Whether you’re a freshman, transfer student, exchange student or graduate student, making the move to go to school in a different country can be difficult. The information below can make the complexity of applying for admission at UWA easier.
Freshman Admissions
You are about to graduate from high school and are ready to plan for your undergraduate studies. We want to make the admissions process as easy as possible for you. We offer various scholarships to help you pursue your dream, including those exclusively for international students as well as general UWA academic and leadership scholarships. You can fill out an application here.
Application Document Submission Deadlines
Fall Semester: July 1
Spring Semester: December 1
Summer Semester: April 1
We reserve the right to request all official documents at any point in the admissions process. Submit your application documents to:
The University of West Alabama
Admission and Enrollment Management
Brock Hall 108, Station 4
Livingston, AL 35470
Email: ip@uwa.edu
Office: (205) 652-3578
Entrance Exams
ACT: 19 or above. New SAT: 980 or above.
Please note: If it is deemed that an International Student is unable to take one of the above tests in his/her home country, the student will be required to take a placement test at UWA upon arrival to campus, provided that all other entrance requirements have been met.
English Proficiency Tests
We accept seven different types of internationally recognized standardized tests for English proficiency: TOEFL, IELTS, TOEIC*, Cambridge, GETC-CBT (Japan), PTE and ISE. Official test reports need to be mailed to UWA. *TOEIC is only available under prearranged agreements.
Transcripts
In addition to your application, we need official transcripts and a graduation certificate (diploma) from your high school, and a certified translation (if not in English). It is preferred to have your high school send the transcripts directly to UWA (to ip@uwa.edu). If this is not possible, a color scanned copy of the original transcript and graduation certificate (diploma) may be sent for tentative admissions decisions, but the official transcripts and graduation certificates (diploma) with official signatures and government stamps will be required by the first day of classes, or your class schedule may be canceled.
Evaluation Reports
Freshmen foreign high school transcripts can be evaluated in-house at UWA; however, we may require any foreign high school certificates and transcripts to be evaluated by a service affiliated with the National Association of Credit Evaluation Services (NACES) or the Association of International Credential Evaluators (AICE). For a listing of NACES member organizations and their contact information, please visit https://www.naces.org/members. For a list of AICE-endorsed member organizations and their contact information, please visit https://aice-eval.org/.
The following NACES member companies give special rates for UWA students using the associated links:
Josef Silny & Associates, Inc.: Application designed for UWA students
Spantran Evaluation: SpanTran Application for the University of West Alabama
International Education Evaluations, LLC (IEE): myiee application for UWA students
International Student Deposit (Fall 2025 applications)
Processing international students to the point of obtaining a visa is a time-intensive and resource-demanding task for the University. Therefore, to ensure a committed international student body, a $3,000.00 mandatory, non-refundable deposit for all international students is required.
The deposit must be received by the University within 10 business days of a student receiving a visa. However, if the visa is granted within 40 days of the start of the academic term, the deposit must be received within three business days of the issuance of the visa. All deposits shall be made through the Flywire payment platform. If the deposit is not received by the University within the stipulated time, the University reserves the right to cancel the student’s I-20.
The deposit will be applied toward the student’s tuition and fees at the University.
If a student does not attend the University, or otherwise does not use the entirety of the deposit on tuition and fees by the time of separation from the University, the student forfeits any and all rights to the deposit. The deposit shall be retained by the University and placed in the account of International Programs.
Exceptions to this policy may be made at the discretion of the University in extraordinary situations.
Copy of Passport
We accept an uploaded PDF copy. You can email your passport directly to ip@uwa.edu. The passport must be valid with an expiration date of no less than 6 months from the start date of the term.
Here are instructions to password-protect your PDF document: https://www.adobe.com/acrobat/online/password-protect-pdf.html. Send your password-protected PDF file in one email and then send the password immediately in a second email. Be sure to have the subject line the same in both emails.
Bank Statements
A detailed list of expenses for the school year can be found under International Students Costs here. The total for the 2023-2024 Academic year is $30,100.00 for undergraduate students. We require bank statements that verify that amount. The total includes expenses for tuition, fees, room and board, books and supplies, International Student Health insurance, and most other personal expenses.
If emailed to ip@uwa.edu, here are instructions to password-protect your PDF document: https://www.adobe.com/acrobat/online/password-protect-pdf.html. Send your password-protected PDF file in one email and then send the password immediately in a second email. Be sure to have the subject line the same in both emails.
Dependent Information (If applicable)
If your spouse and/or children are coming with you, we will need a copy of all dependent passports. Only a spouse or children may be claimed as dependents. We accept uploaded PDF copies (email to Debbie Robinson, drobinson@uwa.edu).
Here are instructions to password-protect your PDF document: https://www.adobe.com/acrobat/online/password-protect-pdf.html. Send your password-protected PDF file in one email and then send the password immediately in a second email. Be sure to have the subject line the same in both emails.
UWA Financial Statement Form
Download the Statement of Financial Support. It must be completed by your sponsor, indicating his/her willingness to finance your education. We accept an uploaded PDF copy.
If emailed to ip@uwa.edu, here are instructions to password-protect your PDF document: https://www.adobe.com/acrobat/online/password-protect-pdf.html. Send your password-protected PDF file in one email and then send the password immediately in a second email. Be sure to have the subject line the same in both emails.
UWA Medical History and Immunization Form
Please complete the medical history and immunization form.
All students must submit completed forms and supporting documentation when applying. Please review the following website for complete information regarding the required immunizations: https://www.uwa.edu/admissions/international-students/immunization-information-for-new-students/.
Medical Insurance
All UWA international students on F-1 visas are required to have health insurance and will automatically be enrolled in LewerMark Insurance each term they are at UWA. The International Health Insurance fee for the fall and spring terms will automatically go into the student account each term after registering for classes.
Information regarding LewerMark insurance can be found here:
Waiver Procedure: Students must apply to waive out of the insurance directly through LewerMark. Students who successfully waive through LewerMark must reapply to waive each academic term.
Click to review the new waiver procedure overseen by LewerMark
The spring term deadline to waive through LewerMark is January 15.
The fall term deadline to waive through LewerMark is August 15.
Transfer Students
If you are currently enrolled in a university or college and plan to transfer to UWA, we would love to help you with this transition process. We want to make the admissions process as easy as possible for you. You can fill out an application here.
Application Document Submission Deadlines
Fall Semester: July 1
Spring Semester: December 1
Summer Semester: April 1
We reserve the right to request all official documents at any point in the admissions process. Submit your application documents to:
The University of West Alabama
Admission and Enrollment Management
Brock Hall 108, Station 4
Livingston, AL 35470
Email: ip@uwa.edu
Office: (205) 652-3578
Entrance Exams
ACT: 19 or above
New SAT: 980 or above
Transfer students with less than 24 transferable credit hours (at least 12 of which meet basic curriculum requirements in their declared degree program) must submit a sufficient ACT or SAT test score. If it is deemed that an international transfer student is unable to take one of the above tests in his/her home country, the student will be granted admission and required to take a placement test at UWA upon arrival to campus, if all other admission requirements have been met. Official test reports need to be mailed to UWA.
Transcripts
In addition to your application, we need official transcripts from each university you attended and an official course-by-course transcript evaluation from a NACES or AICE-endorsed organization. It is preferred to have your universities send the official transcripts directly to UWA (to ip@uwa.edu). If this is not possible, scanned copies of the original transcript may be used for tentative admissions decisions, but the official transcripts will be required by the first day of classes, or your class schedule may be canceled. The NACES/AICE-endorsed company should send their official course-by-course evaluation directly to UWA (to ip@uwa.edu).
Students nominated from official university dual-degree or transfer partnerships may be exempt from the NACES/AICE-endorsed company transcript evaluations.
Evaluation Reports
All transcripts from foreign institutions are required to be evaluated in a course-to-course report which is conducted by a service affiliated with the National Association of Credit Evaluation Services (NACES) or the Association of International Credential Evaluators (AICE). For a listing of NACES member organizations and their contact information, please visit https://www.naces.org/members. For a list of AICE-endorsed member organizations and their contact information, please visit https://aice-eval.org/.
The following NACES member companies give special rates for UWA students using the associated links:
Josef Silny & Associates, Inc.: Application designed for UWA students
Spantran Evaluation: SpanTran Application for the University of West Alabama
International Education Evaluations, LLC (IEE): myiee application for UWA students
International Student Deposit (Fall 2025 applications)
Processing international students to the point of obtaining a visa is a time-intensive and resource-demanding task for the University. Therefore, to ensure a committed international student body, a $3,000.00 mandatory, non-refundable deposit for all international students is required.
The deposit must be received by the University within 10 business days of a student receiving a visa. However, if the visa is granted within 40 days of the start of the academic term, the deposit must be received within three business days of the issuance of the visa. All deposits shall be made through the Flywire payment platform. If the deposit is not received by the University within the stipulated time, the University reserves the right to cancel the student’s I-20.
The deposit will be applied toward the student’s tuition and fees at the University.
If a student does not attend the University, or otherwise does not use the entirety of the deposit on tuition and fees by the time of separation from the University, the student forfeits any and all rights to the deposit. The deposit shall be retained by the University and placed in the account of International Programs.
Exceptions to this policy may be made at the discretion of the University in extraordinary situations.
English Proficiency Tests
We accept seven different types of internationally recognized standardized tests for English proficiency: TOEFL, IELTS, TOEIC*, Cambridge, GETC-CBT (Japan), PTE and ISE. Official test reports need to be mailed to UWA. *TOEIC is only available under prearranged agreements.
Copy of Passport
We accept an uploaded PDF copy. You can email your passport directly to ip@uwa.edu. The passport must be valid with an expiration date of no less than 6 months from the start date of the term.
Here are instructions to password-protect your PDF document: https://www.adobe.com/acrobat/online/password-protect-pdf.html. Send your password-protected PDF file in one email and then send the password immediately in a second email. Be sure to have the subject line the same in both emails.
Bank Statements
A detailed list of expenses for the school year can be found under International Students Costs here. The total for the 2023-2024 Academic year is $30,100.00 for undergraduate students. We require bank statements that verify that amount. The total includes expenses for tuition, fees, room and board, books and supplies, International Student Health insurance, and most other personal expenses.
If emailed to ip@uwa.edu, here are instructions to password-protect your PDF document: https://www.adobe.com/acrobat/online/password-protect-pdf.html. Send your password-protected PDF file in one email and then send the password immediately in a second email. Be sure to have the subject line the same in both emails.
UWA Financial Statement Form
Download the Statement of Financial Support. It must be completed by your sponsor, indicating his/her willingness to finance your education. We accept an uploaded PDF copy.
If emailed to ip@uwa.edu, here are instructions to password-protect your PDF document: https://www.adobe.com/acrobat/online/password-protect-pdf.html. Send your password-protected PDF file in one email and then send the password immediately in a second email. Be sure to have the subject line the same in both emails.
Dependent Information (If applicable)
If your spouse and/or children are coming with you, we will need a copy of all dependent passports. Only a spouse or children may be claimed as dependents. We accept uploaded PDF copies (email to Debbie Robinson, drobinson@uwa.edu).
Here are instructions to password-protect your PDF document: https://www.adobe.com/acrobat/online/password-protect-pdf.html. Send your password-protected PDF file in one email and then send the password immediately in a second email. Be sure to have the subject line the same in both emails.
UWA Medical History and Immunization Form
Please complete the medical history and immunization form.
All students must submit completed forms and supporting documentation when applying. Please review Immunization Information for New Students for complete information regarding the required immunizations.
Medical Insurance
All UWA international students on F-1 visas are required to have health insurance and will automatically be enrolled in LewerMark Insurance each term they are at UWA. The International Health Insurance fee for the fall and spring terms will automatically go into the student account each term after registering for classes.
Information regarding LewerMark insurance can be found here:
Waiver Procedure: Students must apply to waive out of the insurance directly through LewerMark. Students who successfully waive through LewerMark must reapply to waive each academic term.
Click to review the new waiver procedure overseen by LewerMark
The spring term deadline to waive through LewerMark is January 15.
The fall term deadline to waive through LewerMark is August 15.
Graduate Admissions
You’ve earned your undergraduate degree and you are ready for the next step in your education. At UWA, we offer a number of graduate degree programs and we want to make the process of applying as easy as possible. You can apply for admission to our graduate programs here. For a full list of eligible graduate programs, click here.
Application Document Submission Deadlines
Fall Semester: July 1
Spring Semester: December 1
Summer Semester: April 1
We reserve the right to request all official documents at any point in the admissions process. Submit your application documents to:
The University of West Alabama
Graduate and Online Admissions
UWA Station 46
Livingston, AL 35470
Email: goadmit@uwa.edu
Main Admissions Office: 1-877-892-1835 | For Enrollment Counselor: 1-800-900-3037
Transcripts
Students need to submit official transcripts from all undergraduate and graduate work to the Office of Admissions from each university they’ve attended. You must be in good standing and eligible to return to the last institution you attended. We may require that you have your official transcripts evaluated by an outside evaluation service if the official transcript is not in English. It will need to be a course-by-course evaluation. You must have your official college transcripts from each university attended sent by your previous universities or an approved third-party organization directly to goadmit@uwa.edu or mailed to the address listed above.
Evaluation
Foreign college transcripts of completed undergraduate degrees can be evaluated in-house at UWA; however, transcripts may be required to be evaluated directly by an evaluation service affiliated with the National Association of Credit Evaluation Services (NACES) or the Association of International Credential Evaluators (AICE). For a listing of NACES member organizations and their contact information, please visit https://www.naces.org/members. For a list of AICE-endorsed member organizations and their contact information, please visit https://aice-eval.org/. Any course-by-course transfer credit for classes will be required to go through external evaluation by a NACES or AICE-endorsed organization.
The following NACES member companies give special rates for UWA students using the associated links:
Josef Silny & Associates, Inc.: Application designed for UWA students
Spantran Evaluation: SpanTran Application for the University of West Alabama
International Education Evaluations, LLC (IEE): myiee application for UWA students
International Student Deposit (Fall 2025 applications)
Processing international students to the point of obtaining a visa is a time-intensive and resource-demanding task for the University. Therefore, to ensure a committed international student body, a $3,000.00 mandatory, non-refundable deposit for all international students is required.
The deposit must be received by the University within 10 business days of a student receiving a visa. However, if the visa is granted within 40 days of the start of the academic term, the deposit must be received within three business days of the issuance of the visa. All deposits shall be made through the Flywire payment platform. If the deposit is not received by the University within the stipulated time, the University reserves the right to cancel the student’s I-20.
The deposit will be applied toward the student’s tuition and fees at the University.
If a student does not attend the University, or otherwise does not use the entirety of the deposit on tuition and fees by the time of separation from the University, the student forfeits any and all rights to the deposit. The deposit shall be retained by the University and placed in the account of International Programs.
Exceptions to this policy may be made at the discretion of the University in extraordinary situations.
English Proficiency Tests
We accept different types of internationally recognized standardized tests for English proficiency: TOEFL, IELTS, TOEIC*, Cambridge, GETC-CBT (Japan), PTE, Duolingo and ISE. Official test reports need to be emailed to goadmit@uwa.edu or mailed to the UWA address listed above. *TOEIC is only available under prearranged agreements. Requirements for specific graduate programs may vary.
Graduate Student Minimum Requirements and More
Copy of Passport
We accept an uploaded PDF copy. You can email your passport directly to goadmit@uwa.edu. The passport must be valid with an expiration date of no less than 6 months from the start date of the term.
Here are instructions to password-protect your PDF document: https://www.adobe.com/acrobat/online/password-protect-pdf.html. Send your password-protected PDF file in one email and then send the password immediately in a second email. Be sure to have the subject line the same in both emails.
Bank Statements
A detailed list of expenses for the school year can be found under International Students Costs here. The total for the 2023-2024 Academic year is $25,100 for graduate students. The total includes expenses for tuition, fees, room and board, books and supplies, International Student Health insurance, and most other personal expenses.
If emailed to goadmit@uwa.edu, here are instructions to password-protect your PDF document: https://www.adobe.com/acrobat/online/password-protect-pdf.html. Send your password-protected PDF file in one email and then send the password immediately in a second email. Be sure to have the subject line the same in both emails.
UWA Financial Statement Form
Download the Statement of Financial Support. It must be completed by your sponsor, indicating his/her willingness to finance your education. We accept an uploaded PDF copy.
If emailed to goadmit@uwa.edu, here are instructions to password-protect your PDF document: https://www.adobe.com/acrobat/online/password-protect-pdf.html. Send your password-protected PDF file in one email and then send the password immediately in a second email. Be sure to have the subject line the same in both emails.
Dependent Information (If applicable)
If your spouse and/or children are coming with you, we will need a copy of all dependent passports. Only a spouse or children may be claimed as dependents. We accept uploaded PDF copies (email to Debbie Robinson, drobinson@uwa.edu).
Here are instructions to password-protect your PDF document: https://www.adobe.com/acrobat/online/password-protect-pdf.html. Send your password-protected PDF file in one email and then send the password immediately in a second email. Be sure to have the subject line the same in both emails.
UWA Medical History and Immunization Form
Please complete the medical history form and supporting documents available through the link below. All students must submit completed forms and supporting documentation when applying. Please review Immunization Information for New Students for complete information regarding the required immunizations.
Medical Insurance
All UWA international students on F-1 visas are required to have health insurance and will automatically be enrolled in LewerMark Insurance each term they are at UWA. The International Health Insurance fee for the fall and spring terms will automatically go into the student account each term after registering for classes.
Information regarding LewerMark insurance can be found here:
Waiver Procedure: Students must apply to waive out of the insurance directly through LewerMark. Students who successfully waive through LewerMark must reapply to waive each academic term.
Click to review the new waiver procedure overseen by LewerMark
The spring term deadline to waive through LewerMark is January 15.
The fall term deadline to waive through LewerMark is August 15.
Exchange Students
Items You Need
- Letter of Nomination: Please have your home institution send a letter of nomination to Dr. Mark Davis (mdavis@uwa.edu). The letter should contain your full name, the name of your home institution, the name of the individual nominating you, what you plan to study, and how long you plan to study at UWA (one semester or one academic year).
- Unofficial Transcripts: Please send unofficial transcripts of coursework from your home institution to mdavis@uwa.edu.
- Application: You can fill out an application here.
- Proficiency Test Score (if applicable): We accept seven different types of internationally recognized standardized tests for proficiency: TOEFL, IELTS, TOEIC*, Cambridge, GTEC-CBT (Japan), PTE and ISE. Official test reports need to be mailed to UWA. *TOEIC is only available under prearranged agreements. Please click here for our Proficiency Policies: Proficiency Policies. Check the policies to see if you may waive this requirement. See minimum requirements and more.
- Copy of Passport: The passport must be valid with an expiration date of no less than 6 months from the start date of the term. We accept an uploaded PDF copy. Here are instructions to password-protect your PDF document: https://www.adobe.com/acrobat/online/password-protect-pdf.html. Send your password-protected PDF file in one email and then send the password immediately in a second email. Be sure to have the subject line the same in both emails. Send to mdavis@uwa.edu.
- Bank Statements: The estimated total expense for the current school year may be found here: Estimated Costs. We require recent bank statements (issued within 6 months prior to enrollment) to verify the financial support of the applicant. We accept uploaded PDF copies. Here are instructions to password-protect your PDF document: https://www.adobe.com/acrobat/online/password-protect-pdf.html. Send your password-protected PDF file in one email and then send the password immediately in a second email. Be sure to have the subject line the same in both emails.
- UWA Financial Aid Statement Form: Download the Statement of Financial Support. It must be completed by your sponsor, indicating his/her willingness to finance your education. We accept an uploaded PDF copy. Here are instructions to password-protect your PDF document: https://www.adobe.com/acrobat/online/password-protect-pdf.html. Send your password-protected PDF file in one email and then send the password immediately in a second email. Be sure to have the subject line the same in both emails.
- UWA Medical History and Immunization Form: Please complete the medical history and immunization form. All students must submit completed forms and supporting documentation when applying. Please review Immunization Information for New Students for complete information regarding the required immunizations.
- UWA Medical Insurance Requirements
All UWA international students on F-1 visas are required to have health insurance and will automatically be enrolled in LewerMark Insurance each term they are at UWA. The International Health Insurance fee for the fall and spring terms will automatically go into the student account each term after registering for classes.
Information regarding LewerMark insurance can be found here: UWA LewerMark webpage.
Waiver Procedure: Students must apply to waive the insurance directly through LewerMark. Students who successfully waive through LewerMark must reapply to waive each academic term. Click here to review the new waiver procedure overseen by LewerMark.
The spring term deadline to waive through LewerMark is January 15.
The fall term deadline to waive through LewerMark is August 15.
Application Document Submission Deadlines
- Fall Semester: Nominations by April 19. All required documents received by July 1 (May 15th is recommended for visa requirements).
- Spring Semester: Nominations by October 1st. All required documents received by November 15th (October 15th is recommended for visa requirements).
- Summer Term: Nominations by January 31. All required documents received by March 31 (February 15th is recommended for visa requirements).
Checklist
- Summer Term: Nominations by January 31. All required documents received by March Letter of Nomination____
- 2. Unofficial Transcripts____
- 3. Application submission____
- 4. English Proficiency Test (if applicable)____
- 5. Copy of Passport____
- 6. Bank Statement____
- 7. UWA Financial Statement Form____
- 8. Medical History Form____ (follow the instructions on the website for Medical History Form submission instructions).
Email Dr. Mark Davis with questions: mdavis@uwa.edu.
How to Submit Your Information
Once you have all the required items, please email your scanned documents (unofficial transcripts, English Proficiency Score, if applicable, copy of passport, bank statements and UWA Financial Aid Statement Form) to Dr. Mark Davis, mdavis@uwa.edu.
Dependent Information (if applicable)
If your spouse and/or children are coming with you, we will need copies of all your dependents’ passports. We accept uploaded PDF copies. Please email to Debbie Robinson, drobinson@uwa.edu.
International Staff & Counselors
Dr. Mark Davis
Dean of International Programs
mdavis@uwa.edu
Meng Xu
International Admissions Counselor
xum@uwa.edu
Fengna “Yvette” Gregg
International Coordinator
zhengf@uwa.edu