The Penn State World Campus network spans the globe, with students and alumni originating from all seven continents — including Antarctica. That means your Penn State education will be recognized worldwide. If you are an international student, please review the following information to determine what documentation you will need to apply. If you have additional questions after reviewing the information, please contact us.

All Penn State business, including course instruction, is conducted in English; a proficiency in English is required for all students.

Undergraduate programs: International students whose native language is not English must submit proof of English language proficiency. Please refer to the "English Language Proficiency" section of the Undergraduate Admissions International Requirements page to learn more.

Graduate programs: All international applicants must take and submit scores for the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) or the IELTS (International English Language Testing System). See the English Proficiency section of the Graduate School’s Requirements for Graduate Admission page to learn more about acceptable scores and exceptions to this requirement.

Academic Records

All documents should be submitted in the original language. All documents in languages other than English must be accompanied by a certified line-by-line, literal English translation.

  • All documents must be in paper form; electronic copies are not considered official and will therefore not be accepted.
  • All documents submitted for review must be official; that is, they must be either originals or copies certified by the examining board.
  • A "certified" copy is one that bears an original signature of the registrar or other designated school official, an original impression of the institution's seal, or signature/seal of the examining board. Uncertified or notarized copies are not acceptable.

All academic records should be mailed to the Penn State Undergraduate Admissions office at:

Penn State Undergraduate Admissions
201 Shields Building
University Park, PA 16802-1294

Please refer to the Admissions Requirements for International Students page to learn more.

The requirements for degree and certificate programs vary.

  • All degree applicants are required to submit official or attested transcripts for each postsecondary institution attended, with certified translations if those records are not in English. Transcripts and any other requirements must be uploaded as part of the graduate school application. Notarized copies are not sufficient. Upon admission and your acceptance of admission, you will be asked to send an additional official transcript. You will receive instructions at that time.
  • Certificate applicants may be required to submit documentation in order to be considered for admission. Check the admission requirements for your certificate program to view specific requirements. If transcripts are required for admission, international students must submit official or attested university records, with certified translations if those records are not in English. Notarized copies are not sufficient. The Penn State Graduate School guidelines detail exact requirements by each applicant's country of origin.

Applying to a Program

Prospective students living and/or working outside of the U.S. are responsible for confirming with the appropriate certifying agency or governmental unit if successful completion of an online degree program through Penn State World Campus will meet the credentialing requirements of the country in which they reside and/or intend to seek employment.

We recommend all prospective students complete this step prior to enrolling in a degree program and, on an annual basis, confirm that any such credentialing requirements continue to be met.

Admissions requirements (including evaluation of transcripts and transfer credits) for undergraduate degree programs are available on the Admissions Requirements for International Students page.

For admission to the Graduate School, international applicants must have a tertiary (postsecondary) degree that is deemed comparable to a four-year U.S. bachelor's degree. This degree must be from an officially recognized degree-granting institution in the country in which it operates. Information about admissions requirements for graduate programs can be found on the "Admissions" page within each degree or certificate program page.

Important: Some of our graduate-level business programs (e.g., MBA) require travel to the United States to fulfill particular degree requirements.

Payments from students living outside the United States must be in U.S. dollars and drawn on a U.S. bank, and are subject to applicable Penn State policies on tuition and refunds. No refunds of tuition or fees will be granted for any reason, including without limitation, a change in credentialing or degree recognition requirements for students living and/or working outside of the U.S., except in accordance with Penn State policy.

To receive institutional, federal, or state financial aid, you must be a U.S. citizen, U.S. national, or permanent resident of the United States. If you would like to learn more about funding options that may benefit international students at Penn State, please visit the Financial Information page of the Penn State Global website.