Skip to main content
Scenes from the URI Office of Admissions

International Students

We Welcome Students from Around the World

 

Scroll down for information regarding English proficiency, tuition, housing, scholarships, and more.

 

Freshman Admission and Transfer Admission

 

Freshman Admission

When you apply, you will receive a confirmation from the Common Application that your application has been submitted. In late September, URI will begin to send letters to our applicants acknowledging that we have received your application and telling you how to check the status of your application online. We will not begin making admission decisions until November.

Applications are not reviewed until all materials are received by the Office of Admission. These materials include:

  • A completed Common Application and URI Supplement, which are both available and preferred online.
  • A completed International School Supplement to the Secondary School Report (which is on the Common Application website)
  • Application fee of $65 (can be paid online) We are unable to waive the $65 application fee for international students.
  • Official secondary school records. Original documents or certified true copies of originals are considered official. If the official documents are not in English, you must submit both the original and a certified English translation. If applicable, students must provide official results and certificates of completion from national secondary examinations.
  • SAT (Reasoning Test) scores sent electronically (URI code 3919) or ACT scores sent electronically (URI code 3818); (SAT II test NOT required)
  • Proof of English proficiency (see section below)
  • Personal Essay (Pharmacy applicants must include an additional paragraph explaining your choice of major).
  • At least one letter of recommendation (please limit to two); Two are required for students applying to the pharmacy program.

Freshman application deadlines for fall 2010

  • Early Action / Merit Scholarship: December 1, 2009 (received by)
    Nursing and Pharmacy majors are encouraged to apply by December 1st
  • Freshman Application: February 1, 2010
  • Enrollment and Housing Deposit: May 1, 2010 (postmarked)
  • Spring admission (January) 2010: November 1, 2009

Merit Scholarship for Outstanding Freshmen

No separate application is required for our merit-based scholarships, but students must apply by the December 1 Early Action deadline (all required application materials must be received by this date).

Preference for our highest level awards will be given to students with a challenging curriculum, a GPA of 3.4/4.0, a class rank of top 25%, a combined SAT score (critical reading and math) of 1200 or ACT of 26, and involvement and leadership in their schools and/or communities. The overall quality of the application pool will determine the degree of competition for these awards, so satisfaction of these criteria does not guarantee a higher-level scholarship. Depending upon available funding, other scholarships will be awarded to students with a strong record of academic achievement who fall slightly below these criteria.

Most Early Action applicants receive their admission decision by the end of January.  Early Action is non-binding.

Merit Scholarships are four-year awards, renewable each semester as long as you maintain continuous full-time enrollment (12 credits per semester) and a minimum GPA of 3.0.

November SAT/ACT scores are the latest that we will consider for Centennial eligibility. If students request that these scores be sent electronically by the testing agency (as we require) when they register for the November test, the scores will be received by the December 1 deadline.

Test Requirements

If you did not request your scores to be sent to URI at the time you registered for the test, you must contact the testing agency or service and request that your scores be sent electronically (URI ID code for SAT is 3919; for ACT use URI ID code 3818). You can click on the links below to contact either test provider. We recommend that you send us all of your SAT scores because we will take your highest score for each section from different test dates.

Transfer Student Admission

As of July 1, 2009, The University of Rhode Island will be a member of the Common Application group.

A completed application includes the following:

  1. A completed application for admission (online preferred)
  2. Application fee of $65 (can be paid online). We are unable to waive the $65 application fee for international students.
  3. Official secondary school and post-secondary school records. Original documents or certified true copies of originals are considered official. If the official documents are not in English, you must submit both the original and a certified English translation. If applicable, students must provide official results and certificates of completion from national secondary examinations.
  4. For most students, transcripts of post-secondary; work must be formally evaluated by a credential evaluation agency in order for URI to determine transfer credit. Please refer to the Document Evaluation Section below.
  5. Transfer applicants with fewer than 24 credits must complete the SAT Reasoning Test administered by the College Board or the ACT (see links above).  The URI ID code for the SAT (Reasoning Test) is 3919 and the URI ID code for the ACT is 3818. SAT II test NOT required.
  6. Proof of English proficiency (see section below)
  7. Personal Essay (Pharmacy applicants must include an additional paragraph explaining your choice of major).
  8. At least one letter of recommendation (please limit to two); Two are required for students applying to the pharmacy program.
  9. Final transcripts of all work in progress must be submitted immediately upon completion.  It is expected that such study will be concluded satisfactorily.

Please note:
Students transferring from other institutions in the United States should not withdraw to come to URI until they have received a definite notice of acceptance, including the Certification of Eligibility (Forms I-20 or DS-2019). 

Transfer application deadlines for 2010

  • Spring admission (January) 2010: December 1, 2009
  • Regular fall admission (September) 2009: May 1, 2010 (postmarked)

Document Evaluation

If you are an international transfer student, in most cases your transcripts of university studies must be formally evaluated by one of the following credential evaluation agencies.  Please request that they send an official report directly to URI:

World Education Service

Bowling Green Station
PO Box 5087
New York, NY 10274-5087
www.wes.org
(212) 966-6311
FAX (212) 739-6100

 

Center for Educational Documentation, Inc.
PO Box 231126
Boston, MA 02123
www.cedevaluations.com
(617) 338-7171
FAX (617) 338-7101

 

Educational Credential Evaluators
PO Box 514070
Milwaukee, WI 53203-3470
www.ece.org
(414) 289-3400
FAX (414) 289-3411

All Applicants

The following information pertains to both freshman and transfer applicants.

English Proficiency Requirements

Applicants whose native language is not English are required to submit the official results of a TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) or the IELTS (International English Language Testing System).  Minimum requirements for the TOEFL are paper-based 550, computer-based 213 or iBt score of 79.  Minimum requirement for the IELTS is a 6.5. 

Most students will be required to take the TOEFL or IELTS. Applicants who have attended a secondary school or post-secondary school where the language of instruction is English may be exempt from submitting the above, dependent upon their English grades and their Critical Reading SAT score.  This will be determined on an individual basis.

Financial Documents

All admitted students are required to submit a completed Certificate of Financial Responsibility.  Please note that this is not a required part of the application process. After an international student receives a letter of acceptance, the student must then show that they possess funds for their first year at the University.  Information about these documents can be found at the International Students and Scholars website. 

Tuition and Fees for International Undergraduate Students

This is an estimate of the minimum costs for undergraduate study at the University of Rhode Island for the 2008-2009 Academic Year (September – May) and is subject to change without notice.

Tuition
$24,736
Health and Accident Insurance
$1,133
Health Services Fee
$444
Registration Fee
$50
Student Services Fees
$730
Sub-Total
(Educational Expenses)
$26,436
Housing
$5,218
Food
$3,708
Personal Expenses
$1,240
Sub-Total
(Personal Expenses)
$10,166
Total Expenses
(calendar year)
$36,602

STUDENTS EXPECTING TO BRING SPOUSES AND/OR CHILDREN SHOULD PLAN TO HAVE ADDITIONAL FUNDS

SPOUSE $4,000 (for each 12 month period)
PER CHILD $2,500 (for each 12 month period)

INSURANCE COVERAGE (for each 12 month period)

SPOUSE $3,000
CHILDREN $1,300 (per child)

MANDATORY HEALTH SERVICE FEE FOR SPOUSE: $428.

Please Note:

  • Undergraduate students in residence halls should plan to bring about $700 for bedding, rugs, lamps, and so on.
  • Bank drafts clear in 4-6 weeks. Plan to bring adequate funds in travelers' checks (US dollars). This is extremely important, as no emergency funds are available to help students who run into financial difficulty.

For more information, you can visit Enrollment Services.

Housing

There are many housing options available. Please visit our Office of Housing and Residential Life for more information.

SEVIS

All international applicants entering the University of Rhode Island from an American high school, and/or other college or university in the United States, who have been offered admission by Undergraduate Admission, must have their SEVIS I-20 and/or DS-2019 forms transferred electronically to URI by a designated official (DSO/ARO) at their current school. (Current school refers to either a school you are currently attending or a school you attended within the last five months, if you are not currently enrolled.)

Applicants who have graduated from another college or university and plan to begin a second undergraduate degree at URI must also request a SEVIS-to-SEVIS transfer by a designated official at their current school.

For detailed information regarding this process, contact the Office of International Students Services at the school from which you plan to transfer.  The University of Rhode Island cannot generate an I-20 or a DS-2019 form until the SEVIS-to-SEVIS transfer has been initiated by the school from which you are transferring.

Office of International Students and Scholars

The  Director of the Office of International Students and Scholars supervises the entire program for students and faculty members from other countries. The staff will answer inquires for additional information, assist new students in adjusting to the community and their academic programs.  In addition the office is prepared to advise or provide referral regarding visa regulations, personal, medical and financial affairs.

All international students must register their passport and visa information with the Office of International Students and Scholars within 15 days of the first day of class.  They will be directed to the appropriate offices to complete housing, registration, and other necessary arrangements.

Address inquiries concerning I-20 and DS-2019 forms, health certificates, visas, and financial responsibility forms to: Dania Branford-Calvo, Director, Office of International Students and Scholars, University of Rhode Island, 37 Lower College Road, Kingston, RI 02881-1966 USA, Phone: 401/874-2395, email: issoff@etal.uri.edu

Advanced credit information

AP and IB Credit Information

Uri Travel Schedule

URI may be visiting you!  Click here to see our September 2009 URI travel schedule.

Attention International Transfer Students

Transfer Requirements

Transfer Resource Center/Credit Evaluation

Transfer FAQ

Transfer Updates