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For foreign applicants, the completed application and fee ($50), letters of recommendation and official academic credentials for all undergraduate and graduate (tertiary level) institutions attended/being attended, should all be received by the UMES Graduate School by the appropriate international deadline (if given) or the specific program deadline (if a fixed date).
Official transcripts must be submitted by the applicant to a National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) accredited agency for evaluation.
The name of the individual on the credentials must match that on the application.
Photocopies of credentials are acceptable for initial review purposes only. Official credentials (original documents) from non-US institutions must bear either an imprinted seal, an original stamp of the institution, or the original signature of a school official.
Official documents should include the courses completed, the amount of time taken per course, grades, and the grading system.
Public documents signed by a notary public are considered unofficial.
Official credentials must be received or certified by the Graduate School before regular (or full) admission status is granted.
Students enrolled at another US institution may have certified copies of all foreign records sent directly to the UMES Graduate School by their current institution. Transcripts of their US coursework must be sent directly from the US institution.
Only applicants who have completed a full sequence of preparatory studies and examinations equivalent to a US bachelor’s (normally four years and 120 credit hours of study) or higher degree from an approved institution, and who have demonstrated high academic achievement, will be considered for admission.
World Education Services (WES)
The preferred agency for UMES is World Education Services (WES) and applicants should opt for a course-by-course evaluation which must be received by the Graduate School at the time the application for admission to the graduate program is being reviewed. WES currently evaluates and authenticates credentials for submission to the Graduate School at UMES. Other acceptable agencies can be found here (https://wwwcp.umes.edu/grad/wp-content/uploads/sites/120/2022/10/made-approved-foreign-transcript-evaluation-organizations.pdf) As of January 20, 2010, WES has been officially recognized as the recipient of verified Chinese degrees for the U.S. and Canada. Foreign nationals should complete an application for transcript review at www.wes.org and request that the registrar of the institution from which they obtained their degree send the original copy of the transcript to WES for evaluation. WES will submit the evaluation along with a certified copy of the transcript to UMES. Transcripts that do not indicate the degree earned will not be accepted by the Graduate School.
Transfer of Credit
Credit from foreign universities must be evaluated for consideration. However, because of academic and procedural differences between foreign and US regionally accredited institutions, credit from foreign universities may not in every case be acceptable for transfer on a quid pro quo basis.
