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International Admissions Requirements

First-Year Application Requirements

Roger Williams University is a member of the Common Application. International students must complete and submit both the Common Application and the Roger Williams University Supplement to be considered for admission to RWU.

  • Complete the Common Application and RWU Supplement
  • Complete the required essay
  • One letter of recommendation
  • Your most recent high school transcripts
    • Transcripts must be in English or sent along with a certified translation.
    • We must receive at least three years of your high school transcripts. National test results alone are not sufficient.
    • International transcript evaluations are not required, but can be sent as additional supporting material.
    • Student who have completed high school must send along proof of graduation with their transcript.
  • Documentation of Financial Support
    • All students who will be studying on an F-1 Student Visa or J-1 Exchange Visitor Visa are required to submit financial documentation at the time of application. Please submit documents confirming available funds for the annual costs of study (such as savings deposits, checking accounts, or a signed bank letter verifying the ability to pay educational expenses). All documented sources of support must be: 
      • current (within 12 months of starting date at RWU)
      • written in English
      • signed and stamped by a bank official
    • A student who cannot submit this requirement at the time of application may receive conditional acceptance. However, direct admissions will not happen until we receive the required documentation of financial support.
    • To determine the total required, please refer to the International Declaration of Finances.
  • SAT and/or ACT scores are not required, but can be sent as additional supporting material.
  • TOEFL and IELTS scores are not required. However, we do suggest if you have those scores to send them in order to receive the best admission placement for your English level. If you choose to submit test scores, please use the following RWU school code:
    • College Board SAT and TOEFL: 3729
    • ACT: 3814·   

For more information on First-Year Admissions, please see our First-Year Applicants page.

Transfer Application Requirements

Transfer students may choose between the Transfer Common Application or the RWU Transfer Rapid App when applying to RWU. Review the Application Requirements section below for useful information on how to prepare all the necessary materials needed for admission and the Transfer Application Deadlines section for information on when to apply.

  • A submitted application and the embedded essay/statement of intent
  • All Necessary transcripts, including:
    • Official high school transcripts
    • Official transcripts from all colleges or universities attended
    • Transcripts must be in English or sent along with a certified translation.
  • Transfer College Report
  • SAT and/or ACT scores are not required, but can be sent as additional supporting material.
  • TOEFL and IELTS scores are not required. However, we do suggest if you have those scores to send them in order to receive the best admission placement for your English level. For more information, please click here. 

For more information on Transfer Admissions, please see our Transfer Applicants page.

Submitting Your Application

All documents written in a language other than English must be accompanied by a notarized English translation. Please note that for any credential with a required translation, that both documents are required—the original in your first language and the English translation. Applicants must submit all required credentials to Roger Williams University. Your teachers and guidance counselors can do this electronically through professional document systems, by email to admit@rwu.edu, or by mailing them to:

Roger Williams University
Office of Admission
One Old Ferry Road
Bristol, RI 02809 USA

Roger Williams University defines an international student to be a non-U.S. citizen or non-U.S. Permanent Resident (Green Card Holder). Exceptions apply if you are currently in the U.S. in one of the following statuses: Refugee, Asylum, Parolee or Confidential Entrant.

The Supreme Court recently ruled on race-conscious admission. As part of our response to this, RWU and its Admission Offices have reaffirmed our commitment to an equitable admission process. Our approach to enrolling an inclusive and diverse community has always been a holistic admission process, and that will not change. We provide applicants the opportunity and space to speak to how their unique experiences, perspectives, and strengths will contribute positively to our thriving community where everyone feels valued, respected and a sense of belonging. 

We are excited for future generations to benefit from our close-knit community. While we value the lasting impact our community has on our alumni and all the ways their success makes us stronger as an institution, we state explicitly that our admission process does not give specific preference or advantage to legacy status in the review process. 

RWU is committed to equal access: we are an open, accepting and affirming community of citizen scholars that stands firmly committed to creating a campus that is diverse and inclusive as well as welcoming to and accepting of all people of all backgrounds. 

The Office of Undergraduate Admission reserves the right to rescind an offer of admission under any of the following circumstances:

  • If there’s a significant deterioration in your academic work during your final months of school or you do not graduate and receive a diploma by the end of this school year.
  • If your application you submitted and/or your behavior brings into question your honesty, integrity or character and is contrary/inconsistent to our community values.
  • If your official test scores from the College Board or the ACT do not align with your self-reported test scores.
  • Failure to complete required steps for enrollment by the appropriate deadlines.

We encourage students in jeopardy of rescission to be proactive and contact us as soon as possible.

Undergraduate English Language Proficiency Requirements

RWU Direct Admission

Students that meet one of the requirements below will be considered for direct admission to their program of study or major.

Minimum Score Requirements

  • TOEFL that is 79 IBT/550 PBT/213 CBT or greater
  • IELTS that is a 6.5 or greater
  • Duolingo score of 105 or greater

Test scores can be waived if the student meets one of the following requirements:

  • The student is a citizen of a country where English is the primary language
  • Two years of standard English with a B or better in a high school where English is the primary language used in the classroom
  • A score of 550 or greater on the EBRW section of the new SAT
  • A score of 20 or greater on the ACT English Writing Score
  • A score of 6 or greater in IB English SL or HL
  • AP English score of 5
  • A-Level English score of B or higher
  • GTEC score of 1200 or higher
  • Pearson’s Test of English score of 53 or greater
  • Satisfactory completion of an agreed upon program from a partnered ESL program

RWU Bridge Program

For those international students whose test scores indicate that they would benefit from additional English support, we offer the RWU Bridge Program. This program allows students with advance level scores to take appropriate English courses in addition to their academic courses, supplemented by English tutoring in preparation for taking a full-time academic course load. The courses are college-level English, for college credit, and do not take any additional time or funding. This program is for non-native English speaking students interested in RWU's undergraduate program.

Conditional Admission to Roger Williams University

International students applying to RWU with English language test scores below qualifying standards, or with no scores submitted, can be considered for conditional admission. 

Our ESL partners:

Johnson & Wales University, Providence, English Language & Culture Academy
274 Pine St. 
Providence, RI 02903

ASC English
Commonwealth Office
1106 Commonwealth Ave
Boston, MA, 02215

Downtown Office
65 Harrison Ave 6th Fl
Boston, MA 02111

Boston International Academy
1642 Commonwealth Ave
Boston, MA 02135

Center for English Language & Orientation Programs (CELOP)
890 Commonwealth Ave. 2nd Floor
Boston, MA 02215

The New England School of English
Harvard Square
36 John F. Kennedy St
Cambridge, MA 02138

International Student Scholarships

All Roger Williams University international students for Fall 2024 are eligible for a merit scholarship valued at 50% of our standard tuition, room and board**

*this does not include additional expenses such as health insurance, books and travel, and fees (i.e. labs fees, etc.)
**standard tuition rate – not Architecture and Engineering rates, must reside on campus to receive room and board portion

For maximum scholarship consideration, you must submit your Undergraduate Application for Admission by February 1 for Fall Semester and November 1 for Spring Semester. (Your application for admission will also act as your scholarship application. No additional applications are necessary for scholarship consideration.)

Please note: Government sponsorship may reduce the amount of scholarship.