Nondegree Graduate Admissions Requirements

If you wish to take graduate classes on campus, on either a part-time or a full-time basis, but are not seeking a graduate degree at Iowa State University, you should apply as a nondegree graduate student.

If you have earned a bachelor's or advanced degree
If you wish to later apply for an advanced degree
If English is not your first language
International applicants on either a Student Visa or Exchange Visitor Visa
Applicants who have been charged with a violation of law


If English is not your first language

If English is not your first language, you need to show that you have met the university's minimum English proficiency requirements before taking classes. This can be done by submitting one of the following items:

  1. An Internet-Based TOEFL score of 79
  2. A Paper-Based TOEFL score of 550
  3. An IELTS score of 6.5
  4. A bachelor's, master's, or doctorate degree from the U.S. or a country in which English is the only official language.

The TOEFL test is given on the ISU campus the week before school begins each semester for students who are admitted as nondegree students pending proof of satisfactory English proficiency.