your application is at 99% complete and you are unable to submit your application, it likely is because the application fee is unpaid. A $35 application fee is due before you can submit the application. Please return to your application, review it, and then click "Save & Pay" to pay the application fee online by credit/debit card.

Deadlines

We have a rolling admissions policy for international applicants and evaluate applications as documents are received. Although there are no final application deadlines, we encourage you to apply by June 1 for Fall semester (August start) and November 1 (January start). Please note, being admitted after these dates may make you ineligible for certain scholarships based on these priority deadlines.

We want you to be successful here. If travel and/or a new visa is required for you to being study at NDSU, the Office of International Student & Study Abroad Services always reserves the right to defer your admission to a future term if additional time is needed to complete any required admission or immigration-related processes. 

Can I be admitted for Summer?

Most students who are admitted for summer are non-degree students - for example, international students from another school just taking one or two classes on campus online over the summer. But for regular degree-seeking F-1 students, summer is not always a viable option, and we recommend a Fall intake instead.

Summer term begins in May/June each year and the availability of in-person courses during the summer semester is quite limited.  If this will be your first term of study for a degree-seeking program, this can be challenging for maintaining full-time student status. Also please note, we currently do not offer a full international student orientation program in the summer; any degree-seeking international students for summer would be required to come to Fall semester orientation. Arriving for the Fall or Spring semester provides a more supportive experience for you.

Specific questions about your academic marks and GPA requirements for admission?

• Academic requirements can be found here: First-Year Applicants OR Transfer Applicants
• Transcripts must be sent via the methods listed below. Transcripts received from students via email will not be reviewed.
• We do not pre-review marks/transcripts or English Profiency scores for admissibility - you must submit your application, and then, materials are reviewed.

U.S. institutions only

Request that official transcripts be sent directly to NDSU from your institution. We also accept the following versions of official transcripts from U.S. institutions sent from the following electronic delivery services: National Student Clearinghouse (send to Int’l Undergrad Admissions), Parchment, Credentials eScrip-Safe, SMART/Joint Service Transcript.

International institutions

All transfer students applying for admission to North Dakota State University who have attended college/university outside the United States are required to have their official academic documents (transcripts, mark sheets, examination results, etc.) evaluated by an approved external evaluation service.

Requesting an Evaluation for NDSU Admission Consideration:

Students should submit official academic documents to World Education Services (WES) or Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE) for a credential evaluation. The completed evaluation along with verified documents should be sent electronically directly from the service* to NDSU. Do not send a personal copy of the evaluation.

1. Visit www.wes.org or www.ece.org to request an evaluation.
2. Select one of the credential evaluations based on your education history (see chart below).
3. Follow guidelines for document requirements based on country of education and arrange for document delivery to chosen agency. Be sure to add North Dakota State University (electronic delivery only) as recipient.

*NDSU will accept an evaluation from any member of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES). If you choose to use a member other than WES or ECE, please contact ndsu.intl.admissions@ndsu.edu to determine the type of evaluation you must request.

To ensure your name and date of birth is accurate in NDSU's student records and on any immigration document we may issue for you, a copy of the biography page of your passport is required. 

When you are completing the online application, you have the opportunity to upload a copy of your passport biography page directly to your application. If you attached it, please be assured we have it and will be marking the item as received within the next few weeks. If you did not attach a copy to your application, you may use this DocuSign form to submit your passport to our office.  

Please allow up to three weeks after all required documents are received for your admission decision. Important: Applications are not reviewed until you have 1) submitted the online application AND 2) sent us all mandatory documents.

You will be notified by email when your decision is ready to view, and you will be directed back to your online application portal, to view your decision on the application dashboard.

If you are admitted, your decision letter will be available through the dashboard - you will have an opportunity to accept or decline the offer of admission. This notification will be sent to the email address you used when you created your online account. 

Have you been admitted to NDSU as an undergraduate international student? Congratulations! Below you will find some important resources to read through as you plan to begin your studies at NDSU.

Do you require an I-20?

Use this DocuSign form to submit your financial documents to our office. The documents must follow all guidelines listed on our Cost Information page, and the amount must be equivalent to at least 1 year of expenses.

Are you eligible for scholarships?

Click here to read more about scholarships available to degree-seeking international undergraduate students. Eligibility for these awards were determined at the time of your admission. 

Please note, non-immigrant international students are not eligible for federal U.S. government "financial aid." 

Prepare to Attend Orientation

After you have been admitted and have received an I-20 from our office, you will remain in contact with the ISSAS office regarding your arrival and upcoming required orientation activities at NDSU. For more information on the steps to take after you have been admitted to NDSU, please visit the New Student Resources page on our website.

Understanding Transfer Credit

If you are an admitted international undergraduate transfer student, transfer credits are evaluated by the NDSU Office of Registration and Records and are posted to your NDSU account approximately six to 10 weeks following admission. Students with previous college-level credit should be prepared to submit course descriptions and/or syllabi to the Office of Registration and Records to assist in the transfer credit evaluation process. Students are notified by email once their transfer credit evaluation is available to view. The completed evaluation will provide clarification on whether or not course descriptions or syllabi are needed. If needed, course information should ideally be provided in advance of your arrival to NDSU. For more details, go to https://www.ndsu.edu/transfer. 

Placement Tests

Placement in classes that match your ability and experiences is important to steady degree progress and academic success.  Please read about the NDSU math and English placements here: https://www.ndsu.edu/orientation/placement/

When can I enroll in classes?

Students at NDSU are allowed to enroll at certain times depending on student classification (level of study). Please visit this page to find out when your approximate "Appointment Time" (or date of registration) may be. New international students also can wait until their arrival to register during orientation.