International Students

Potsdam accepts the SUNY Application or the Common Application. You only need to complete one. The application fee for each is $50.00 US Dollars.

If filing the SUNY Application, do not close the website after you hitting “submit.” You will also need to complete the SUNY Potsdam Supplemental Application, with an essay requirement.

After submitting your online application, arrange to have ALL official academic records sent to SUNY Potsdam. This includes official transcripts, examination scores, mark sheets from secondary school, as well as transcripts from colleges and/or universities previously attended.

Academic Records (transcripts, examination scores, mark sheets, etc.) must be submitted in both English and the original language. Transcripts can be translated by SpanTran or World Education Services (WES)

The essay should express your educational goals, objectives and explain why you would like to attend SUNY Potsdam.

If English is not your native language, you will need to provide proof of English Proficiency. You must complete one of the following options:

• TOEFL (internet-based, computer-based, or paper-based)
  Minimum Acceptable Score: 79, 213, or 550, respectively
• IELTS
  Minimum Acceptable Score: 6.0
• ITEP
  Minimum Acceptable Score: 3.5
• EIKEN
  Minimum Acceptable Score: Grade 1
• SAT
  Minimum Acceptable Score: 1000 (with 400+ on Critical Thinking)
• ACT
  Minimum Acceptable Score: 21 (Composite score)
• ELS
  Minimum Acceptable Score: 112 (Completion level)
• Duolingo
  Minimum Acceptable Score: 100

Students who have strong academic performance in their school work but have no proficiency test score (or score below our minimum) may receive a conditional admission offer, but must attend an Intensive English Language Program (IELP) with one of our partners to achieve the minimal proficiency in English before starting full-time studies at SUNY Potsdam.

Conditional Admission programs include:

• Fulton Montgomery Community College - ESL Program - Upon completion the student must earn a 79 on the TOEFL exam prior to enrolling at SUNY Potsdam
• ELS - Upon completion the student must achieve Level 112 prior to enrolling at SUNY Potsdam

Email or mail a copy of the biography (picture) page of your passport. This is the page that includes complete legal name, country of citizenship and photograph.

To prepare your I20 (student immigration document), the US Federal Government requires students to provide a financial guarantee document that demonstrates a student can pay for one year of study at SUNY Potsdam. The document must be dated within nine months of the start of the semester you will arrive at SUNY Potsdam. Financial guarantee documents must state the student can cover the costs listed under the Estimated Cost form.

Examples of a financial guarantee document:

• Official letter from a bank on bank letterhead that is signed and dated by a bank official
• Bank statement on bank letterhead that has been signed and dated by a bank official
• Certificate of deposit on bank letterhead with a bank official signature and date

Submit a completed International Student Financial Statement.

Submit a completed Address Verification Form.

If you are applying as a freshmen, submit at least one letter of recommendation written by someone who knows your academic capabilities.

For admission to a music degree, students must also audition with the Crane School of Music, either in person or by video.

View the Crane Admissions page for information on auditioning locations and dates, as well as video auditions.

All auditioning students, regardless of how they audition, must register for an audition through the link on this web page.

Questions can be sent to auditions@potsdam.edu.

Our scholarship program creatively reduces residence hall costs, tuition and some provide funding for applied learning opportunities to experience more, without having the extra financial burden.  All new students are automatically considered for merit-based academic scholarships. Review award amounts and other scholarship information for international freshmen and transfer students here.

Congratulations on your acceptance to SUNY Potsdam!

Please follow the steps below to complete your enrollment.

1. Pay Your SEVIS fee (Find out how to pay SEVIS fee)
2. Apply for a Visa (this does not apply to Canadians) View the Obtaining a Visa webpage.
   To apply for a U.S. visa, you would need the following documents:
    
   1. Valid passport (for at least six months)
   2. Original letter of acceptance/admission issued by SUNY Potsdam
   3. Original SEVIS I-20 form issued by SUNY Potsdam SEVIS fee receipt (form I-797)
   4. Copies of all of your high/secondary school or college transcripts
   5. Copies of the TOEFL or IELTS score
   6. Proof of ties to your home country

Review all requirements outlined on the Graduate Admissions page.

Applicants who studied at colleges and universities outside the U.S. should have a degree or diploma that is the equivalent of a U.S. bachelor's degree or higher.

International credentials are assessed in terms of the educational pattern of the country, the type of institution attended, and the level of study completed before the expected date of enrollment at Potsdam. In general, the degree should represent a minimum of four years of college-level study, which follows at least 12 years of schooling at the elementary and secondary level.

You may also submit a credential evaluation report to verify that your degree is equivalent to a U.S. bachelor's degree (Credential evaluations are accepted by any organization that is recognized by the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES). Additional information may be found at www.naces.org).

The following are general guidelines for equivalents to a U.S. bachelor's degree:

1. Canada: A three or four year bachelor's degree from Quebec or Ontario or a four-year bachelor's degree from the other provinces.
2. Latin America: A university degree requiring four years of study.
3. United Kingdom and countries following the British pattern: A bachelor's degree with honors.
4. France and countries following the French pattern: A licence, if earned under the terms of the Bologna Declaration, otherwise a degree or diploma requiring four years of study after the baccalaureate, usually the Maitrise.
5. Germany: A Bakkalaureus degree, if earned under the terms of the Bologna Declaration, otherwise completion of the diploma.
6. Other European countries: A university degree requiring a minimum of three years of study, if earned under the terms of the Bologna Declaration, otherwise a university degree requiring a minimum of four years of study.
7. Australia: A bachelor's degree with designation of Ordinary or Pass
8. India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nepal: A bachelor's degree of engineering (BE), a bachelor's degree of technology (BT) or a master's degree in any other field. Indian three-year bachelor's degrees earned in Division or Class I and II at universities accredited by the NAAC with a grade of A will also be evaluated as equivalent to a U.S. bachelor's degree (based on WES's recommended evaluation criteria).
9. Other Asian countries: A university degree requiring four years of study.

SUNY Potsdam graduate programs require students to engage in group discussions, class participation, and oral presentations, requiring a high proficiency in written and oral English.

Non-native English speaking graduate applicants are therefore required to submit test scores as demonstration of their English language proficiency. SUNY Potsdam's institutional code for score reports is 2545.

We accept the following test scores:

• TOEFL (internet-based, computer-based, or paper-based)
  Minimum Acceptable Score: 79, 213, or 550, respectively
• IELTS
  Minimum Acceptable Score: 6.0
• Cambridge English Exams (CEA/CEP)
  Minimum Acceptable Score: 169
• Pearson PTE Academic
  Minimum Acceptable Score: 51
• Duolingo
  Minimum Acceptable Score: 100

Language Exam Exceptions

Please note the following exceptions to the submission of a TOEFL, IELTS, or Cambridge exam:

• English Speaking Countries: Citizens of the following English-speaking countries are not required to submit test scores: Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Canada, Ireland, Jamaica, New Zealand, Trinidad and Tobago, and the United Kingdom. Countries whereby English is one of but is not exclusively an official language will be considered, but is not an automatic waiver. These cases will be evaluated on an individual basis.

• Existing U.S. Study: Applicants, who have studied at an institution in the U.S., or an English-speaking institution in Canada for a minimum period of two years may, in some cases be granted a waiver of the English exam requirement. If you have studied in the U.S. for less than two years, you will be required to submit official test scores. This waiver is not guaranteed, and decisions will be made on an individual basis.

Students who have strong academic performance in their school work but have no proficiency test score (or score below our minimum) may receive a conditional admission offer, but must attend an Intensive English Language Program (IELP) with one of our partners to achieve the minimal proficiency in English before starting full-time studies at SUNY Potsdam.

Conditional Admission programs include:

• Fulton Montgomery Community College - ESL Program - Upon completion the student must earn a 79 on the TOEFL exam prior to enrolling at SUNY Potsdam
• ELS - Upon completion the student must achieve Level 112 prior to enrolling at SUNY Potsdam

Visit the Scholarships page to find options available for International Graduate Students.

Congratulations on your acceptance to SUNY Potsdam!

Please follow the steps below to complete your enrollment.

1. Pay Your SEVIS fee (Find out how to pay SEVIS fee)
2. Apply for a Visa (this does not apply to Canadians) View the Obtaining a Visa webpage.
   To apply for a U.S. visa, you would need the following documents:
    
   1. Valid passport (for at least six months)
   2. Original letter of acceptance/admission issued by SUNY Potsdam
   3. Original SEVIS I-20 form issued by SUNY Potsdam SEVIS fee receipt (form I-797)
   4. Copies of all of your high/secondary school or college transcripts
   5. Copies of the TOEFL or IELTS score
   6. Proof of ties to your home country