Undergraduate International Admissions

International applicants must be at least 17 years of age by the 1st day of classes for the term they are applying for.

Strong Freshman applicants will present a 2.5 minimum GPA in core academic subjects. It is understood that most foreign education systems do not follow the same core curriculum as taught in U.S. high schools. Therefore, each applicant will be evaluated on criteria particular to the educational system of the country in which they completed their studies. However, it is expected that a college preparatory curriculum include courses in English, Math, Science, and Social Science.

Freshman applicants should submit the following:

• USM Application or Common Application
• $45 application fee (non-refundable)
• Copies of high school transcripts and/or school leaving examination results
• Proof of English proficiency (see English Proficiency section for acceptable tests and waiver options) 
• Optional: SAT or ACT (required for Freshman Merit Scholarship consideration) 

Transfer applicants must complete a required core curriculum of courses during their previous college or university studies to be admitted to the university. The basic core requirements are

6 semester hours of English composition
3 semester hours of college algebra or higher mathematics
6 semester hours of science (must be laboratory-based)
9 semester hours of transferable electives

If you have not completed the curriculum requirements for transfer admission, you must also submit an official high school transcript showing the date of graduation. 

Applicants transferring from a school outside the US must submit an official course by course foreign credential evaluation completed by a current NACES member evaluation service* and course descriptions (in English) detailing course content. Due to variations in credit hour systems and course content, it is not guaranteed that coursework will fulfill course progress towards your  degree program at USM. 

Applicants who have previously attended a college or university in the United States or abroad will apply using the International Student Application. Transfer applicants should submit the following:

• USM Application
• $45 application fee (non-refundable)
• Proof of English proficiency through TOEFL, IELTS, Cambridge English, PTE, or iTEP scores or grades of C or better in English Composition I & II from an accredited US college or university
• Official high school transcript and/or school leaving examination results
• Official transcript(s) from all previous colleges or universities attended
• Official course by course foreign credential evaluation for transcripts issued outside the United States.*
• Course descriptions or course syllabi in English for all courses taken at a foreign institution (credit may not be posted without providing this information)

* A list of approved credential evaluation service providers and websites can be found at NACES. Most commonly used providers are WES, ECE, GCE, JS&A, and SpanTran. SpanTran and JS&A (scroll to School Specific Applications and search "Mississippi") offer USM applicants a discount, using institution specific applications. Access the SpanTran application using the link provided and the JS&A application (scroll to School Specific Applications and search "Mississippi"). Both services also provide translation services for an additional fee.

All applicants who are from countries other than the United Kingdom, Australia, English speaking Canadian provinces, New Zealand, Ireland, and English speaking Caribbean Islands, must submit scores from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), The International English Language Testing System (Academic) (IELTS), Cambridge English, Pearson Test of English (PTE), or International Test of English Proficiency Exam (Academic) (iTEP), or meet one of the qualifying exceptions (see below). Freshmen applicants from African countries must submit proof of English proficiency in one of the following forms. 

Minimum score requirements:

The University of Southern Mississippi
Office of International Admissions
118 College Drive, Box 5135
Hattiesburg, MS 39406
USA 

The English proficiency requirement may also be met if the student satisfies one of the following:

• Student has completed International Baccalaureate, Cambridge IGCSE/A-Level, or an accredited US or Canadian curriculum high school abroad with a minimum grade equivalent to C or better in all English courses and with attendance in the final three years offered.
• Student has attended their final three years of secondary school education in the US, U.K., Canada, Australia, or New Zealand, with a minimum grade equivalent to a C in all of their English courses and with attendance in the final three years offered.
• Student has attended an accredited US college or university and obtained grades of C or better in English Composition I & II

The deadlines for filing international applications are as follows:

• Fall admission (August start date) – May 1
• Spring admission (January start date) – October 1

Applications must be received in the International Student and Scholar Services on or before the deadline date to be considered. Some departments have different deadlines for graduate applications. Graduate applicants should contact their major department for more information.

Applicants holding a USM I-20 with SEVIS fee paid for the term they were admitted for may request one deferral only to the next immediate active application term (for example if originally admitted for Fall a deferral to Spring is allowed). Admitted students who did not receive an I-20 or pay the SEVIS fee for the term they were admitted for, will need to submit a new application and application fee for any future terms.

Deferral requests are only accepted during the deferral windows indicated below. The deferral request form will be available in the Terra Dotta portal during the deferral window. A new Affidavit and updated Bank Statement will be required. All requests and documents must be submitted by the deadline.

Deferral Request Windows:
Fall to Spring Deferral: July 15th - September 1st
Spring to Fall Deferral: December 15th - February 1st

Students who have previously attended the university and have a break in attendance of one or more terms must file an application for readmission.

Readmission documents required include the following:

• Application for Readmission
• $60 readmission fee
• Official transcript from each institution attended since leaving Southern Miss
• Updated financial support information for issuance of the I-20 form