International Applicants

These are general minimum requirements for international admission to the Graduate College. International applicants who do not meet the requirements for a waiver (see below) are required to submit English proficiency scores.

Minimum requirements include:

  • A U.S. bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited college of university, or an equivalent degree from another country as determined by the Office of Admissions.
  • A minimum grade-point average (GPA) of 3.00/4.00, or the foreign equivalent as determined by the Office of Admissions.
  • English Proficiency Requirements

English Proficiency Requirements, Graduate College

This requirement assures that incoming students know English well enough to study, understand lectures, and participate in class discussions without being hindered by a language barrier. Below are the possible options for the English Proficiency test.

Test Minimum Requirements How to Send
TOEFL iBT Overall score of 81 Send via ETS using institution code 6681 and leave department code blank
IELTS Overall score of 7 with no subscore less than 6 Send through your IELTS Testing Center
DuoLingo (DET) Overall score of 105 Send via DuoLingo English Test
 

Please note that the above table lists the minimum requirements set by the University of Iowa's Graduate College. For the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology department, the strongest international applicants will have combined TOEFL scores greater than 100, IELTS scores greater than 7 with no subscore less than 6.5, or DuoLingo scores greater than 120. 

Eligibility for Waiver from English Proficiency Requirements

Applicants will be given a waiver if they are a citizen, or have earned the equivalent of a Bachelor's degree, Master's degree or PhD in the United States, or any of the following countries:

Antigua and Barbuda
Australia
Bahamas
Barbados
Belize
Bermuda
Botswana
Cameroon (English speaking side)
Canada
Dominica
Gambia
Ghana
Grenada
Guyana
Ireland
Jamaica
Kenya
Lesotho
Liberia
Malawi
Namibia
New Zealand
Nigeria
Sierra Leone
South Africa
St. Christopher & Nevis
St. Lucia
St. Vincent & the Grenadines
Tanzania
Trinidad & Tobago
Uganda
United Kingdom
Zambia
Zimbabwe

A degree from a host university in this list is not eligible for a waiver if it is completed outside of that country, for example, a degree from a US institution completed at a campus located in China.