Online Programs for International Students

University of the Cumberlands has established qualitative and quantitative requirements for the admission of students whose education preparation evidences the potential for high-level performance. 

Admission requirements shared among all programs are:

1. Completed Application
2. Request that official transcripts be sent directly from the respective institution(s) to:

University of the Cumberlands
Graduate Admissions
649 S. 10th Street Suite C 
Williamsburg, KY 40769
Gradadm [at] ucumberlands.edu (Gradadm[at]ucumberlands[dot]edu)

The transcript(s) must include the degree and date on which it was conferred. All graduate work as verified by official transcripts:

1. Master’s degree admission requires a grade point average of at least 2.5* on a 4.0 scale from a bachelors’ degree or higher from a United States Department of Education accredited institution or an institution approved through the International Evaluation firms listed below.
2. Doctoral degree admission requires a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0** on a 4.0 scale from the conferred master’s degree as well as in any subsequent graduate study. Admission to a Doctoral degree program requires a master’s degree or higher from a United States Department of Education accredited institution in a field related to the doctoral degree of application. For example, application to a Ph.D. in Information Technology would require a master's in Information Technology, Computer Science, Computer Information Systems, or closely related area.

*Conditional admission may be applicable for certain programs for online students.
** Certain programs require a 3.5 GPA for Admission (PhD CES)

Students must be in good standing in order to be admitted into any program.

1. If a student has been on probation for more than one semester in an unfinished program at University of the Cumberlands or has been suspended from a program at University of the Cumberlands or any other IHE, the student cannot be admitted into a new program at University of the Cumberlands.
2. Graduation from a program in which a student has been on probation causes those probation semesters to be forgiven in a newly admitted program.

Documentation of language fluency for non-native speakers of English, such as a score report from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). This requirement is waived for students who have completed a bachelor’s program in the U.S. or have completed at least nine hours of master’s level coursework in the U.S. at regionally accredited institution. The minimum acceptable TOEFL or IELTS scores for admission are:

1. Paper-based TOEFL (PBT) – 550
2. Internet-based TOEFL (IBT) – 79
3. IELTS – 6
4. Duolingo-100
5. Approved individual interview

Any international coursework completed must have official transcript evaluations completed and submitted to the University by the evaluation firm. Evaluations MUST include a cumulative GPA and U.S. equivalency for admission. Approved Evaluation Firms are: 

1. World Education Services (WES) 
2. American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO), 
3. Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE) 
4. International Education Research Foundation (IERF) EvalDirect 
5. Educational Perspectives (EP)
6. SpanTran
7. Incred

*The transcript evaluation requirement is waived for any student who has completed a bachelor’s degree in the U.S., or who has completed at least nine hours of master’s courses in the U.S. Applicants seeking doctoral admission are required to provide a certified evaluation as proof of a U.S. master's degree equivalency.

Re-admittance to the Institution 

Students are expected to maintain good academic standing in holding appropriate GPA levels as outlined elsewhere in the Catalog. If a student has been dismissed from the institution after following the outlined procedures and recommendations for poor Academic standing, the student can be readmitted to the institution through a written appeal to the Academic Standing Committee.