Congratulations on your admission to the Graduate College at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign!
We want to make sure you have all the resources you need for a great start to your first semester as an Illinois graduate student. Check out our Resources for New Students page. There you will find our Quick Guides with essentials such as claiming your NetID, setting up your email, registering for classes, getting your i-Card, and more. In addition, our GradMAP Canvas Community will help you learn about University resources to support your success and connect with peers.
Final Academic Credential Requirements
Your official Graduate College admission letter may have stated “to complete your admission, you must submit final, official credentials” along with a list of the institutions from whom those credentials are needed. The information below provides additional information about how to submit these credentials and what specific documents are required.
Note for University of Illinois Urbana Champaign Undergraduates: The Graduate College will obtain your official transcript for you. You do not need to request official UIUC transcripts to be mailed or emailed to our office.
Submission Options
Electronic Submission (Preferred Method)
U.S. and International credentials should be sent electronically from the previous school whenever possible. Credentials should be sent to grad@illinois.edu and be sent from a verifiable email address. If your institution uses a system such as Parchment and you need to search for us, make sure that you select the GRADUATE option for our university. Some institutions will list University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign with multiple options. It is important you select the graduate option which may appear as "graduate," "graduate admissions," or "graduate college."
Mail Submission
If the institution does not offer an electronic service, students may have these credentials mailed to our address at 507 East Green St, Suite 101, Champaign, IL 61820. For students who wish to have their international credentials returned to them, they may include a pre-paid shipping label (UPS and FedEx only) and envelope, and we will be happy to send their credentials back to them.
In Person
Walk-ins are accepted during business hours (9-12 and 1-4:30, Monday-Friday) for drop-and-go service. If longer advising time is needed regarding the academic credentials, we suggest that students schedule an appointment. We can make true copies of original international documents for our records where students need to retain their originals; however, this service is provided by appointment only. Students can schedule an appointment online.
Schedule True Copy Service Appointment
24-Hour Drop and Go
We encourage students to make use of our office mail slot to submit their final academic credentials. Students can find the mail slot at 507 East Green Street to the left of the main front doors. The mail slot is available for student-use to drop off final credentials 24 hours a day at their convenience. We recommend that students provide their name, date of birth, and UIN on the envelope when using this option.
Official Credentials
To be considered official, an academic credential must:
- list the conferral of all degrees earned, the degree awarded date, and all coursework completed,
- be certified or attested by the registrar or comparable official of the University, and
- be received in a signed/sealed envelope from the institution.
All final, official credentials are required during your first term of enrollment, and you will not be allowed to register for subsequent semesters until all required documents have been received. Please see the final deadline date for submitting these credentials based on your admit term:
- Fall and Summer term admits - credentials must be submitted no later than November 1; we recommend submitting prior to October 1 to avoid registration delays.
- Spring term admits - credentials must be submitted no later than April 1; we recommend submitting prior to March 1 to avoid registration delays.
Please note that if you have already provided final, official academic credentials to your department office, the department will work with the Graduate College to clear those conditions of your admission.
U.S. Institution Document Requirements:
- The transcript must list your degree as awarded and the degree conferral date.
- Often, this information is not listed on your transcript until up to a month after your graduation. For example, if you graduate on May 15 and you order a transcript on May 20, your degree information may not be on your transcript yet. You will want to check with your university to make sure your degree information is on your transcript before sending it.
- The transcript must be issued by your university’s registrar’s office and have all coursework finalized.
- "Issued to Student" transcripts can only be accepted if they have remained in a sealed envelope.
- If you attended the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, the Graduate College will obtain your official transcript for you. You do not need to request official UIUC transcripts to be mailed or emailed to our office.
International Institution Document Requirements:
- Students are required to submit final, attested copies of their transcripts (or mark sheets), as well as their certificates of degree (or diploma). We require these credentials to be both in the native language and in English.
- If the university directly issues your credentials in English, native language documents may not be required.*
- If the university lists the degree awarded and the degree conferral date on your transcript, a separate certificate of degree or diploma may not be required.*
- All coursework and exams must be finalized on these credentials.
- Credentials should be received in sealed envelopes directly from the institution.
- Credentials should be issued on official letterhead/transcript paper, have an original seal or stamp from the university, and a signature from the Registrar.
- We prefer English translations to be issued by your university, but we will also accept translations issued by a certified public translator, a governmental agency, or from an ATA (American Translators Association) translator.
- We do not accept notarized copies of credentials. The attestation needs to be from your university or a government agency within your university’s country.
- We do not accept credentials or evaluations provided by third-party evaluation companies such as WES and ECE. Some of these companies do provide translation services and if they provide a true English translation of an attested credential, we may be able to accept the translation. However, the native language credentials would need to come directly from the university.
*If you are providing credentials from an institution in China:
- We will always require both transcripts and certificate of degree. We will also require all credentials in both the native language and in English.
- We do not need the graduation certificate, only the certificate of degree confirming the degree has been awarded.
- If we are able to verify your credential online, we will accept CSSD credential verification reports from the CSSD website.
- IMPORTANT: If your CSSD report doesn't include your full student ID number or if it lists the last 4 digits of your ID as asterisks (*), you will also need to provide us with a copy of your university ID that shows your full student ID number.
Information for Admitted International Students
If you are an international student, there are several important steps you must complete before beginning your studies at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
English Placement Test (EPT)
Some newly admitted students are admitted on Limited Status because of an English language requirement. If your admission letter indicates that you are required to take the English as a Second Language Placement Test (EPT), you must complete this requirement before registering for your academic courses.
The EPT is administered by the Department of Linguistics. Your test results will determine whether you are required to enroll in English as a Second Language (ESL) coursework. If ESL courses are required, they may reduce the number of academic courses you are permitted to take during your first semester. You must be registered for the EPT before registering for your academic courses, and EPT results must be available before ESL course registration can be completed. All required ESL coursework must be successfully completed before your degree can be awarded.
Please contact your academic program with questions about this condition of admission.
For information about the EPT, including registration and testing details, visit the Department of Linguistics English Placement Test (EPT) page.
Visa Process and Arrival Information
For students studying on an F-1 or J-1 student visa, our International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS) office provides guidance to help you prepare for your arrival on campus. Visit the ISSS Student Services website for information about:
- Paying your SEVIS (I-901) fee
- Scheduling your visa appointment
- Preparing to enter the United States
- Completing the required new student check-in process
- Completing your new student checklist
Changes to Duration of Status and Academic Program Flexibility for F-1 and J-1 Students
We understand that new and prospective international students likely have several questions about the recent changes to duration of status, a federal regulation that governed the duration with which international students were admitted to the United States for their studies. The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is actively working to understand all new regulations and help advise students to the best of our availability.
As the new rules do not take effect until September 15, 2026, international students should not have any immediate requirements if they are arriving for the start for the Fall 2026 semester. Once you are on campus, International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS) will be available to help assist students with navigating these regulations as applicable for their specific nonimmigrant status.
International students who would like to learn more about the regulation changes are encouraged to review the ISSS duration of status webpage. This webpage is being updated regularly and new resources are currently being developed to support student success.