International Requirements - Undergraduate Admissions

Kennesaw State University students represent over 127 countries! International students must meet basic international admission requirements for their classification, and you may have additional requirements based on visa type, country of origin, and educational history.

You should apply for International Admission if you are:

Not a U.S. Citizen.
Currently in the U.S. on an F-1 (student) visa.
Currently living outside the U.S., and will require an F-1 visa to study in the United States.
Currently in the U.S. on any other class of visa.
In the process of applying for Permanent Residency status but have not yet received the Permanent Residency card.
Received a Permanent Residency card.
Have been educated outside of the U.S.

You should apply for International Freshman Admission if you:

a senior in high school, graduating in the spring, or
recently graduated high school and have not enrolled in another college or university after graduating

You should apply for International Transfer Freshman Admission if you:

attended another college and have earned fewer than 30 semester hours or 50 quarter hours of transferrable college credit

You should apply as an International Transfer Admission student if you:

graduated from high school five years ago or more, or
have attended another college and earned 30 semester hours or 50 quarter hours of transferrable college credit

International Deadlines

Semester	Application Opens	Application Deadlines	Document Deadline	Classes Begin
Spring 2025	April 1, 2024	December 1, 2024	December 1, 2024	January 6, 2025
Summer 2025	August 1, 2024	April 25, 2025	May 2, 2025	May 12, 2025
Fall 2025	August 1, 2024	July 1, 2025	July 15, 2025	August 11, 2025

Average International Student Profile

GPA: 3.16

SAT: 1134
ACT: 22
TOEFL: 92

Top Countries:

Mexico
Republic of South Korea
Nigeria
India
China

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Freshman/ Transfer Freshman Admissions Requirements

GPA Requirement

Graduation from high school with GPA of 2.5 with qualifying SAT/ACT test scores

(If educated outside of the United States, the required official evaluation
must indicate GPA)

First-Year Student Announcement:

First-year students applying to Kennesaw State University from now to Summer 2026 semesters may be admitted without an ACT or SAT score if they have a GPA of 3.2 or higher.

_{* Students who have a GPA of less than 3.2 should submit official ACT or SAT scores along with their high school transcript to be considered for admission.}

_{*For students who were educated outside the United States, the GPA must be reflected
on the official evaluation (see requirements below). Kennesaw State will review the
official evaluation.}

_{**Being exempt from SAT/ACT does not guarantee that students are also exempt from
the English proficiency requirement if they are citizens of non-English speaking countries
(see the Validation of English Proficiency section below).}

_{Note: Test scores are still required for some scholarships (e.g. Zell Miller) and
programs (e.g. Architecture).}

_{Test scores may also be used for Math Placement (see Step 3 on the Math placement page).}

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Testing Requirements

Kennesaw State accepts either the SAT or the ACT for freshmen and transfer freshmen applicants. Scores from the ACT and the SAT will not be mixed together. Applicants must meet minimum* English/Critical Reading and Math section requirements.

*Please note: Test scores will be required beginning Fall 2026 at Kennesaw State University for first-year applicants.

ACT: 18 - English or Reading | 18 Math

_{Full ACT test score reports are required for any test score submissions. KSU does not accept ACT Superscores.}

SAT: 500 - Evidence Based Reading and Writing | 490 Math Section Score

Architecture Degree Program Applicants

Please note that there are higher admissions requirements for the Architecture Degree program and seats are limited. Applicants are encouraged to complete their application and submit all required documents by January 31 for admission the following fall semester.

High School GPA: 3.0

SAT:
Evidence-Based Reading and Writing Score: 500
Math Section Score: 570

ACT:
English or Reading sub-score of 18
Math sub-score of 23

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Testing FAQs

Is KSU test-optional?

First-year students applying to Kennesaw State University for the through Summer 2026 semesters may be admitted without an ACT or SAT score if they have a GPA of 3.2 or higher.* Students who have a GPA of less than 3.2 should submit official ACT or SAT scores along with their high school transcript to be considered for admission. All students must be on track to complete the Required High School Curriculum to be admitted.

First-Year students applying to Kennesaw State University for Fall 2026 or beyond must submit official SAT or ACT scores along with official high school transcripts.
Are standardized SAT or ACT test scores required for admissions?

First-year students applying to Kennesaw State University for the through Summer 2026 semesters may be admitted without an ACT or SAT score if they have a GPA of 3.2 or higher.* Students who have a GPA of less than 3.2 should submit official ACT or SAT scores along with their high school transcript to be considered for admission. All students must be on track to complete the Required High School Curriculum to be admitted.

First-Year students applying to Kennesaw State University for Fall 2026 or beyond must submit official SAT or ACT scores along with official high school transcripts.
What if I have not taken the SAT or ACT yet?

Kennesaw State University will remain test-optional through Summer 2026 for students with a recalculated GPA of 3.2 but recommends all first-year applicants to take and submit official test scores.

Effective for students applying for Fall 2026 or beyond, all first-year applicants will be required to submit SAT or ACT by admissions deadlines. Students should plan to complete test-score admissions requirements.
Do I need to submit official SAT or ACT scores if I have completed some college coursework?

You will need to submit official test-scores if you have completed less than 30 transferable credit hours of coursework.
How do I submit official test scores?

Official scores must be submitted electronically by the respective testing agency. Use the following school codes to submit your official test scores:

SAT school code: 5359
ACT school code: 0833
Does Kennesaw State University superscore?

For the SAT, we will take the highest Evidence-based Reading & Writing section and Mathematics section if there is more than one set of scores.

For the ACT, we will take the highest ACT English or Reading and ACT Math scores if there is more than one set of scores.

KSU doesn’t superscore SAT with ACT scores.

Freshman/ Transfer Freshman Application Process

Submit your application and $40 fee online by the deadline posted for your desired semester of entry.
Submit official transcripts of ALL your high school or post-secondary records (if any).
Official English evaluations of all foreign documents are needed. You must have your foreign transcripts evaluated by one of the following credential evaluation services found at naces.org or aice-eval.org.
Sample evaluation companies include International Education Evaluation (IEE) and SpanTran
1. High school transcript must have a document-by-document evaluation, including GPA.
2. College/university transcript must have a course-by-course evaluation, including GPA.

Official transcripts from high schools or colleges/universities must be sent directly from the institution to:

Kennesaw State University
Office of Undergraduate Admissions
3391 Town Point Drive, MD 9111
Suite 1000
Kennesaw, GA 30144

If you’re requesting your official documents to send electronically, please request the institution(s) to send official copies to our Office of Undergraduate Admissions email: KSUadmit@kennesaw.edu.

Submit results from your Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) or American College Test (ACT)
Validation of English Proficiency (see chart below)

Transfer Admissions Requirements

GPA

Cumulative 2.0 GPA on all college coursework attempted.
*Architecture Degree transfer applicants are required to have a minimum 2.5 college GPA as recalculated by KSU

CREDIT

At least 30 transferable semester credit hours or 50 transferable quarter hours.

Please note: If students attended a college/university outside the United States, they must provide a course-by-course evaluation, which must demonstrate university-level coursework equivalency in the United States for at least 30 semester hours of credit.

ACADEMIC STANDING

Good - must be able to re-enroll at previously attended university/college

Transfer Credit Search Engine

Transfer Admissions Application Process

Submit your application and $40 fee online by the deadline posted for your desired semester of entry. See application instructions.
Submit official transcripts of all your high school or post-secondary records.
Official English evaluations of all foreign documents are needed. You must have your foreign transcripts evaluated by one of the following credential evaluations services found at naces.org or aice-eval.org
Sample evaluation companies include International Education Evaluation (IEE) and SpanTran
1. College/university transcript must have a course-by-course evaluation, including GPA
If students attended a college/university outside the United States, they must provide a course-by-course evaluation (including GPA), which must demonstrate university-level coursework equivalency in the United States for at least 30 semester hours of credit.

Official transcripts from colleges/universities must be sent directly from the institution to:

Kennesaw State University
Office of Undergraduate Admissions
3391 Town Point Drive, MD 9111
Suite 1000
Kennesaw, GA 30144

If you’re requesting your official documents to send electronically, please request the institution(s) to be sent official copies to our Office of Undergraduate Admissions email: KSUadmit@kennesaw.edu.

Validation of English Proficiency (see chart below)

_{Students who do not meet Transfer admission requirements may be required to submit
high school records and Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) or American College Test (ACT).
Please see Freshman/Transfer Freshman Requirements above.}

Validation of English Proficiency

We want you to succeed and grow while at KSU. It is essential to contribute in the classroom and engage with the campus community. Thus, we ask non-native speakers to validate their English proficiency when applying to KSU. See the list of English-speaking countries that are exempt from the English proficiency requirement.

Below are the various methods you can use to meet the English Proficiency requirement for admission.

Validation Criteria	Minimum
TOEFL (Internet Based TOEFL IBT or Paper Based TOEFL PBT)	79 IBT or 550 PBT
IELTS	6.5
IELTS Academic Online Test	6.5
SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (Test taken March 2016 or later)	500
ACT English or ACT Reading	18
EIKEN	Pre-1
MET (Michigan English Test)	77
Cambridge CAE (Certificate of Advanced English)	177

Validation Criteria	Minimum
Cambridge CPE (Certificate of Proficiency in English)	180
Pearson PTE Academic	58
Cambridge International Examinations (CIE) IGCSE Or "O" Level Exams	B or Better
UK GCSE English Exam	B or Better
UK GCE A-Level Exam	B or Better
EdExcel Intl A-Levels Or IGCSE English Exams	B or Better
KSU Intensive English Program (IEP)	Successfully completed High Advanced (final) level
Completion of an approved USG campus -based ESL program of study	International Education \| USG English Proficiency Requirements Per USG approval
US College Completion of English Composition One	English Composition I with C or better

Conditional Acceptance

To gain full admission to a KSU degree program, students must demonstrate English proficiency as per the above chart. Students may fulfill this requirement by fully enrolling in KSU's Intensive English Program (IEP). During this time, international students are given an I-20 for Language Training.

Students who plan to enroll at KSU in an undergraduate academic program after completing the IEP may apply for Conditional Admission while enrolled in the IEP. If students receive Conditional Admission, they will receive a Conditional Admission letter for their records and Visa application.

Upon successfully completing the highest level of the IEP and receiving an IEP Certificate of Completion, Conditional Acceptance to KSU will be reviewed for Full Acceptance. Only then students will be considered to have met the English Language Proficiency requirement, so that they can enroll in the university and request an I-20 into an undergraduate degree program.

See the Intensive English Program for details on enrolling in English language training.

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