International Admission Procedures

A person who is not a citizen or permanent resident alien of the United States is considered an International Student.

Application Deadlines

Semester Date
Fall June 1
Spring October 1
Summer April 1


International graduate applicants should refer to the Graduate catalog for application and deadline information.

International Admission Requirements

To be fully admitted, all international applicants must submit the following items before established deadline dates:

  1. A completed application for International Admission, including the $75 application fee by the stated deadline. The application fee must be paid by credit card or a bank money order in U.S. dollars from U.S. banks. It is not refundable.  The ApplyTexas application is available online at GoApplyTexas.org.
  2. A university approved Foreign Credential Evaluation with the report listed on the admission website submitted directly from the credential evaluation agency to Texas A&M University-Kingsville for any institutions outside of the United States.
  3. Official SAT or ACT scores are not part of the admission requirement; however, either test may be used for placement purposes in English and math courses as well as a TOEFL alternative.  Scores must be received directly from the testing facilities. Test scores are required for all Engineering majors (see below).
    1. To be admitted as an entering freshman to the Frank H. Dotterweich College of Engineering at Texas A&M University-Kingsville, students are required to have certain minimum test scores to be placed in the desired engineering major.  Applicants whose test scores fall below the minimum scores for full admission to the College of Engineering will be admitted to the General Engineering program in order to complete preparatory coursework.
  4. Texas Success Initiative (TSI) exams are not part of the admission requirement; however, all undergraduates are required to take one of the tests prior to registration.
  5. A Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) score of 61 (Internet-based) or 500 (Paper-based) is the university minimum requirement. A higher score of 79/550 is required for all applicants to programs in the College of Arts and Sciences and the Frank H. Dotterweich College of Engineering. This score must be sent directly from the Educational Testing Services (ETS) and dated within two (2) years of enrollment. Residual (Institutional) TOEFL exams taken at another institution will not be accepted. TOEFL (Code#6822) See below for a list of TOEFL alternatives.
  6. A Letter of Sponsorship is required from the party who will financially support the applicant during pursuit of degree. The letter should certify the sponsor's commitment to pay the educational, living, health, and personal expenses of the applicant until completion of the degree(s). A sponsor may be the student, student's parents or a third party organization. The sponsor's letter must be dated within six months of the first enrollment according to dates listed below on bank statement requirement
  7. A Bank Statement certifying the sponsor to have the required funds (stated in U.S. currency) dated within twelve months (one year) of the first enrollment.  Amounts required can be found on the Office of International Student & Scholar Services website.
  8. International students transferring from another institution in the United States must submit the following additional documents:
    1. International Student Status Transfer Form completed by student and DSO of current institution 
    2. Updated proof of financial support dated within three months or less of the first enrollment at TAMUK
    3. Copy of current I-20; copy of student's F1 visa; Copy of I-95 (front & back)
    4. For students with dependents: Written notification requesting dependents to be included on I-20

Texas A&M University-Kingsville will evaluate a student’s academic documents and determine institutional accreditation/recognition, whether the GPA requirements are met and whether any degree/diploma earned is equivalent to a U.S. bachelor’s degree.

NOTE: Upon completion of the application process, admitted applicants are eligible to be issued an I-20 by the Office of International Student & Scholar Services if all appropriate documentation has been submitted and approved by their office. Students with an F-1 Student Visa are required to enroll full-time while at Texas A&M University-Kingsville.

Immigration status as an approved student will be granted upon submission and review of the stated documents. An I-20 form will be issued from the Office of International Student & Scholar Services. International students applying for admission are reminded that possession of an I-20 form from this university does not relieve them of the responsibility to comply with United States immigration procedures.

International Freshman Admission

Undergraduate applicants who have no previous work at the postsecondary level must have at least a 2.7 grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) from a secondary school and must also meet the criteria for admission to a postsecondary school in the applicant’s home country.

International students who are graduating from a recognized U.S. high school, either in the U.S. or abroad, are required to meet the Assured Admission Requirements listed on a previous page of this catalog.

International Transfer Admission

The university will allow credit for work done at other institutions that are fully approved by the appropriate regional accrediting agency. Students from other universities or colleges seeking admission must present evidence of honorable dismissal and official transcripts of their entire college history.

Undergraduate applicants who have attended a postsecondary level institution and have completed less than 12 transferable semester credits after high school graduation/secondary school completion at an accredited/recognized institution must satisfy the following criteria:

  1. Meet or exceed the freshman admission requirements listed above and
  2. Post a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.0 on a 4.0 scale for all post-secondary work attempted.

Undergraduate applicants who have attended a postsecondary level institution and have completed 12 or more transferable semester credits after high school graduation/secondary school completion at an accredited/recognized institution must satisfy the following criteria:

  1. Post a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.0 on a 4.0 scale for all post-secondary work attempted and
  2. Be in good standing with the college or university last attended.

Note: Applicants to the College of Engineering with less than 60 transferrable credits will be admitted to a General Engineering program if the overall GPA falls between 2.0 to 2.49. For more information about admission to an engineering program at Texas A&M-Kingsville, please see the College of Engineering section of this catalog.

Transfer students who do not meet published admission criteria do not qualify for automatic admission to Texas A&M-Kingsville. Transfer students in this category who wish to receive further review must contact the dean of their academic college for consideration. If their academic dean recommends admission, students will be admitted with an academic status of Scholastic Probation and must maintain a 2.0 grade point average during their first semester of enrollment at Texas A&M-Kingsville. Failure to maintain a 2.0 grade point average during the first term of enrollment will result in dismissal from the institution.

International Visiting Student

A Visiting Student (also known as a Transient Student) is a student seeking admission to classes for only one semester with plans to continue their studies at another institution.

To be considered for Visiting Student admission, international applicants must submit the following items:

  1. A completed Application for Admission, including the $75 application fee. The ApplyTexas Transient Application is available online at GoApplyTexas.org website.
  2. A Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) score of 61 (Internet-based) or 500 (Paper-based) is the university minimum requirement. A higher score of 79/550 is required for all applicants to programs in the College of Arts and Sciences and the Frank H. Dotterweich College of Engineering. This score must be sent directly from the Educational Testing Services (ETS) and dated within two (2) years of enrollment. Residual (Institutional) TOEFL exams taken at another institution will not be accepted. TOEFL (Code#6822) See below for a list of TOEFL alternatives.
  3. Official transcript from the most recent institution attended, in English and the native language of the country in which it was issued. This transcript must indicate that the student is in Good Standing.

Once admitted, Visiting Students will coordinate with the Office of International Student & Scholar Services (OISSS) for the appropriate immigration paperwork.

Visiting Students are admitted for one semester only. If a Visiting Student wishes to pursue a degree at Texas A&M-Kingsville, they must follow the appropriate admission application procedures. Please refer to the appropriate section above for this information.

International Exchange Student

Before applying as an Exchange Student at Texas A&M-Kingsville, you must check with our Office of International Student & Scholar Services (OISSS).

International Exchange student applicants are required to submit the following items for admission purposes:

  1. A completed Application for Admission, including the $75 application fee. The ApplyTexas International Transfer Application is available online at GoApplyTexas.org website
  2. A Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) score of 61 (Internet-based) or 500 (Paper-based) is the university minimum requirement. A higher score of 79/550 is required for all applicants to programs in the College of Arts and Sciences and the Frank H. Dotterweich College of Engineering. This score must be sent directly from the Educational Testing Services (ETS) and dated within two (2) years of enrollment. Residual (Institutional) TOEFL exams taken at another institution will not be accepted. TOEFL (Code#6822) See below for a list of TOEFL alternatives.
  3. Official transcript from the most recent institution attended, in English and the native language of the country in which it was issued.

Once admitted, Exchange Students will coordinate with the OISSS for the appropriate immigration paperwork.

Exchange Students are admitted for one year only, or for the length of time approved through the official Exchange Agreement. If an Exchange Student wishes to pursue a degree at Texas A&M University-Kingsville, they must follow the appropriate admission application procedures. Please refer to the appropriate section above for this information.

Proof of English Proficiency

A minimum TOEFL score of 61 (Internet-based) or 500 (paper-based) is required for most undergraduate programs at Texas A&M University-Kingsville. Students seeking admission to the Frank H. Dotterweich College of Engineering or programs in the College of Arts and Sciences are required to present a minimum TOEFL score of 79 (Internet-based) or 550 (paper-based).

The following are considered equivalencies to the TOEFL scores of 61/500:

  1. SAT 27 Reading (earned March 2016 or later), ACT 21 English; PTE overall 44, or IELTS 6.0 overall band score.
  2. Completion of Texas A&M University-Kingsville’s Intensive English Program with an average of 85% and levels from Intermediate to Advanced. Students must have the program send their letter of completion with scores to the Office of Admission.
  3. Completion of the advanced-level Texas Intensive English Program (TIEP) offered by the Texas International Education Consortium (TIEC).
  4. Students who have completed their entire formal education at the secondary or postsecondary level in the following countries are exempt from the TOEFL requirement: American Samoa, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Canada (except Quebec), Cayman Islands, Dominica, Federated States of Micronesia, Gambia, Ghana, Gibraltar, Grenada, Guam, Guyana, Jamaica, Liberia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Trinidad-Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands, and the United Kingdom (all). Note: Applicants from Puerto Rico, where Spanish is the primary language, are required to submit a TOEFL or equivalent.
  5. Students who have earned at least 12 transferrable semester credits and completed English composition 1 and 2, with grades of C or better in each, in university-level courses from an accredited U.S. college or university, or an institution of higher education in one of the countries listed above, may be exempt from TOEFL. English as a Second Language (ESL) courses will not count as transferrable courses. No online English courses are accepted for English proficiency.
  6. TSI Assessment scores of 351 Reading/340 Writing/4 Essay are required by all students to place into freshman level English classes and will be used as a TOEFL exemption.

SAT or ACT scores are not required for admission but will be used for placement purposes in English and math courses as well as a TOEFL alternative.

The following are considered equivalencies to the TOEFL scores of 79/550:

  1. PTE overall 53 or IELTS 6.5 overall band score.
  2. Completion of Texas A&M University-Kingsville’s Intensive English Program with an average of 90% and levels from Low Advanced, Advanced, or High Advanced. Students must have the program send their letter of completion with scores to the Office of Admission.
  3. Students who have completed their entire formal education at the secondary or postsecondary level in the following countries are exempt from the TOEFL requirement: American Samoa, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Canada (except Quebec), Cayman Islands, Dominica, Federated States of Micronesia, Grenada, Guam, Guyana, Ireland, Jamaica, Liberia, New Zealand, United Kingdom (all), Trinidad-Tobago and Virgin Islands. Note: Applicants from Puerto Rico, where Spanish is the primary language, are required to submit a TOEFL or equivalent.
  4. Students who have earned at least 12 transferrable semester credits and completed English composition 1 and 2 with grades of C or better in each, in university-level courses from an accredited U.S. college or university, or an institution of higher education in one of the countries listed above, may be exempt from TOEFL. English as a Second Language (ESL) courses will not count as transferrable courses. No online English courses are acceptable for English proficiency. With the exception of application to the College of Engineering, SAT or ACT is not required for admission but will be used for placement purposes in English and math courses as well as a TOEFL alternative.
  5. Duolingo score of 100