Skip to main content

Office of International Affairs

Undergraduate Admission

We want the best students to join our university and help by investing in your future with $2,000,000 allocated annually for International Merit Scholarships. All international students are automatically considered for the International Merit Scholarship; no separate application is required. Students are encouraged to apply as early as possible to provide enough time for the additional governmental processing of immigration documents, issuance of a visa, or other scholarship-related applications. 

Deadlines

FallJuly 1 of the same year
SpringNovember 1 of the previous year
SummerApril 15 of the same year (Only for students already in the United States)

Admission Requirements

The following information will help you prepare for a complete application. Please note that the university will not consider incomplete applications. All required documents must be submitted for consideration. An application may take up to one month (30 days) to process. 

  1. Online Application
    • You may apply online even if you do not yet have all the required documents. Once you start the online application, a university ID number will be assigned to you. 
    • You may be admitted with unofficial documents, but no visa document (I-20 Form) will be issued to you before completed, official documents are received.
  2. Application Fee
    • Non-refundable fee of U.S. $30
    • A credit card is required for the application fee payment
  3. Proof of English Proficiency
    Please submit the official scores from one of the following (other standardized tests may also be considered.) Your scores must be sent to our office directly by the testing company. We cannot accept these documents directly from you. Choose one of the following options:
    • IELTS score of 5.5 or above: https://www.ielts.org/
    • TOEFL iBT score of 61 or above (Computer-based 173 and above, or paper-based 500 and above. The MTSU institution code is 1466.) https://www.ets.org/toefl/test-takers/ibt/about.html
    • TOEFL Essential at 6.5 level
    • Duolingo English Test with a score of 85 or above
    • iTEP score of 3.5 or above
    • For transfer students, completion of English 1010 and 1020 at a U.S. university
    • The ELS completion certificate of level 110: https://www.els.edu/destinations/nashville (email nsh@els.edu)
      • Please Note:
        Proof of English Proficiency is Not Required if… 
        • English is the native language of your country of citizenship
        • You have earned a bachelor’s or master’s degree from a U.S. accredited 4-year college or university
        *Nursing and Professional-Pilot degree programs require higher minimum English language proficiency scores: IELTS 6.0, TOEFL iBT 70, Duolingo 95, iTEP 3.8, or ELS level 112.*If you are funded by an organization, please make sure the type of English test is also acceptable to the funding organization. 
  4. Official Academic Transcripts
    Your official high school or university transcripts must be mailed directly from your high school or university to MTSU. We cannot accept these documents from you unless they have been provided to you in an unopened official envelope with an embossed stamp or inked seal across the flap of the envelope. If you are a transfer student, we will require your high school transcript only if you have completed less than 24 hours of university coursework.

    If you have attended university level courses outside the U.S. then you must have your foreign transcripts evaluated by any one of the Current Members on www.naces.org, such as:
    1. SpanTran (discount available for MTSU Applicants)
    2. World Education Services, Inc
    3. Global Credential Evaluators, Inc
    4. Educational Credential Evaluators, Inc
    5. Foundation for International Services, Inc
    A full course-by-course evaluation is required for all foreign, post-secondary course work. You must submit any and all post-secondary course work prior to being admitted. Failure to submit all transcripts can result in your dismissal from our university. MTSU also accepts Credit by Examination.Photocopies of transcripts cannot be accepted. It is required that you have a commercial evaluation service translate and evaluate the transcripts. The evaluation service must send the report directly to the International Enrollment and Services office.If you have obtained a college degree or took some classes at another U.S. institution, that transcript is required. 
  5. Copy of your passport photo page showing expiration date
  6. Proof of current financial affidavit of support totaling $36,500. Financial Statement Form
  7. If you are a transfer student in the U.S. on the F-1 Visa:
    • Copy of your visa showing issue and expiration date
    • Copy of pages 1-3 of your current I-20
    • Copy of your I-94 record: www.cbp.gov/i94
    • Please have your Designated School Official (DSO) at your university or English program complete Section II of the Transfer Verification form, and return it to us.  The completed section is proof that you have maintained your immigration status while in the U.S. International Student Transfer Verification Form

***International students who would attend MTSU on an F-1 student visa must receive an I-20 document from MTSU. Students who need to apply for a new visa in their home country must present this document at the local consular office, during a visa interview. Students transferring from another university in the U.S., or MTSU undergraduate students continuing to an MTSU graduate program, must have a new I-20 indicating they are pursuing graduate study at MTSU. Below is a list of documents newly-admitted students must submit in order to receive an I-20 from MTSU.

All materials should be submitted using one of the options below:

Postal Service Delivery Address
International Enrollment and Services
Middle Tennessee State University
1301 E Main St Box 120
Murfreesboro, TN 37132 USA
 Courier/Express Delivery:
International Enrollment and Services
Middle Tennessee State University
1672 Greenland Dr, MTSU Box 0120
Murfreesboro, TN 37132 USA
Fax: 615-494-8935

International Merit Scholarship

  • All first-year or transfer students attending on an F-1 visa who have Final Acceptance/Fully Admitted to the university are considered for the MTSU International Merit Scholarship
  • The MTSU International Merit Scholarship is available at three levels, $6,000, $12,000 or $16,000 and is automatically applied towards the cost of out-of-state tuition
  • Once awarded, scholarships are renewable annually with a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA
  • Priority deadline to accept the scholarship is July 1st (Fall) and November 1st (Spring)
  • Scholarships are awarded on a first-come/first-serve basis until all funds are exhausted

International students who have been fully admitted to MTSU must submit the following documents:

For all admission inquiries, please email: international@mtsu.edu

For all immigration inquiries, please email: InternationalStudentScholarServices@mtsu.edu

Undergraduate 2023-2024 Catalog


International Student Viewbook


Tuition and Fees


Scholarships


Programs & Curriculum


Living on Campus



Office of International Affairs @ MTSU
international@mtsu.edu
Jones Hall 152