• Investigate: Investigate your intended graduate program to find out if they require a separate department application, letters of recommendation, graduate tests, or have specific department procedures. All supplemental department materials should be sent directly to your intended department.

• Deadlines: Look at our latest Fall or Spring deadlines to know when you have to submit your online application or documents that our office requires. Due to the lengthy visa process that students have to go through our international deadlines are much shorter than our domestic deadlines. Please plan accordingly when applying to SJSU.

• Apply Online: Apply online to San Jose State University. This step must be done regardless of what extra steps you have to do to with your specific graduate program. Our online application is done through CSU Mentor and you will need to create a username and password to fill out an application.
  
  
• Declaration of Finance : In addition to the online application all international applicants MUST submit a Declaration of Finance. Your application will be delayed if we do not receive this completed form. Below is a brief description of what is required in this form:
  
  
  
  • Federal immigration regulations require that all international students provide evidence of adequate funds to meet the financial obligations of enrollment at a U.S. university. The combined U.S. dollar amount from you or your sponsor(s) must equal or exceed the minimum listed for the applied term. Previous applicants must submit a new declaration of finance with a new bank statement attached if there previous application was older than one year. Here are the types of funds that are accepted and how they should be declared.
    
    
    • Funds from Government or Private Agencies- Student must attach verification letter on letterhead from government or agency stating amount that will be received.
      
    • Funds from individual sponsor or self- Sponsor must sign declaration of finance or provide signed letter declaring intent to sponsor. If student has own funds, declaration of finance must be signed by student. Bank verification (ex: copy of bank statement) of all funds must be provided and dated within the current year.
    
    
    • Federal/State Financial Aid is not available to international students. Visit our financial assistance page to see other types of aid available.

  
  

  • A copy of your current passport will also be required. The name listed on your passport will be the same name that will be used on your I-20 if you are offered admission. There will be no exceptions to this rule.
    
    
• $55.00 Application Processing Fee: Credit card option is available when applying online, or you may send us a personal/money order drawn on US dollars from a US bank. Cash is not accepted. The fee is non-refundable, even if you withdraw the application or if the application is denied. The fee can not be used for any semester other than the one indicated on the submitted application. Fee waivers are not available for international applicants.

Submit Documents or Test Scores to SJSU

• International school work and degrees: Visit our International Document Requirements page and find the country where the institution you attended is located. The list will detail the exact documents we require and how to submit them to our office by country. Student must follow instructions listed for the particular country, otherwise the documents will be considered unofficial.

• TOEFL is required for all students who graduated from a higher education institution outside of the U.S. where the primary language of instruction was not English. The university minimum entrance score is 550 (paper based), 213 (computer based) or 80 (internet based). All test scores must be less than 2 years old. Test scores must be sent directly from the ETS office (SJSU institution code is 4687). Our International Document Requirements page for your country will also indicate if TOEFL is required.
  

  TOEFL requirement may only be waived if the student has:

  • Received a BS or MS degree from an accredited U.S. institution.
    
• Completed 72 semester units or 108 quarter units in a U.S. institution.
  
• Completed 3 years full-time school in a U.S. institution.
  
• University's medium instruction and examinations were conducted in English. Applicant must produce statement from the university's registrar's office on school letterhead. Minimum 3 years of matriculation is required.
  
  
• U.S. Institution Transcripts: Submit one transcript from ALL U.S. higher education institutions attended (even if you did not get your degree) to the Graduate Admissions Office by mail or in person. All transcripts must be sealed and unopened in order to be accepted as official documents. Copies of transcripts or opened transcripts will not be accepted. Records submitted become the property of the university and can not be released to the student. Documents will be kept on file for one year and then destroyed if the student does not enroll at SJSU. Individuals currently enrolled in courses at time of their application for admission are required to submit the most current "Work In Progress" transcript from the institution. Students will still need to turn in final transcript once they graduate from previous institution. Submission of San Jose State transcripts is not required.
  
  
• California Residency: International applicants do not qualify for resident tuition and will be subject to non-resident tuition.

Tracking Your Application

• Application Status: Soon after submitting your application online, you will receive a UserID and password e-mail. When you receive this information, you will be able to check the status of your application online using the My SJSU website.

• Completing Your Application: Your application will not be considered complete or evaluated until we have ALL your official transcripts and documents. You will be able to see what specific documents (except for documents required by your department) we require after we have processed/verified your application on your To Do list on the My SJSU website. You can send in documents to the following address:

Graduate Admissions & Program Evaluations
San Jose State University
One Washington Square
San Jose, CA 95192-0025

• Evaluating Your Application: After we have completed your application, it will be evaluated to see if it meets our minimum University requirements for admission. The minimum GPA for admission to the University is a grade point average (GPA) of 2.5 in the last 60 semester or 90 quarter units (roughly two years). Professional development courses and courses taken in non-accredited institutions are not counted in this calculation. We will convert all international marks earned to the U.S. GPA standard. However, many of our graduate programs have higher GPA standards. Your intended department will be the one that makes the final admission decision if you meet our University minimum requirements. The entire application process takes 4-6 weeks after we have received all of your required documents.

Admission to SJSU

• I-20 Process: If you are offered admission to the University we will process your I-20 and mail it to you as soon as possible so that you may start your F-1 visa process. For more information on what to expect as an international student at SJSU visit the International Programs and Services Office.

• Registration: If you are offered admission to the University you will receive an official letter of admission. You will be able to use the same My SJSU website to see when you receive your registration appointment date for course registration. Course registration and paying of student account bills are all done online. Contact your department to find out if they have any special orientation or to set up a meeting with your assigned program advisor at the start of the semester.

Good Luck!