International Student Admission

The School of Social Work welcomes international students to our Chicago-area campus, just 12 miles from downtown. Our students and faculty hail from not only the United States, but also such countries as China, Turkey, Nigeria, Trinidad and Saudi Arabia.

Application Requirements

In addition to meeting the general requirements for admission, applicants who were educated outside of the United States and/or students requiring a student visa:

  • Must demonstrate English language proficiency if English is not the applicant's primary language by scoring 83 or better on the Internet-based TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language; Dominican's code for submitting scores is 1667), or 6 or higher on the IELTS (International English Language Testing System), or the completion of ELS Level 112. 
  • Must have official credential evaluations completed by any of the following 

Only complete application files will be reviewed by the admission committee. Providing incomplete or inaccurate information regarding a previous academic record on an admission application is grounds for denial of admission.

  • No credentials will be returned to the applicant.
  • All application materials become the property of Dominican University.
  • Admitted students may defer their enrollment for a maximum of one year. After that, he/she must reapply.

Applicants who have withdrawn their application after it has been submitted must reapply for further consideration.

Visa Requirements

Following admission Dominican can assist with immigration requirements. We are authorized by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to issue SEVIS I-20s for students living abroad or those wishing to transfer their SEVIS records. International students requiring an I-20/F1 student visa must show evidence of sufficient funds to cover a full year of tuition, fees and living expenses including:

  • Housing costs, whether room and board in university residence halls or off-campus housing. These costs are the student’s responsibility. 
  • Medical insurance (international students are automatically enrolled in the Student Health Insurance Plan via the Dominican University Wellness Center unless they can document existing coverage that is equal to or better than the student plan offered; visit www.dominicaninsurance.com for full details)
  • Books and personal items
  • Support during such times when the university is not in session

Access the current financial statement form for the School of Social Work (pdf).

For more information on immigration and visa matters, visit Dominican's International Student Services page.

ELS Partnership with Graduate School of Social Work

Dominican University is proud to partner with the ELS Chicago center located on our campus.

The Graduate School of Social Work encourages ELS students to apply to a master’s degree program for conditional admission. A Conditional Letter of Acceptance (CLA) allows an ELS student to gain pre-admission based on a specific set of admission criteria. This allows for greater planning and foresight for an individual preparing for a student visa. Please be aware that neither a DU I-20 nor SEVIS transfer documents will be issued based upon the CLA, but only after all admission requirements have been met.

For information on studying English as a Second Language, at the ELS Chicago Center, please contact:

Kathleen Hylen
Center Director
khylen@els.edu
(773) 277-3799