International Admission

If you have questions about a requirement, please contact Theatre Admissions at (+1) 773-325-7999 or theatreadmissions@depaul.edu .

Undergraduate Applicants (BFA)

Freshman - You are considered an international freshman applicant if you have been educated outside of the U.S. at any time during secondary school (high school).

Transfer - You are considered a transfer international applicant if you have been educated outside of the U.S. at any time during secondary school (high school) or university and/or college. Required documentation is based on age and number of credits completed.

Age	University Semester Credits	High School Transcripts Required
23 and younger	24+ total semester credits 23 or fewer total semester credits	No Yes
24 and older	12+ total semester credits 11 or fewer total semester credits	No Yes

International applicants should reference DePaul University International Admissions requirements in addition to the requirements on the Theatre School Undergraduate Admissions. The following items may also be required of international undergraduate applicants:

English Translation of Transcript

Students educated outside the U.S. for secondary school (high school) are required to submit an exam score that meets our English proficiency requirement. Minimum requirements for both scales are listed below. Students can demonstrate proof of English proficiency by one of the following:

Note: Effective for TOEFL exams taken on or after January 21, 2026, the ETS TOEFL IBT score scale will change from a 0-120 score range to a 1-6 score range.

Test Exam	English Proficiency Requirement	Send Scores to DePaul
TOEFL	80 on the IBT TOEFL with no subsection lower than 17	ETS TOEFL School Code: 1165
IELTS Academic	6.5 on the IELTS Academic	IELTS
Duolingo English Test (DET)	115 on the DET	DET
SAT	minimum evidence based reading and writing score of 540	CollegeBoard SAT School Code: 1165
ACT	minimum reading score of 18 and English score of 20	ACT School Code: 1012
PTE Academic	minimum English academic score of 53	N/A

TOEFL, IELTS Academic and PTE Academic exam scores are valid for two years. SAT and ACT exam scores are valid for five years. Scores that are older will not be accepted.

We will waive the English proficiency exam requirement for students who have completed the following coursework and achieved the minimum following results:

Curriculum / Exam	Minimum Result
International Baccalaureate (IB) English A: Language & Literature	IB grade of 5 or letter grade equivalent (HL and/or SL)
Advanced Placement (AP) English Language & Composition	Score of 4 on the exam AND/OR a grade of B in the class
British Curriculum (I)GCSE (O levels) English First Language	Result of D (letter scale) or 3 (number scale)
British Curriculum GCE (AS/A levels) English Language and/or English Language & Literature	Result of C

Exception: Students whose secondary education (for all years of secondary/high school) took place in one of the countries below are exempt from the English proficiency requirement. Students born in one of these countries, yet educated elsewhere for secondary education, are required to satisfy the English proficiency requirement.

Antigua & Barbuda, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Canada (English speaking provinces), Cayman Islands, Dominica, Fiji, Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guam, Guyana, Ireland, Jamaica, Kenya, Leeward Islands, Liberia, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Solomon Islands, St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Trinidad & Tobago, Turks & Caicos, Uganda, United Kingdom (including Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland), Vanuatu, Windward Islands, and Zambia.

Graduate Applicants

In addition to the requirements found on the Theatre School Graduate Admissions page, the following items may also be required of international graduate applicants:

Transcript Evaluation
We welcome students from all over the world to The Theatre School. As part of the application review process, DePaul University conducts a free course-by-course transcript evaluation for coursework completed outside of the U.S. These evaluations can be used for DePaul admission purposes only. If you would like to take advantage of this service, you will need to upload complete academic documents for all post-secondary levels of study at the time of application. These should be in original language with English translation (as needed).

If you choose to "opt-out" of DePaul's credential evaluation, you will need to provide your own course-by-course credential evaluation from one of the companies listed below. The agencies require those with non-US educational credentials to submit their original educational credentials (transcripts, mark sheets, degree certificates) and evaluation fee directly to one of the three evaluation companies below. You must request an evaluation that will provide us with a course by course evaluation of your record which will be used during the admission process. Official transcript evaluations must be sent to us directly from the credential agency.
- ECE (Educational Credential Evaluators, Inc.)
  Evaluation Request
- Educational Perspectives
  Evaluation Request
- One Earth International Credential Evaluation
  Evaluation Request
If you choose to use one of these external credential evaluation companies, please direct any questions about required credentials to the evaluation company you have selected and not to our admission office. The Theatre School's preferred outside evaluation agencies are the three list above. Your application will not be reviewed until we receive the completed evaluation from the company you select.

Transcripts submitted to The Theatre School for any administrative purpose will become property of The Theatre School and will not be returned. Documents can be obtained from the institution or organization that originally issued the document.

Students who earned a bachelor's degree outside of the U.S. must present proof of English proficiency to be considered for admission. The Theatre School accepts the TOEFL, IELTS, Pearson Test of English or Duolingo English Test (DET) as proof of English proficiency. TOEFL, IELTS and PTE exam scores are valid for two years. Scores that are older will not be accepted. Applicant files will not be reviewed until all documents have been received.

Note: Effective for TOEFL exams taken on or after January 21, 2026, the ETS TOEFL IBT score scale will change from a 0-120 score range to a 1-6 score range. Minimum requirements for both scales are listed below.

Test/Exam	English Proficiency Requirement	Send Scores to DePaul
ETS TOEFL	Minimum score of 80 iBT TOEFL with no section lower than 17; minimum score of 550 on the paper-based exam	ETS TOEFL School Code: 1165
IELTS & IELTS Indicator	Minimum overall score of 6.5 on the IELTS Academic	IELTS Send to DePaul University
Duolingo English Test (DET)	Minimum overall score of 115 on the DET	DET Send to DePaul University
Pearson Test of English (PTE)	Minimum English academic score of 53	PTE Send to DePaul University
TOFEL Essentials Test	Minimum score of 8.5	ETS TOEFL School Code: 1165

The English proficiency requirement can be waived for applicants who have received a bachelor’s degree or higher in the following countries:

United States
Antigua and Barbuda
Australia
Bahamas
Barbados
Belize
Canada
Dominica
Fiji
Ghana
Grenada
Guyana
Ireland
Jamaica
Kenya
Marshall Islands
Micronesia
New Zealand
Nigeria
Solomon Islands
St Kitts and Nevis
St Lucia
St Vincent and the Grenadines
Trinidad and Tobago
United Kingdom
Vanuatu

Once we receive a transcript evaluation verifying that you have received a degree in one of these countries, the English proficiency requirement will be waived for you.

Upon Admission
An admission email will be sent to provide next steps. Admitted international students seeking an F-1 or J-1 student visa must take the following steps:

Step 1: Pay Your $500 Graduate Tuition Deposit (effective June 25, 2025)
- This creates your DePaul student record.
- The Graduate Tuition Deposit is non-refundable, even in the case of a visa denial.
- The Graduate Tuition Deposit is credited towards your first term tuition.
Step 2: Submit Your Intent to Enroll Form
- This tells us that you plan to join the DePaul community.
- Approximately 3-5 days after you complete both Step 1 and Step 2, you will receive an email invitation to request your I-20.
You can find more information on the I20 request process here. The I20 document checklist can be found here.

Request Information

Visit The Theatre School

International Admission

Undergraduate Applicants (BFA)

English Translation of Transcript

Proof of English Language Proficiency

Graduate Applicants

Transcript Evaluation

Proof of English Language Proficiency

Upon Admission

The Theatre School

Admission

The Merle Reskin Theatre

Administration

Resources