Ball State practices rolling admission, which means our staff will review your application and decide on your admission after we receive all of your credentials. You should follow the admission requirements for international applicants if you are not a United States citizen, a Permanent Resident of the U.S., refugee, asylee, or DACA status holder. This includes prospective students with pending U.S. Permanent Resident applications.
Make sure to review all the steps to apply, which depends on what type of student you are: first-time undergraduate, transfer, exchange, or online. Please read each description carefully to ensure you apply correctly and have the best chances of being admitted to Ball State.
Dates and Deadlines
International Admissions must receive all of your application materials by these dates for consideration for a specific term
- Fall Term- application materials due by June 15th
- Spring Term- application materials due by November 15th
Online Program Deadlines: If you are planning to study online from your home country or if you have a visa status that allows for online-only study (this does not include the F1 student visa), your application deadline is two weeks prior to the start of the term.
Criteria for Admission
Admission to Ball State is competitive. We review each individual application to consider your academic performance, level of course work, and English proficiency test scores. Ultimately, we aim to determine if you can be successful here. Review the following criteria we consider when you apply.
Academic Performance and Curriculum
Admission to Ball State is selective. We seek new students who have the ability, motivation, and intellectual curiosity needed to thrive in our innovative learning environment. Admission criteria include the strength of your high school curriculum and your performance, curricular patterns, and if your grade trends in academic courses were positive and consistent.
No grade point average guarantees admission to Ball State. We look for applicants that have demonstrated above average grades.
SAT AND/OR ACT Scores and English Proficiency Standards
SAT/ACT scores are not required for admission but scores may be used to meet our English proficiency requirement.
For admission to a degree program, you must earn a TOEFL score of 79, IELTS Academic score of 6.5, Pearson’s PTE of 53, Duolingo 110, SAT Critical Reading section or SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing score of 500, or ACT English Section score of 21 unless eligible for a waiver. If you have taken an English proficiency test (TOEFL, IELTS Academic, Duolingo or Pearson's PTE), please request that scores be sent directly to Ball State University (school code: 1051; email: admissions@bsu.edu).
You can retake any test and submit new scores an unlimited number of times.
Students who are eligible for conditional admission are admitted to the Intensive English Institute at Ball State and must meet English proficiency requirements before beginning a degree program. Please note that, beginning Spring 2024, a language test score will be required for conditional admission and/or admission to the Intensive English Institute. The Intensive English Institute offers Academic English courses for students who have the following minimum language test scores.
- IELTS Academic 4.5
- TOEFL iBT 42
- Duolingo 65
- Pearson PTE 40
Do you play an instrument, compete in sports, perform onstage, participate in clubs, have a job, or volunteer? Depending on your desired major, we may require a design portfolio, performance audition, or an essay.