Massachusetts College of Art and Design requires official translations and course-by-course evaluations of transcripts or records from outside the U.S. These evaluations can take up to six weeks to complete, so please begin this process early. Evaluations must be arranged through a National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES®) approved member, or provider listed below: Center for Educational Documentation (CED)

Evaluations must be arranged through NACES or Association of International Credential Evaluators (AICE) approved member, or provider listed below:

• Center for Educational Documentation (CED)
• Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE)
• SpanTran
• International Education Evaluation (IEE)
• International Education Research Foundation (IERF)
• World Education Services (WES)

Evaluated transcripts must include:

• Name of the educational institution
• Country where it is located
• Length of study and its U.S. equivalent
• Courses studied by year
• A conversion of grades and/or examinations to the U.S. grade equivalents of A, B, C, D and F on a 4-point scale
• Total credits earned and conversion of course hours to U.S. semester hours
• U.S. degree equivalent

MassArt does not offer an intensive English language program. Students are expected to be proficient in English before applying for admission. To demonstrate English proficiency, an official copy of TOEFL, IELTS, DuoLingo, or Pearson Test of English exam scores is required:

MassArt’s code is: 3516

MassArt can generally waive English Language Proficiency Exams for:

• Students currently studying in the U.S. for all 4 years of their high school education.
• Students who have earned a 3.0/B or better in two consecutive semesters of college-level (non ESL) English courses at a U.S. college or university.
• Students who have completed a 4 year Bachelor’s program, in good standing, at a school where English is the primary language of instruction.

Questions about exemptions should be sent to admissions@massart.edu.

Once international students are formally admitted to MassArt, they are required to submit information in order to apply for F-1 student visa status.

Visa Deadlines

• Enrollment Deadline (Summer start – Master of Architecture program): March 15
• Enrollment Deadline (Summer start- Graduate programs): April 1
• Enrollment Deadline (Fall start): May 1

MassArt starts processing I-20’s upon receipt of the enrollment deposit and all required visa documents. Allow ample time to fulfill legal requirements associated with obtaining a visa. The sooner you complete this process, the sooner your I-20 will be issued.

Questions about obtaining a student visa should be directed to the International Education Center.

• Receipt of enrollment deposit and all required visa documents
• 3-4 weeks: I-20 document issued by MassArt in approximately 3-4 weeks
• 5-6 weeks: Scheduling your visa appointment can take 5-6 weeks
• 30 days: Students can arrive in the US 30 days prior to the start of classes

*Please note that MFA Low-Residency students must pay a new SEVIS fee each time you enter the US.