International graduate requirements

The School of Nursing welcomes international graduates to apply to any of our degree programs and certificate program. International graduates are required to satisfy all requirements for admissions, including the steps below, regardless of prior academic or professional backgrounds.

TOEFL or IELTS

International graduates must submit Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) scores to meet admissions requirements. Required scores must be congruent with UC Davis Graduate Studies minimum standards. Scores that are older than two years at the time of application submission are not be accepted by UC Davis.

Students who did not obtain a previous degree at an approved English-medium institution or demonstrated English-language proficiency through an appropriate exam (e.g. TOEFL) are required to complete appropriate English-language courses, as described in the policy Graduate Student Course Requirements – English as Second Language (GC2018-02). Courses taken in satisfaction of this requirement do not count towards the units required for graduation.

Please visit the UC Davis Graduate Studies website for more information.

Transcript evaluation services

All programs require professional transcript evaluations by an independent educational evaluating service from any member of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services or the Association of International Credential Evaluators, Inc. Contact the foreign transcript evaluation service as early as possible. The services may take several weeks to process foreign transcripts once received. The report must include a degree-equivalent evaluation and course-by-course equivalent evaluation.

• Physician assistant applicants: Original, sealed course-by-course reports or evaluations should be sent directly to the Central Application Service for Physician Assistants (CASPA) from the foreign transcript evaluation agency. Evaluations must be received and matched to your application by the deadline and must include copies of your original transcript by the application deadline.
• Master’s Entry Program in Nursing, DNP-NA and UC PMHNP applicants: original, sealed course-by-course reports or evaluations should be sent directly to the Nursing’s Centralized Application Service (NursingCAS) from the foreign transcript evaluation agency. Evaluations must be received and matched to your application by the deadline and must include copies of your original transcript.
• PhD and DNP-FNP applicants: After submitting applications, applicants are required to upload a PDF copy of their course-by-course evaluation. Evaluations must include copies of your original transcript. Please do not send transcripts or evaluations directly to the School of Nursing. If admitted, applicants are required to send a sealed evaluation to UC Davis Graduate Studies.

The following agencies provide foreign transcript evaluation services. The University of California does not endorse any of these agencies. This information is provided only as a resource.

World Education Services, Inc.
P.O. Box  5087
Bowling Green Station
New York, NY 10274-5087
Phone: 212-966-6311
http://www.wes.org/

International Education Research Foundation
P.O. Box 3665
Culver City, CA 90231-3665
Phone: 310-258-9451
http://www.ierf.org/

Financial facts

Employment opportunities for international graduate students are limited and dependent on VISA status. The School of Nursing is currently unable to provide employment to international students. However, it may be possible that other graduate programs may offer academic research or teaching appointments. These appointments are limited and not guaranteed. Unless applicants receive a definite offer of appointment or support in writing from the university, they must plan to pay their own expenses for the entire length of their degree program. Students who arrive without adequate financial resources may be unable to complete their degree programs.

Licensure for Doctor of Nursing Practice — Family Nurse Practitioner (D.N.P.-F.N.P.) applicants

International applicants must have a U.S. registered nurse license or be eligible for the NCLEX prior to submitting an application.

Prerequisite courses for D.N.P.-F.N.P., physician assistant and entry-level nursing applicants

International graduates interested in applying to the family nurse practitioner, physician assistant or entry-level master’s-degree programs must complete the same admissions requirements and prerequisite course work as all other applicants. A foreign medical degree or USMLE completion does not serve in lieu of prerequisite course work. All prerequisites must be completed prior to submission of the initial online application. Please e-mail the applicant services team at hs-SONAdmissions@ucdavis.edu with any questions regarding international graduate requirements.

Visit the FAQ page for additional details about program requirements and prerequisites.