Information for International Applicants

Emory University and our Rollins School of Public Health, which is ranked #4 among schools and programs of public health in the United States, leads as a global community and we are glad you are considering being a part of it! Before you immerse yourself in the application process, there are a few additional application details and requirements that you should know about. 

International students are invited to have a completed and verified SOPHAS application by the January 5th priority deadline to be considered for merit scholarships, which include full-tuition opportunities. These scholarships are competitive and range from full-tuition opportunities to smaller grants.

All students, including international students, are eligible to participate in our signature REAL program. Admitted international students will receive a link to our international REAL application. REAL is offered on a first-come, first-served, basis. Students are encouraged to apply for admission early in order to receive the link to the REAL application once admitted.

We strongly encourage international applicants to submit their SOPHAS application no later than May 1 to guarantee your application will be reviewed for admission for the upcoming fall semester. International applicants may still expect their applications to be reviewed after May 1, however a recommendation of deferment to the following fall semester may be made.

Rollins requires international students whose native language is not English to take either the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). Your test scores may not be more than two years old.

If you take the TOEFL, you will need to request that the testing service send your scores to SOPHAS using the reporting code 5688. 

Applicants who elect to take the IELTS should make this selection under the Standardized Tests section on the SOPHAS application, a new TRF Number field will appear for you to complete. To send official IELTS scores to SOPHAS, applicants must use a predetermined IELTS code. You can view received test scores under the Check Status tab in the application.

The minimum scores required for TOEFL is 550 (paper); 213 (CBT); 79-80 (iBT) and IELTS score of 6-Overall.

If you were born internationally but are a permanent resident of the United States or have completed a degree at a U.S. institution, you don't need to submit TOEFL or IELTS scores.

Students who are citizens of the following English-speaking countries are also exempt from sending TOEFL or IELTS scores: Australia, Bahamas, Bermuda, Canada, Gambia, Ghana, Guyana, Ireland, Jamaica, Kenya, Liberia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda, United Kingdom, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

If you are requesting transcripts from colleges outside of the United States, make sure you complete your application through SOPHAS and request your transcript well in advance of the application deadline. We recommend requesting your transcript at least a month in advance). We suggest doing your SOPHAS application first, so you already have your 11-digit SOPHAS ID when ordering your evaluation through the World Education Services (WES).

Order your evaluation using this form.

MBBS degree recipients: Please be sure to consult individual academic department requirements. While the GRE is not required, for some academic departments, such as Epidemiology, a college level math course or evidence of math proficiency is required.

Epidemiology is a quantitative science, and so it is important that our admissions committee has insight into your quantitative and analytic skills. If you do not have math coursework on your transcript, or if you would like to provide additional information about your quantitative preparation, please comment on the strength of your quantitative skills by discussing specific research or work experience that involved analytic and/or quantitative tasks.

International transcripts, (including French Canadian transcripts), must be submitted to WES, which evaluates your academic record before sending everything forward to SOPHAS. When completing your WES profile, be sure to select the WES International Credential Package, which includes a course-by-course evaluation. While French Canadian transcripts have to be submitted through WES, English Canadian transcripts can be sent directly to SOPHAS from your post-secondary institution.

If you're still enrolled in a post-secondary program outside of the U.S. at the time of the WES evaluation, you will need to submit a final WES evaluation after you have graduated (proving you earned your degree). This applies to anyone who has obtained a degree outside of the U.S. So, if you live in the United States now, but received your academic training outside of the country, you'll need to adhere to all requirements outlined for international students.

All applicants to Rollins must have (at a minimum) the equivalent of a U.S. four-year bachelor's degree.

Note: This WES requirement does not apply to U.S. students who have enrolled in study-abroad programs.

Below is a list of science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM) designated programs of study offered within our departments. You can also find the list of eligible CIP codes here. For more information, please visit the Department of Homeland Security's website.

 

Program Degree CIP Code
Biostatistics MPH 26.1102
Biostatistics MSPH 26.1102
Behavioral, Social, and Health Education Sciences MPH 45.0102
Environmental Health-Epidemiology MPH 51.2202
Global Environmental Health MPH 51.2202
Environmental Health MPH 51.2202
Epidemiology MPH 26.1309
Epidemiology MSPH 26.1309
Global Epidemiology MPH 26.1309
Global Epidemiology MSPH 26.1309
Global Health MPH 45.0102
Applied Epidemiology MPH 26.1309

Our Community

25% international students, 52 languages spoken, from 27 countries

International students at Rollins are part of a diverse community of learners. Students are encouraged to share their perspectives and unique lived experiences. This rich exchange of ideas, knowledge, and culture helps to enrich class discussions and furthers our knowledge of communities around the world.

Emory University and the Rollins School of Public Health offer a vast variety of resources to help support international students as they transition to our community and while they are enrolled. Emory’s International Students and Scholar Services Office (ISSS) offers a variety of programs designed to offer community and support to international students—programs aimed at academic success, and resources to help guide your student visa application. Once students accept their offer of admission to Rollins, they are assigned an ISSS advisor to help guide them through the VISA process. All student VISA requests are processed through the ISSS office. In order to complete the I-20 VISA process, international students are required to confirm their enrollment. Additional information and questions can be directed to the International Students and Scholar Services Office.

The Rollins community also offers a variety of support resources for our international students, including the Academic Resource Center, student organizations, and the Office of Career Development.

 

Bernard Owusu Agyare

Despite the physical distance, I don’t feel like I’m far from home. Rollins is like home.

Bernard Owusu Agyare
Hubert Department of Global Health, MPH ’22,

Admitted International Students

Once you are admitted to Rollins, our office will send you an email with detailed instructions about logging into the Admitted Student Portal. This site will provide information about orientation, housing, and transitioning to Rollins. The Office of International Student & Scholar Services will provide resources and information to support students initiating or transferring a student visa.

Helpful Tips

  • All paperwork should be filled out in English.
  • All documents should be originals.
  • Scan a copy of your passport to use when requesting your I-20. You won't be able to get your I-20 without it.
  • Concerned you're missing something? Email us at sphadmissions@emory.edu.