International Applicants

In order to be eligible for admission, international applicants must hold, or be in the process of obtaining, the equivalent of a U.S. baccalaureate degree. In addition to the standard application documents, international applicants are required to submit a transcript evaluation (see below) and an English proficiency exam (see below), depending on where they completed their baccalaureate degree.

Please note:

• Do not submit bank statements, proof of funds, or photocopies of passports with application materials.  Financial documents only need to be submitted if an applicant is offered admission, and these documents should never be sent to the Office of Admission.
• Any documentation not issued in English must be accompanied by a notarized English translation.

In order to provide enough time for visa processing, applicants who will require a student visa to attend Teachers College must submit their application by the following deadlines:

• Spring: October 15
• Summer: February 1
• Fall: June 1

Many programs accepting applications for Summer/Fall have Priority or Final application deadlines that precede these dates. Please note that if your program has an earlier deadline than the above, you must abide by the program deadline. Visit the Programs Search page to confirm the application deadline for your intended program.

Applicants who have completed, or are completing, undergraduate and/or graduate degrees at institutions outside of the United States are required to submit a full course-by-course evaluation including verified transcripts for U.S. degree equivalency. The evaluations must be prepared and sent by one of the two providers listed below. To ensure application review, full course-by-course evaluations must be received by the application deadline.

Please note this does not pertain to applicants from the United States who have spent a semester or year studying abroad. This requirement is only applicable for degree-granting institutions.

Teachers College will accept evaluations from the following organizations:

• World Education Services (WES)
• Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE)

These organizations provide several types of evaluations. Please select the course-by-course evaluation option to ensure your evaluation meets our requirements for admission review. To have your evaluation sent to Teachers College, select "Teachers College - Columbia University" (for WES) and "Teachers College, Columbia University" (for ECE). Evaluations sent to Columbia University will not be received by Teachers College.

Applications are not considered complete without a course-by-course evaluation. The determination of degree equivalency to a U.S. degree is at the discretion of the College. Once submitted to Teachers College, the evaluation becomes an official academic record and sole property of Teachers College upon its receipt.

Applicants who attended institutions outside of the United States but did not complete degrees must submit these transcripts in order to be considered for admission review. Please note that if these transcripts are not in English, they must be accompanied by certified English translations. As with U.S.-based institutions, copies should be uploaded to your online application to ensure timely processing. If you are admitted to Teachers College and choose to enroll, you will be required to have final official transcripts submitted by all academic institutions listed on your application. It is recommended that you also request official transcripts from the issuing institution as early as possible, as international transcript requests may be delayed.

Please note: Course-by-course evaluations must clearly state that you have earned or will be earning the equivalent of a U.S. Bachelor’s degree upon completion of your program. If you are admitted to Teachers College and your in-progress WES or ECE course-by-course evaluation does not indicate that you will earn the equivalent of a U.S. Bachelor’s degree, you will be expected upon conferral to submit a second course-by-course evaluation from WES or ECE confirming you have earned the equivalent of a U.S. Bachelor's degree. You will not be able to register for classes at Teachers College without fulfilling this requirement.

If your native language is not English and you have not received, or do not plan to receive, a baccalaureate (undergraduate) degree from an institution where English was the sole official language of instruction, you must submit official scores from an accepted English proficiency exam. We accept the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and the International English Language Testing System (IELTS).

In order to be considered official, scores must be sent directly from the testing administrator and have been taken within the past 2 years. 

The accepted tests and minimum scores are:

• Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) - Minimum score requirement: 100 internet-based test (IBT)
  Teachers College institution code: 2905

• IELTS English Language Test - Minimum score requirement: 7.0

Note: Teaching of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) and Applied Linguistics have different English proficiency requirements and policies, refer to the program website for details.

If you have taken the TOEFL exam multiple times and your MyBest Score meets our minimum score requirement, please order an official score report that reflects your MyBest Score to be sent to Teachers College. Then, please contact the Office of Admission at admission@tc.columbia.edu to ensure that your MyBest Score is reflected in your application. We do not require individual score reports if a MyBest Score is submitted.

If you have not earned an undergraduate degree at an institution where English was the sole official language of instruction, but you have successfully completed a graduate degree at a school that meets this criteria, you are not required to submit official results from an accepted English proficiency exam. If you meet these conditions, in order to qualify for a TOEFL/IELTS exam waiver, evidence of your conferred graduate degree must be displayed on the relevant academic transcript or course-by-course evaluation.

Our classrooms require robust discussion and are a place where information is shared and ideas are conveyed. To ensure satisfactory English language proficiency, select programs require that non-native English speakers record a short video essay as part of the application for admission. Please refer to our Programs Search page to confirm if your program requires a video essay for non-native English speakers.

If you require a student visa to attend Teachers College, the Office of International Students and Scholars will provide you with instructions after you have been officially admitted. 

• Teachers College (TC) provides student visa sponsorship for students admitted to a full-time program of study.
  • The Office of International Students and Scholars (OISS) is responsible for the issuance of F-1 Form I-20s and J-1 Form DS-2019s on behalf of TC.
  • Bank statements, proof of funding, passport copies, or other related documents will be required by OISS for the issuance of I-20s or DS-2019s (do not send to the Office of Admission). For information on tuition costs and expenses, refer to the TC website here.
  • A Form I-20 is necessary to apply for an F-1 student visa and to enter the U.S. as an F-1 student. A Form DS-2019 is necessary to apply for a J-1 Exchange Visitor (student) visa and to enter the U.S. as a J-1 student.
  • If you are currently enrolled as an F-1 student at another institution in the U.S and intend to begin your studies at TC, you will need to complete a transfer of your F-1 record to TC. Please note that the school code for Teachers College is NYC214F01459000. If you are a J-1 student enrolled at another institution in the U.S., please contact OISS. 
• If you are admitted to TC and require student visa sponsorship, the deadline to submit your completed visa application to the Office of International Students and Scholars (OISS) is:
  • Spring 2025 Admitted Students: November 15, 2024
  • Summer 2025 Admitted Students: March 17, 2025
  • Fall 2025 Admitted Students: July 15, 2025
• TC does not provide student visa sponsorship for Advanced Certificate and Non-Degree students. An international student must gain acceptance into a degree program to receive a student visa (F1/J1) through TC. Non-Degree or Advanced Certificate students must make their own arrangements for immigration/visa status.
• If you have been invited by a current TC faculty member to collaborate on research, OR you are currently enrolled as a doctoral student at another institution and have been admitted to TC’s non-degree program with a TC faculty member as your dissertation advisor, then please refer to the Office of International Students and Scholars website regarding visa sponsorship.
• We strongly encourage you to apply for admission as early as possible to allow time for visa processing.  If you have any questions regarding your eligibility for international student visa sponsorship from Teachers College, contact the Office of International Students and Scholars (OISS).

DACA Recipients and Undocumented Students

Teachers College proudly welcomes DACA recipients and undocumented students as part of our community.

At Teachers College, we strive to establish an institution that attracts and retains a diverse student body and campus community. The admission process is open to all individuals, regardless of citizenship or immigration status. 

While DACA recipients and undocumented students are not eligible for federal aid, all admitted students are considered for institutional aid, as citizenship status is not considered in the scholarship process.

Per the New York State Board of Regents, DACA recipients and undocumented students can apply for and obtain a professional license and teacher certification in the State of New York.

For more information on services and resources, please visit Columbia University’s web page for DACA Recipients and Undocumented Students.