International Applicants

Applications from international students are always welcomed. For internationals, all non-academic matters are handled by the Office of Global Services. It is critical for international students to work closely with OGS to stay completely informed about all visa issues. The TOEFL minimum score is 100 IBT, and the Georgetown ETS code is 5244. The IELTS may be used as an alternative to the TOEFL. The minimum qualifying IELTS score is 7.5.

International students are strongly encouraged to apply by January 15, or even earlier, because of the additional time required to arrange for immigration papers for admitted students. For international students who apply after January 15, we will try to evaluate applications in a timely way but cannot guarantee that we can complete reviews quickly enough to make admission offers by the middle of April. Applications not complete and ready for review by the first week of May will probably be declined without review. This is because the spring semester ends around the first week of May and the admissions committee closes its work for the year.

It is also important for prospective international students to understand that F-1 Visa holders are restricted in course loads and in the types and amounts of work that they are permitted to do, and these restrictions include internships. Federal agencies are ordinarily forbidden to hire non-US citizens, either in temporary or permanent positions. Corporations which consult for federal organizations are also normally allowed to hire only US citizens. Private corporations and non-profits do not face the same barriers but must still hire with caution, since they prefer to employ persons that they have the option of retaining indefinitely but then must consider the expensive process of sponsoring an international graduate for permanent residency status.

Nevertheless, many international students have been able to obtain internships and permanent jobs. But it is important to realize that there are complications in doing so and that the keys to success are persistence and a strong resume. In understanding these challenges, the Math/Stat program makes an effort to provide practical experiences in forms that are available to all international students. These include special projects in graduate courses and on-campus internships with Georgetown faculty.

A number of students, both international and US citizens, have conducted research on campus in various subject areas and under the direction of Georgetown professors. These experiences often lead to collaborations with faculty and other graduate students, and to co-authored publications. Some recent research partnerships have been with the biophysics group in the medical school, the hospital emergency room (statistical profiles of patients), the business school, the nursing school, demographics studies units and other medical school laboratories. These activities are open to all students but are particularly suitable to F-1 visa holders who are permitted to work up to 20 hours per week on campus.