Find here answers to common questions.
Undergraduate and Intensive English Program Application deadlines?
Undergraduate and Intensive English Program (conditional admission) Application deadlines are below. Submission of the $60 application fee (non-refundable) is required for all international applicants.
Fall (August)
Regular international applicant: July 1
Web Only and applicants with valid U.S. visa: July 15
IEP applicant: July 15
Fall II (October, IEP only) – October 1
Spring (January)
Regular international applicant: November 1
Web Only and applicants with valid U.S. visa: November 15
IEP applicant: November 15
Spring II (March IEP only) March 1
Summer (IEP only) May 1
To meet the application deadline, the online application and all required admission documents must be submitted before the deadline.
Students seeking admission for Bachelor’s or Master’s may only apply for Spring (January) or Fall (August) entry terms. Any summer IEP student who submits a passing English proficiency test score may begin degree studies only in the following Spring or Fall term.
We do not guarantee to offer an acceptance letter or issue the I-20/DS 2019 after these dates. However, late applications may be considered on a case-by-case basis
Graduate students must check to see if program has early application deadlines.
How much does it cost to attend Southeast?
Below is a cost estimate based on a typical international student. Your total cost may vary based on class/housing choices, or other factors.
What type of funding assistance is available?
International academic scholarships below are for the 2019-20 academic year and are awarded at the time of admission to incoming international students who meet the eligibility requirements and apply to Southeast by the scholarship deadline. No separate application is required. These scholarships are only awarded prior to your first semester at Southeast and cannot be earned later.
| SCHOLARSHIP (See more below table) | Annual Value | Cumulative GPA | ACT | SAT1 (ERW+Math) | IELTS | TOEFL | Southeast IEP Program |
| BEGINNING FRESHMAN | (High School) | Meet ONE of the following requirements2 | |||||
| INTERNATIONAL ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE | $8,000 | 3.7 | 27+ | 1280+ | 6.5 | 79 | N/A |
| INTERNATIONAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD (IAA) (value shown based on 2019-2020 fees) | $6,030 | 3.2 | 21+ | 1060+ | 6.0 | 69 | Level 5 |
| INTERNATIONAL STUDENT SCHOLARSHIP | $2,000 | 2.5 | N/A | ||||
| NEW TRANSFER (24+ transferable credit hours) | (Transfer) | Meet ONE of the following requirements3 | |||||
| INTERNATIONAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD (IAA) (value shown based on 2019-2020 fees) | $5,737.50 | 3.2 | 21+ | 1060+ | 6.0 | 69 | Level 5 |
| INTERNATIONAL STUDENT SCHOLARSHIP | $2,000 | 2.5 | N/A |
| SCHOLARSHIP (See more below table) | Annual Value | Cumulative Undergraduate GPA | |
| NEW GRADUATE | INTERNATIONAL STUDENT SCHOLARSHIP | $2,000 | 2.5 |
| INTENSIVE ENGLISH PROGRAM | INTENSIVE ENGLISH PROGRAM SCHOLARSHIP | $2,000 | N/A |
1SAT (Evidence-based Reading & Writing + Math) = tests taken since March 2016.
2 An ACT or SAT score is required for graduates of a high school where English is the sole medium of instruction.
3 The test score/language requirement is waived for students with 24+ transferable hours from a college where English is the sole medium of instruction.
International Academic Excellence Award
Value: $8,000 per year ($4,000 fall & $4,000 spring)
Eligibility: Beginning freshmen must meet the test score/language requirement and GPA requirements indicated in the chart above. GPA is evaluated on a 4.0 scale using a 6th or 7th semester transcript.
Renewal: Renewable for three academic years (maximum of four consecutive academic years). Additionally, at the end of each academic year, students must have a Southeast cumulative 3.5 GPA and completed 30 Southeast credit hours (may include Southeast summer hours).
Recipients who do not meet this renewal criteria, but do meet the renewal criteria for the International Achievement Award (IAA) will receive the IAA the following year.
Deadline: Fall Admits: March 1st – Spring Admits: November 1st
Note: The last test score considered for the International Academic Excellence scholarship will be a March test date (fall admits) or November test date (spring admits).
International Student Scholarship – Freshman, Transfer, & Graduate
Value: $2,000.00
Eligibility: International beginning freshmen, transfer, and new graduate students must meet the GPA requirement indicated in the chart above.
Renewal:
Beginning Freshman:
Renewable for three academic years (maximum of four consecutive academic years). Additionally, at the end of each year students must have a Southeast cumulative 2.5 GPA and completed 24 Southeast credit hours (may include Southeast summer hours).
Transfer Student:
Renewable for one additional academic year (maximum of two consecutive academic years). Additionally, at the end of each year students must have a Southeast cumulative 2.5 GPA and completed 24 Southeast credit hours (may include Southeast summer hours).
Graduate Student:
Renewable for one additional academic year (maximum of two consecutive academic years). Additionally, at the end of each year students must have a Southeast cumulative 3.0 GPA (may include Southeast summer hours).
Deadline: No Deadline
Note: The last test score considered for the International Student Scholarship will be a July test date (fall admits) or December test date (spring admits).
Intensive English Program (IEP) Scholarship
Value: $2,000.00, applied as a fee waiver to reduce the balance due.
Eligibility: Admission to the Intensive English Program (IEP).
Renewal: Contingent upon satisfactory progress in IEP.
Deadline: No Deadline
What are the enrollment requirements for International Students ?
What are the English proficiency standards?
For New First-Time Undergraduate Admissions
Non-native speakers of English must prove an adequate level of English language proficiency for admission into an academic program. English language proficiency for admission can be demonstrated in one of the ways mentioned below. Demonstration of English proficiency must have been done within two (2) years of the applicant’s intended program start date.
1) Successful completion of Level 8 of Southeast’s IEP. IEP students with conditional admission seeking to matriculate to their academic programs must submit official test scores before the end of business day on the opening day of classes.
2) English proficiency tests (official scores must be reported to Southeast Missouri State University):
- TOEFL-minimum score of 61 iBT (examining minimum band scores)
- IELTS–minimum overall band score of 5.5 (examining minimum band scores)
- ITEP-minimum of 3.7 or higher
- PTE Academic-minimum score of 45
3) Diploma from a U.S. high school (other proof may be required if courses on transcript are listed as ESL)
4) Diploma from an international school with U.S. regional accreditation (as verified by AdvancED at www.advanc-ed.org)
5) Diploma from IB curriculum school whose sole medium of instruction is English (as verified by IBO World Schools at www.ibo.org). If applicant went to an IB school with two or more languages of instruction, the applicant’s transcript must specify that their program was English language.
6) Diploma from a non-U.S. high school/secondary education where English language is the sole medium of instruction. Student’s transcript must include three years of high school non-ESL English courses with C or better grades. It will be the responsibility of the applicant to verify the institution’s language of instruction.
7) SAT test (2016 or later) score of 450 or higher on the Evidence-Based Reading and Writing section.
8) A score of 21 or better Combined English/Writing score on the ACT Plus Writing test
9) Successful completion of Level 112 in the ELS Language School
10) Other proof of English proficiency may be considered on an individual basis.
For New Undergraduate Transfer Admissions
Non-native speakers of English must prove an adequate level of English language proficiency for admission into an academic program. English language proficiency for admission can be demonstrated in one of the following ways. Demonstration of English proficiency must have been done within two (2) years of the applicant’s intended program start date.
Note: Students with less than 12 credit hours of U.S. higher education credit, or less than one-year full time credit from a non-U.S. institution will have to meet the New First-Time Undergraduate admission guidelines.
1) Successful completion of Level 8 of Southeast’s IEP. IEP students with conditional admission seeking to matriculate to their academic programs must submit official test scores before the end of business day on the opening day of classes.
2) English proficiency tests (Official scores must reported to Southeast Missouri State University):
- TOEFL-minimum score of 61 iBT (examining minimum band scores)
- IELTS–minimum overall band score of 5.5 (examining minimum band scores)
- ITEP-minimum of 3.7 or higher
- PTE Academic-minimum score of 45
3) Cumulative GPA of 2.25 (on 4.0 scale) or higher in 12 or more college-level credit hours from a regionally accredited U.S. institution of higher education, including at least one college level non-ESL English course with an earned grade of C or higher.
4) Cumulative GPA of 2.75 (on 4.0 scale) or higher on 24 or more college-level credit hours from a regionally accredited U.S. institution of higher education.
5) Cumulative U.S. equivalent GPA of 2.75 (on 4.0 scale) or higher for one year of full-time academic credit from a recognized non-U.S. institution of higher education where English language is the sole medium of instruction. Student’s transcript must include a non-ESL English course. It will be the responsibility of the applicant to verify the institution’s language of instruction.
6) Other proof of English proficiency may be considered on an individual basis.
For Graduate Admissions
Non-native speakers of English must prove an adequate level of English language proficiency for admission into an academic program. English language proficiency for admission can be demonstrated in one of the following ways. Demonstration of English proficiency must have been done within two (2) years of the applicant’s intended program start date.
Note: The following standards apply to most, but not all, graduate programs. Some programs may have higher standards for admission. Please refer to the Bulletin for specific program admission requirements.
1) Successful completion of Southeast’s IEP’s GradCAP.
2) English proficiency tests (Official scores must reported to Southeast Missouri State University):
- TOEFL – minimum score of 79 iBT(examining minimum band scores)
- IELTS – minimum overall band score of 6.0
- ITEP – minimum of 3.9 or higher
- PTE Academic – minimum score of 53
3) Bachelor’s degree or higher from a regionally accredited U.S. institution of higher education.
4) Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) or higher from a recognized non-U.S. institution of higher education where English language is the sole medium of instruction. Student’s transcript must include non-ESL English courses. It will be the responsibility of the applicant to verify the institution’s language of instruction.
5) Cumulative GPA of 2.5 (on 4.0 scale) or higher in 12 or more college-level semester credit hours from a regionally accredited U.S. institution of higher education, including at least one college level non-ESL English course with an earned grade of C or higher.
6) Cumulative GPA of 3.0 (on 4.0 scale) or higher on 24 or more college-level credit hours from a regionally accredited U.S. institution of higher education.
7) Cumulative U.S. equivalent GPA of 3.0 (on 4.0 scale) or higher for one year of full-time academic credit from a recognized non-U.S. institution of higher education where English language is the sole medium of instruction. Student’s transcript must include a non-ESL English course. It will be the responsibility of the applicant to verify the institution’s language of instruction.
8) Cumulative GPA of 3.0 (on 4.0 scale) or higher on 9 or more graduate level credit hours from a regionally accredited U.S. institution of higher education.
9) Successful completion of Level 112 in the ELS Language School
10) Other proof of English proficiency may be considered on an individual basis.
What type of documentation is required?
Academic credential standards:
Documents to submit: Submit all documents which apply to your educational history.
To be admissible:
You must have a minimum 2.00 cumulative GPA (on a 4.00 scale) on all previous college work for undergraduate admission.
Southeast will consider for admissions an international transfer applicant who does not meet standard admission requirement under certain conditions.
Graduate applicants please refer to the following link for specific GPA requirements: http://www.semo.edu/gradschool/checklist.html. You may also refer to the Graduate Bulletin for specific program admission requirements.
To be Official:
Transcripts must be an original or photocopy stamped/signed by a school official, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Education, or other government authority. Attestations by notary publics are NOT accepted.
Transcripts can be mailed to Southeast either by the applicant OR directly by the issuing body.
Southeast will not review photocopies, faxes, or scans.
Official credential evaluation reports completed by a current member of NACES will be accepted in lieu of official transcripts, if the evaluation indicates that it was based on official transcripts
Transcripts from U.S. or Canadian schools must be sent to us directly from the school.
Official transcripts not in English must be accompanied by a Certified English Translation.This must be provided by a translation agency and stamped by a qualified translator.
If you do not list all schools on your application, you will be expelled, denied admission, or refused transfer credit.
You will be denied admission or expelled if you send falsified transcripts or any other documents.
Transcript Retention Policy: All transcripts will be destroyed after they are scanned into our university database. Hence, do not send us your only copy.
What are the English Proficiency requirements?
Southeast students are expected to meet English standards required for university level courses.
What are the steps to apply?
1. Complete your application
2. Pay the $60 application fee
3. Submit your supporting documents:
- Passport
- Academic transcripts
- Affidavit of Financial Support and Proof of finances
- Proof of English proficiency (or other ways to demonstrate English Proficiency)
- Standardized test scores (ACT, SAT, etc.) for scholarship consideration
4. Submit your official transcripts before the deadlines