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International Transfer Applicants

A transfer applicant is anyone who has enrolled and begun study at a postsecondary institution after obtaining a secondary school diploma in the United States or in their home country, even if you do not wish to have your previous post-secondary classes evaluated or considered.

Apply online using the . There is a U.S.$75fee for all applications; nofee waivers are available.

How to Apply

Important: Your application and all supporting documents listed below must be received by the appropriate deadline:

  • Completed Common Application, including essay and CV/resume
  • Application fee of U.S.$75
  • Academic records with official transcripts and certified English translations, if applicable, for each postsecondary institution attended
  • Demonstrated English proficiency
  • The following item is only required from students who need a student visa (F or J):
    • New: The AU Declaration of Finances Form (AU DFF) must be submitted by the application deadline and must reflect at least US$81,620 for first year of study and living expenses. Be prepared to pay at least this amount for each additional year at AU. Once you submit your admissions application and create your portal, the completed and signed two-page AU DFF form can be uploaded via your AU applicant portal.

NEW: AU Declaration of Finances Form (AU DFF)

Applicants who require a student or exchange visitor visa (F or J) must submit to the Office of Admissions the AU Declaration of Finances Form (AU DFF) showing proof of at least US$81,620 for your first year of studies and living expenses.

The AU Declaration of Finances Form (AU DFF) must be submitted by the application deadline date. Once you submit your admissions application and create your portal, the completed and signed two-page AU DFF form can be uploaded via your AU applicant portal.

Application packets without the correctly completed AU DFF will be considered incomplete and will not be considered for admission.

An official bank letter, the AU CFIS form completed by applicant and parent, and a copy of the student’s passport will be required at a later date if the student is accepted and decides to enroll at AU.

Important Information - Proof of Finances for International Students

  1. Undergraduate admission to American University is need aware for all international students. This means that AU considers the student's ability to cover costs when making admissions' decisions.
  2. AU does not provide need-based financial aid, need-based grants, or federal financial aid to international students. Need-based aid is only available for U.S. citizens and U.S. permanent residents.
  3. All international students who will need an F-1 student visa /J-1 exchange visa must complete and submit the AU Declaration of Finances Form (AU DFF) confirming a minimum of US$81,620 by the appropriate deadline, even if they hope to receive a partial merit-based scholarship.
  4. Applications missing the AU Declaration of Finances Form (AU DFF) or whose AU DFF form confirms less than US$81,620 will not be considered for admission.
  5. The AU DFF form must be signed and dated within the past three months to be considered valid.
  6. AU does not accept the CSS profile, FAFSA form, or the College Board ISFAA forms for international students.
  7. Students receiving or applying for an outside scholarship from a government, parent's employer, or other organization may be contacted by an admissions representative for more information regarding the scholarship application timeline and scholarship disbursement date.

Additional Documents to be Submitted by Admitted International F/J students who Enroll at AU


Admitted international F/J visa-status students who deposit and enroll at AU will need to submit additional documents. The list of required documents can be found on our International Student & Scholar Services Office (ISSS) website. Visit the site and read the required steps carefully, as mistakes will delay your I-20 preparation. An admissions representative will connect with you and collect a copy of your passport Information page, AU CFIS form, and supporting financial documents.

Transfer Application Deadlines

Your application and all supporting documents must be received by the dates below.

Fall (August) Semester

  • Final deadline for students attending college or university inside or outside the United States: May 1

ǰٲԳ:For international transfer students applying from outside the U.S., we strongly recommend that you submit all required documents and university transcripts by April 15.

Spring (January) Semester

  • Spring (January) Semester deadline for international transfer students inside and outside the United States is October 1

ǰٲԳ:For international transfer students applying from outside the U.S., we strongly recommend that you submit all required documents and university transcripts by September 1.

Submitting Your Application and Supporting Documents

  1. Important: Upload the completed and signed AU Declaration of Finances form (AU DFF) as a PDF document to your AU applicant portal. Applications missing the AU Declaration of Finances Form (AU DFF) or whose AU DFF form confirms less than US$81,620 will not be considered for admission.
  2. Students cannot self-report results of their English proficiency exams (Duolingo, TOEFL, or IELTS). Please ask the testing agency to send your official score report to American University, Undergraduate Admissions, Washington, District of Columbia.
  3. Students cannot submit their own secondary and/or post-secondary transcripts or recommendation letters. Ask your university/college official to upload these documents directly to the Common Application. Alternatively, your university official may use their university official email account to send electronic copies of your official documents (with English translation if needed) as PDF attachments to admissionsdocuments@american.edu. Note: Do not mail hard copies if you choose this electronic option.
  4. If your university/college does not wish to submit documents electronically, ask them to use a courier service (and keep your tracking number) to send your official transcripts and recommendation letters to:
    • Undergraduate Admissions
      Office of Enrollment
      4801 Massachusetts Ave., NW STE-218
      Washington, DC 20016-8001
      USA Tel: +1-202-885-6000

If you have any questions, please contact International Admissions at intadm@american.edu.

Application Form

Complete the application carefully. Please make sure to include your full name exactly as it appears in the machine-readable section of your passport (check the bottom of your passport page). The first three letters stand for the country of your citizenship. Omit those three letters when completing the admission application form. Also include your date of birth, complete educational history, country of birth, citizenship, current mailing address and a permanent address outside of the United States, even if you currently live or study in the United States.

Your Academic Records

If you have completed less than one year of full-time academic study at a postsecondary institution in the United States or overseas at the time of application (i.e. you have less than 24 semester credits per the U.S. system of higher education), please submit all of the following:

  1. Your secondary school diploma and academic credentials (examination results and certificates; transcripts for grades 9, 10, 11 and 12; etc.) for each secondary institution attended.Students who studied in 3-year secondary school systems only need to provide transcripts for those three years.
  2. Your academic credentials or transcripts from each postsecondary institution attended.

If you have completed at least one year of full-time postsecondary academic study at the time of application, submit only your postsecondary academic credentials. No secondary school academic records are required.

Please have academic records from each secondary and/or postsecondary school you attended sent directly from those schools to American University. These records should be submitted in their original language and accompanied by official English translations if applicable. You may submit certified or notarized copies of your original official transcripts if your country issues only one copy of your academic documents.

Contact intadm@american.edu with any questions regarding submission of documents.

College Transfer Report

Only Requiredfor Admitted Students who Plan to Enroll at AU

Please have a college official from your current or most recent institution complete the Transfer Registrar Reportif you plan to enroll at AU. This form ensures that you are in good academicand disciplinary standing at your current or most recent institution.

You can access the form through the Common Application. Within your My Colleges tab:

1. Click Assign Recommenders
2. Scroll to the bottom and click College Report
3. Download the form
4. Submit the form to a College Official and have them mail the completed form directly to American University.

Advanced Credit for Postsecondary Coursework

Courses completed at accredited postsecondary institutions within or outside the United States may be eligible to receive transfer credit.

Please visit AU's Transfer Credit Guidelines site for more information.

Advanced Credit for IB, AP, A Level, OIB English, and CAPE Secondary Exams

Students may be eligible to receive advanced credit for exams passed during secondary school. If you took IB, A level, AP, OIB English or CAPE exams while in secondary school, visit our exam credit page for full details on AU exam policies.

Letter of Recommendation

A letter of recommendation for transfer students is optional. You may select and assign at least one Academic Evaluator within the Common Application. If you request recommendations outside of the Common Application, they should appear on official letterhead and include your full name and date of birth and be sent directly to American University.

English Proficiency

AU requires strong English language skills. All transfer applicants (including US citizens) can prove English proficiency by one of the testing options listed below.

Internal transfer students—those who have taken prescribed coursework at AU and who are applying for degree-seeking status—must earn a grade of "C" or higher in all required English as a second language courses and the WRTG-100 course taken at AU to meet the English proficiency requirement for degree-seeking admission. Students who do not meet these criteria must prove their English proficiency by one of the following testing options:

English Proficiency Testing Options for Spring2025, Fall 2025 and Beyond


IMPORTANT: Students cannot self-report English proficiency exam results. Ask the testing agency to send your official results directly to American University, Undergraduate Admissions, Washington, District of Columbia (DC).

  • TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) - TOEFL code 5007. TOEFL is valid two years from the exact date the exam was taken.
    • Internet based test (iBT) score of 85or higher. Sub-scores for each section of the TOEFL must be 20 or higher. To be considered competitive, a 90 TOEFL iBT score or above is recommended, with each sub-score 20 or above.
      • Note: AU Undergraduate Admissions does accept the TOEFL iBT Special Home Edition
      • AUdoes notaccept the “TOEFL Essentials Test.”
      • AU does not accept TOEFL ITP Plus for China exams taken after July 11, 2020. If taken before July 11, 2020, minimum TOEFL ITP Plus for China scores are: Total 627, with sub-scores 64 for listening comprehension, 64 for structure and written expression, and 63 for reading comprehension.
      • AUdoes notaccept TOEFL IBT "MyBest" combined scores.
    • Paper-based test sub-scores of 20 or higher (taken after May 31, 2017).
  • IELTS (International English Language Testing System): Composite score of 6.5 or higher. Sub-scores for each section of the IELTS must be 6.0 or higher. IELTS is valid two years from the exact date the exam was taken.
    • Note: AU Undergraduate Admissions does accept theIELTS Online exam.
  • Duolingo English Test (DET):
    • DET score of 120 or higher. Each sub-score must be 110or higher. Duoling is valid two years from the exact date exam was taken.
  • Pearson Test of English (PTE): Score of 60 or higher.Pearson is valid two years from the exact date the exam was taken.
    • Note: AU Undergraduate Admissionsdoesaccept the PTE Academic Online.
  • Cambridge Assessment English score of 176 or higher. Each sub-score must be 169 or higher. Cambridge English Certificate does not expire.
  • SAT Reading Test sub-score of 30 or higher (taken after 3/1/2016). SAT is valid five years from the exact date the exam was taken.
  • New as of March 2023: Score of 610 or higher on the SAT Digital version section called "Evidence-Based Reading and Writing"
  • ACT English score of 25or higher.ACT is valid five years from the exact date the exam was taken.

NOTE: Proof of English proficiency via TOEFL, IELTS, DET, etc., is not required of non-native English speaking transfer applicants who:

  1. Have been educated in U.S. regionally-accredited post-secondary institutions inside or outside the U.S. where English is the only medium of instruction and where the student successfully completes two English college-composition (non ESL) classes with a "C" or higher;
  2. Have graduated 4 years (grades 9, 10, 11 and 12 or equivalent) of secondary/high school where English was the only medium of instruction with no ESL within the past two years in one of the following:
  • U.S. regionally-accredited high schools inside or outside the U.S.
  • IB secondary schools inside or outside the U.S.
  • In the following countries or in the educational systems of these countries around the world/regardless of location where English was the only medium of instruction and no ESL courses were taken: U.S., UK and Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Australia, New Zealand, Canada (except Quebec), Singapore, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria, South Africa,Zambia, Zimbabwe, and these countries in the Caribbean (Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Montserrat, Saint Helena, Saint Kitts & Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent & Grenadines, Trinidad & Tobago, Turks & Caicos Islands, U.S. Virgin Islands

IMPORTANT: Though English proficiency may be met in one of the above ways, the Office of Admissions may request additional documentation if deemed necessary.

Note for Native Speakers of English: For native speakers of English from the U.S., UK andIreland, Scotland, Wales, Australia, New Zealand, Canada (except Quebec),Singapore, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and these countries in the Caribbean (Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Montserrat, Saint Helena, Saint Kitts & Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent & Grenadines, Trinidad & Tobago, Turks & Caicos Islands, U.S. Virgin Islands) who list English as their first language on the Common Application, proof of English proficiency is not required, but may be requested.

Discover EducationUSA Resources in Your Country

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For further assistance with the application process, visa,and pre-departure orientation sessions and information specific to your country, please contact the Public Diplomacy Section at your local U.S. Embassy or U.S. Consulate for referral to an overseas educational advising center near you. You may also wish to consult the U.S. Department of State’s website,, to locate an EducationUSA Advising Center in your region.