»International FAQs

You are considered an international applicant if you:

• Are not a U.S. citizen.
• Are not a U.S. permanent resident.
• Are not a refugee.
• Are not an asylee.
• Entered the U.S. on a visa.
• Are undocumented (DACA).
• Have a pending resident, refugee or asylee status.

If you have a Green Card, you are considered a domestic student.

Yes. Chapman is home to many international students who come from all over the world. We currently have students from over 80 different countries.

Tuition rates depend on the program. You can check the most up-to-date costs for each program on our Tuition and Fee page.

But also keep in mind that tuition isn’t the only cost. You will also have to pay for housing, books, supplies and more.

Application fee waivers are not offered to international applicants. While Chapman is able to offer merit-based scholarships, we do not offer need-based aid, and we are unable to offer full funding to students. For this reason, international applicants must pay the application fee. 

We accept online scores from these exams:

• TOEFL iBT Home Edition
  
• IELTS Online
• GRE General Test at Home
• GMAT at Home
• Duolingo English Test (DET)

Chapman’s graduate programs do not accept TOEFL Essentials scores.

Applicants who did not earn a bachelor's, master's, and/or doctoral degree(s) at an institution outside the United States where the language of instruction was English will need to submit official scores from an approved English Language Proficiency exam to apply to Chapman. 

Please note: The Offfice of Graduate Admission does not consider professional certificates as equivalent to a bachelor's, master's, or doctoral degree. Thus, we do not accept certificates from professional certificate programs completed at a U.S. or English-speaking school as proof of English proficiency. 

If you're not sure if you will need to submit scores or not, please contact us at gradadmit@chapman.edu with more information about your degree(s). 

Chapman's language of instruction is English. We accept official scores from the following English Language Proficiency exams:

• IELTS
• TOEFL
• PTE Academic
• C1 Academic
• Duolingo English Test (DET)

Please note: we do not accept TOEFL Essentials Test scores for our graduate programs and Chapman does not offer an ESL program for international students. 

If you did not earn a bachelor’s, master's, and/or doctoral degree(s) at an institution whose primary language of instruction was English, then you must submit official scores from an English Language Proficiency exam to apply to Chapman.

The minimum scores depend on which graduate program you are applying to. Check the program webpage for your program to see the minimum scores you need to apple. You can find links to all of our program webpages on our How to Apply page.

Please note: Even if you are a U.S. citizen, if you obtained your bachelor's degree (or higher) at an institution outside the United States, you may still be required to submit official scores from an English Language Proficiency exam depending on where you earned your degree. Please contact your Graduate Counselor to find out whether you will need to take an English Language Proficiency Exam. 

To send your official TOEFL scores to Chapman, please use our institution code: 4047.

We accept unofficial transcripts if you attended a university outside of the U.S. These unofficial transcripts must be copies of your official transcripts.

If you are admitted to Chapman, you will then need to submit your official transcripts and diplomas.

We only consider transcripts official when sent directly from the university or college that issued them. To submit your official transcripts, ask your school to send them to us electronically at admtranscript@chapman.edu. If your university needs to mail your transcripts instead, please use our mailing address:

You can submit an official copy of your diploma to admtranscript@chapman.edu. If you need to mail your copy instead, please use our mailing address:

Chapman University
Office of Graduate Admission
One University Drive
Orange, CA 92866
USA

Yes, you can check your application status by logging into your Application Status Page.

We have a couple different housing options for international graduate students.

1. On-Campus Housing (Orange campus only)
   
   We have a limited number of apartments for graduate students on and around our campus in Orange, California. For more information, visit our Housing for Graduate and Law Students website.
   
   To apply for on-campus housing, submit this Graduate Housing Request Form.
   
   
2. Off-Campus Housing (Orange campus and Rinker campus)
   
   For off-campus housing at our Orange campus, check our Off-Campus Housing website.
   
   
   For off-campus housing at our Rinker campus in Irvine, CA, contact your program/department coordinator.

Please contact:

To obtain a Form I-20:

1. Pay your enrollment deposit.
2. Complete the International Student Supplement Form.

After you complete both of these, your Form I-20 will be sent to you via email in 10-14 business days.

The International Supplement Form is a form that you must submit to begin the immigration process for studying in the United States. 

The International Student Supplement Form lets us know:

• Your country of citizenship.
• Your current visa status.
• Your sponsorship and financial information (if you will need an F-1 visa).

You submit the International Graduate Student Supplement Form after you have been admitted to Chapman. Please submit the supplement form as soon as possible. 

If you are already in the United States with a current Form I-20 from a different school, you can maintain the valid F-1 visa status through the SEVIS transfer process. 

Your current school must transfer your active SEVIS record before the end of your 60-day grace period. Chapman has two different School Codes. Please make sure you know what campus you are attending to choose the correct code. If you are not sure which code to choose, please contact Shannon Morris Alvarez at shmorris@chapman.edu.

• Chapman University Orange Campus SEVIS Code: LOS214F00335000
• Rinker Health Science Campus (Irvine, CA) SEVIS School Code: LOS214F00335001

At this time, Chapman cannot accept completed or terminated SEVIS I-20 records. If you have a completed or terminated SEVIS I-20 record, please contact Shannon Morris Alvarez (shmorris@chapman.edu) to discuss immigration options. 

Check our Making a Payment page to see all your payment options for paying for tuition. 

Yes. As an international student, you are allowed to work up to 19 hours per week on campus.

Yes, you can get an off-campus job while you are a student at Chapman. Just keep in mind that when it comes to working off campus, you may have restrictions depending on your visa type. For example, if you are on an F-1 visa, you must wait one year before you qualify for Curricular Practical Training (CPT) and can start working off campus at an internship that relates to your degree.

As an international student at Chapman, you will have access to:

• Workshops and events to help you acclimate to living, studying and working in the U.S.
• Access to Handshake, our career portal, for support with all things career, including:
  • How to brand your international experience.
  • Informational interviewing.
  • How to speak to employers confidently.
  • Creating a professional resume and cover letter appropriate for the United States job market.
  • Additional resources and tips on our “International Student Resources” Handshake resource article, hand curated by our career team.
• Graduate Writing Assistantswho can assist you with research and writing.