The University of Virginia School of Nursing welcomes applications from international students for its graduate degree programs. International applicants need to submit the regular admissions application plus these additional requirements.
1. English language testing.
Applicants who completed a post-secondary University degree in a non-Anglophone country (outside of the US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, etc) must submit TOEFL or IELTS scores. These scores must be recent (no more than 24 months old). Have the scores sent directly to the University of Virginia (R-5820). Information on these tests can be found at www.toefl.org or www.ielts.org. The University has minimum standards on the TOEFL and IELTS that must be met by international students.
2. Academic credentials evaluation
All international transcripts need to be evaluated by a credentials evaluation service. This will provide a report about the education system of the host country, and ‘translate’ the grading system to the 4.0 American-style GPA. There are several companies that provide this credentials evaluation, and the University of Virginia cannot recommend one over another. Note that it could take 1 month or more to receive an official credentials evaluation, so you should plan ahead. Some companies that provide this service are:
Educational Credentials Evaluators (www.ece.org)
International Academic Credential Evaluators (www.iacei.net)
Josef Silny and Associates (www.jsilny.com)
World Education Services (www.wes.org)
3. Nursing Credential and License
Graduate students do not need to have a RN license from the Virginia Board of Nursing to enroll in courses or complete coursework. However, applicants who wish to work as a nurse for pay or be a Graduate Teaching Assistant while they are enrolled must have a Virginia RN license. Please consult the Board of Nursing at http://www.dhp.virginia.gov/nursing/ for steps to get a Virginia RN license. If you intend to transfer your RN license from overseas to the US, you will also first need to have your license evaluated by the Commission for Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (www.cgfns.org).
4. Visa and Financial Statements
Applicants who receive offers of admissions will be sent additional information on visa applications and financial guarantee statements.
5. Admissions Deadlines
The posted admissions deadlines for the various programs are fixed. International applicants must submit all materials for consideration well before the deadline date to be considered. It is strongly recommended that international applicants have all materials submitted (including English language testing and credentials evaluation) 2 months before the application deadlines.