International Transfer Student Requirements

You must apply as a transfer student if you have attended a college or university after graduation from secondary school or high school. If you have previously enrolled in a post-secondary (higher education) institution, then you cannot apply as a new first-year student and you should follow the procedures outlined below. 

Transfer applicants should meet the minimum requirement of GPA 2.0 on a U.S. 4.0 scale. Check for specific majors' selective requirements. Students who want a particular program but do not meet the minimum requirements may be considered for the pre-major.

If you are applying for transfer admission, you are not required to submit standardized test scores (ACT or SAT) as per Kent's Test-Optional Policy.

All international undergraduate applicants must submit an English language proficiency test score to be considered for a Kent State program unless they meet specific exceptions or apply for conditional admissions.

All undergraduate applicants must obtain one of the following:

• TOEFL iBT: 71; Home Edition iBT: 71
• Revised PBT: 18 (average score)
• IELTS Academic and IELTS indicator: 6.0
• Duolingo:100
• PTE Academic: 48
• Completion of the Kent State University ESL Center Level 8 Intensive English program with a minimum of 3.75 out of 4.0 GPA
• ELS Level 112 Intensive English Program completion
• SAT: a minimum of 510 evidence-based reading and writing
• ACT: a minimum of 21 in English

Please note, Kent State accepts MyBest™ scores for the TOEFL iBT® test, in addition to TOEFL iBT scores from a single test date.

Conditional Admission

Undergraduate applicants who do not meet the minimum language score for admission may be admitted conditionally if they meet academic requirements.

Conditional Admission means students will take English language classes at our ESL Center before entering their programs.

Submitting your English test score

When applying as an undergraduate or graduate student to Kent State, there are a variety of ways to submit your score depending on which type of test you took.

Students should request that ETS send official TOEFL scores directly to Kent (institution code: 1367).

An IELTS or PTE report needs to be uploaded as a scanned PDF into our online application system.

All English scores will be verified for authenticity. Students with fraudulent documents will result in denial of admission or immediate dismissal.

English Proficiency Waivers

Depending on your educational background, you may be eligible for an English language proficiency waiver, meaning you do not need to take a language exam. See our country list and related requirements.

CHECK ELIGIBILITY FOR AN ENGLISH PROFICIENCY WAIVER

Academic Resources

Once you are enrolled and throughout your time with Kent State University, there are numerous academic resources that you can take advantage of such as tutoring, peer mentoring, advising drop-ins, study groups, language or conversation clubs. We offer a variety of options to assist you with your academics and your personal wellbeing too.

EXPLORE OUR CAMPUS RESOURCES

This information applies to students who have received a baccalaureate degree from a college or university and wish to take additional undergraduate courses. There are two types of post-undergraduate applicants:

• Post-undergraduate degree-seeking applicants – individuals interested in obtaining an additional bachelor’s degree.

• Post-undergraduate non–degree-seeking applicants – individuals only interested in taking additional undergraduate coursework.

Please note: If you are a former Kent State University student who has not attended any other college or university since your prior enrollment, then you do not need to reapply. Contact the Registrar’s Office at 330–672–3131 or visit the Admissions homepage of the Regional Campus you plan to attend.

Application requirements and processes are the same with the transfer application process. We do not provide transfer credit evaluation for students who are applying for the post-undergraduate non-degree-seeking route. 

Transfer credits refers to the number of transferable credits or course equivalents earned at an accredited post-secondary institution that can be applied toward a degree program at Kent State University.

Evaluation

International Admissions does an initial evaluation to determine what the equivalent credit hours and grades are, but it is your responsibility to meet with an academic advisor to see how these courses fit into your major at Kent State. We cannot guarantee that all your credits will transfer to exact equivalents in your program. If possible, please share course syllabi and course descriptions in English to make this process easier.

How To Transfer International Credits

1. You provide final and official transcripts (translated and untranslated/original language) to the International Admissions Office.
2. International Admissions completes a transfer credit evaluation and assigns general courses and USA credit hours to courses with USA grade D or better. No Basic English language courses will transfer.
3. International Admissions sends the transfer credit evaluation to the Credit Transfer Department in the Registrar's Office, where the general courses and credit hours are entered onto the student's advising record (you can find more information here).
4. You will receive an email when Step 3 is complete. You then need to meet with an academic advisor in the degree major to determine how the general credits fit into the major program at Kent State University.
5. Unofficial transcripts and transfer credits can then be viewed through your Kent State Flashline account as described in the official acceptance letter.