Admission of International Students

Undergraduate applicants who are not American citizens should address all inquiries to The University of Alabama, International Admissions Officer, Box 870132, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0132; international@ua.edu. Information on admission to the Graduate School may be secured from The University of Alabama, Dean of the Graduate School, Box 870118, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0118. Applicants who need to learn English or improve their English proficiency should write for information to The University of Alabama, English Language Institute (ELI), Box 870250, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0250. Correspondence concerning undergraduate admission should be initiated at least six months in advance of the anticipated date of enrollment. Transfer students already in the United States should apply no later than four months prior to the date of enrollment.

Complete, properly translated official credentials are required. Evidence that the full cost of attending the University can be met by the student is also required.

The University of Alabama requires a minimum score of 500 on the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) or 173 computer TOEFL or satisfactory completion of The University of Alabama's English Language Institute (ELI) before a student may begin an academic program. Admission may be offered to students who meet the academic and financial qualifications, but do not have TOEFL scores available or do not meet the TOEFL score requirement. These students will be given the institutional version of the TOEFL examination upon arrival. A student who does not score 500 or higher on the institutionally administered version of the TOEFL will not be eligible to begin an academic program and will be required to register full-time in the ELI until he or she meets the TOEFL requirement or satisfactorily completes the ELI program.

English placement for non-native speakers of English. In order to place non-native speakers of English in appropriate writing courses, each such student who does not have credit for EN 101 from a regionally accredited U.S. institution will be given a University of Alabama language proficiency exam prior to his or her initial registration at the University. Such students must then be enrolled either in an English Language Institute (ELI) course, or in the Department of English course that suits their demonstrated abilities.

The English courses prescribed (ELI, EN 120, EN 121, or a combination of these) must be completed in sequence, beginning with the first semester of the student's enrollment at The University of Alabama, and the student must be continuously enrolled in these undergraduate courses until they are successfully completed. This policy applies to all non-native speakers entering The University of Alabama for the first time who do not have credit for EN 101 from a regionally accredited U.S. institution.

Students who have credit for EN 101 from a regionally accredited U.S. institution but do not also have credit for EN 102 are encouraged to register for EN 121 (rather than EN 102) at The University of Alabama.