International MPH Applicants

Degrees earned outside the U.S. must be determined equivalent to a U.S. bachelor’s degree; Course-by-course foreign credential evaluation is required.

SOPHAS only accepts foreign transcript evaluation reports from World Education Services (WES). The electronic WES Course-by-Course evaluation must be submitted directly to SOPHAS.

Applicants who cannot obtain a WES evaluation may seek foreign credential evaluation from another NACES© member organization, such as Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE) or Foundation for International Services (FIS). The official evaluation report must be sent directly to the Brown School.

Additional information about foreign transcripts and documenting foreign coursework in the SOPHAS application can be found here.

Please note that foreign transcript evaluation services typically take three to six weeks. Applicants should request a foreign credential evaluation report as early as possible in advance of deadlines to allow for processing time.

International applicants whose native language is not English must provide proof of language proficiency through the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing Systems (IELTS).

Test scores are valid for two years.  Applicants must meet minimum score requirements and submit official score reports directly to SOPHAS.

• TOEFL iBT: minimum composite score of 90 required; score of 100 preferred. Applicants must request that ETS release official TOEFL iBT test results to SOPHAS TOEFL code 5688.
• IELTS: minimum overall band score of 6.5 required; score of 7.0 preferred. Applicants must provide a Test Report Form (TRF) number in the application and request that IELTS release official test results to SOPHAS.

Additional instruction for submitting TOEFL or IELTS scores electronically to SOPHAS can be found here.

Applicants who are unable to access the TOEFL iBT or IELTS may utilize the Duolingo English Test as an alternative (minimum score of 115 required; score of 125 preferred). Applicants must request that Duolingo share certified test results with Washington University in St. Louis – Brown School (Graduate Program).

EXEMPTIONS: International students meeting any of the following criteria are exempt from the English proficiency requirement:

• Applicant is a citizen of Australia, Cameroon, Commonwealth Caribbean nations, Ghana, India, Ireland, Kenya, Liberia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Uganda, the United Kingdom, Zambia, or Zimbabwe.
• Applicant has completed three or more years of study in an English-medium academic program at a university in any of the above countries, Canada, Hong Kong, South Africa, or the United States.

International applicants not meeting any of the above criteria for exemption must provide test scores.

Washington University is required by law to certify that international students have adequate financial resources to pay for their expenses while attending school before initiating visa processes. If admitted to the program, international students must provide financial documentation demonstrating their ability to cover educational and living costs for the academic year. Instructions for submitting the required documents will be provided after admission.