Application

Complete the International application for admission.

$30 Application Fee

The nonrefundable application fee is payable by credit card or money order.

Personal Statement (if required by your program)

One- to two-page personal statement indicating your academic goals and the ways in which this graduate program can help you attain your professional goals. This statement must be typed and signed.

Transcripts

• All transcripts must be sent to Grand Valley directly from the university.
• Original, attested, or certified copy of all academic records from all colleges and/or universities you have attended.
• Diplomas or graduate certificates from all universities where you have earned a degree.
•  If your transcripts are not in English, then you will need to submit an English translated transcript along with the original transcript.

For Indian applicants

We will accept three year Bachelor degrees that meet the following conditions:

• The degrees have been earned in Division I
• The awarding institution has an earned grade of A or better from  India’s National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC)

Test Scores

For admission, all international students must take one of the approved English proficiency exams, except for students from English proficiency exam waiver countries.

All test scores must be sent from the testing service.  We are not able to accept unofficial test scores.

• TOEFL: 80 (we do not accept "My Best" score for admission)
• IELTS: 6.5
• PTE: 53
• Duolingo: 105

English proficiency exam waiver countries:

• Antigua & Barbuda, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, Botswana, Canada, Dominica, Fiji, Gambia, Ghana, Grand Cayman Islands, Grenada, Guyana, Ireland, North Ireland, Jamaica, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, New Zealand, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, South Africa, St. Christopher-Nevis, St. Kitts, St. Lucia, St. Vincent & Grenadines, Swaziland, Tanzania, Trinidad & Tobago, Uganda, United Kingdom, Virgin Islands, Zambia, and Zimbabwe

Several graduate programs will require the GRE for admission.  The general GRE code for Grand Valley is 1258.  If you are applying to a program that requires a CAS application system, please use the GRE code for that application.  If your program does not require a CAS application, then use code 1258.

Additional program requirements

Verification of Financial Support (to be submitted after admission)

Graduate students must have sufficient finances to cover tuition, fees, and housing costs for one year at Grand Valley. The minimum amount of support is $28,810.  You can find the estimated tuition and living expenses on the International Tuition and Fees website.

The financial verification form, bank statement and passport for your I-20 can be submitted here - https://apply.gvsu.edu/portal/international.

What are acceptable financial documents?

• Personal bank statements indicating required currency amount in liquid asset form (business accounts are not accepted)
  • Cash deposits, certificates of deposit, savings accounts, term deposits and checking accounts are acceptable
• Investment statements indicating liquid assets
  • Submissions need to include clear evidence of the fund’s liquidity and the cash surrender value
• Graduate assistantship award letter
• Athletic scholarship letter from a Grand Valley athletic team
• Government funding
  • Letter must have contact information of the organization providing funding
• Education loan confirmation letter

What information does my bank statement need to have? 

• All financial documents must have at least three months of transaction history or proof that the account has been active for more than three months
• All certificate of deposit and term deposit statements must include the maturity date
• All financial documents must be in English. Documents not in English must be accompanied by an official English translation.
• All financial documents must be printed on official bank letterhead and must be signed by the appropriate bank official.

Fall tuition and fees are set by the university in July and will be published on the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarship website.

International Graduate Transfer Students

Grand Valley welcomes transfer students from U.S. and international colleges and universities.

As part of the application, we will ask you to provide an original, official transcript from your current college or university. The transcript must show the classes you have taken, the number of credits or hours that are assigned to each class, and the grade or mark that you received. 

In order to give credit for non-U.S. courses, we will need course descriptions. Course descriptions are not required for colleges and universities located in the U.S., as those courses will be reviewed automatically. The course descriptions are not required for admission, but if they are submitted with the application, your courses can be reviewed quicker. Course descriptions can be sent directly to [email protected].

Please also review the “All International Students” section above.