Texas A&M University Qatar Campus

Admission

Admissions information, including access to the online application for admission (during admission periods), is available at www.qatar.tamu.edu/admissions/graduate-admissions/. To be considered a candidate for admission to Texas A&M at Qatar, the prospective student must formally apply by submitting all of the required documents and test scores and meeting all of the admission requirements. Required documents may include the following:

  1. Completed application.
  2. Passport copy (resident permit if required).
  3. Official college/university transcripts.
  4. Official test scores (GRE, TOEFL, or IELTS).
  5. Statement of purpose.
  6. Resume/curriculum vitae.
  7. Letters of recommendation.
  8. Application fee.

International Admission Status

Applicants from another country seeking admission to graduate studies must meet the same requirements for admission as applicants from the United States. In addition, they must demonstrate an ability to read, write, speak, and understand the English language. A prospective student whose native language is not English may take either the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), the International English Language Testing System (IELTS), or the Graduate Records Examination (GRE). All exams are offered at locations around the world. Applications for these exams together with additional information about these examinations may be found on their websites; TOEFL information may be obtained at http://www.ets.org/toefl and IELTS information from http://www.ielts.org/. 

Applicants who are citizens of English-speaking countries will be exempt from the English Language Proficiency requirement for admission and considered ELP Level 3 Verified. Please see the International Graduate page on the Office of Admissions website for the list of eligible countries. Note:  Applicants from these countries will be considered ELP Level 3 Verified, but must still follow the ELP Level 1 Certification process to serve as Graduate Assistant-Teachers (GAT).

English Language Proficiency Requirement

All international graduate students whose native language is not English must meet minimum English Language Proficiency standards. To achieve admission, international graduate students must attain Level 3 Verification.

Level 3 Verification can be attained using the following:

  • a TOEFL score of at least 80 on TOEFL iBT (550 paper-based) or 8.5 on TOEFL Essentials;
  • an IELTS score of at least 6.0;
  • a GRE Verbal Reasoning score of at least 146 (400 on the old scale);
  • a GMAT Verbal score of at least 22; or
  • acquiring Alternative Verification during the admission process from the Graduate and Professional School via a request submitted by departments or colleges/schools. An international graduate student holding a master’s degree or completing all years of a bachelor’s degree or higher from an accredited institution located in the United States qualifies for Alternative Verification.

Individual colleges and schools, departments, or interdisciplinary degree programs may choose to establish proficiency standards that exceed the University minimums listed above.  Scores from TOEFL-iBT, TOEFL Essentials, and IELTS examinations administered more than two years before submission of the admissions application are not eligible for use in attaining English Language Proficiency Verification.

The Office of Admissions will exempt applicants who are citizens of certain English-speaking countries from the English Language Proficiency Requirement for admission and will consider these students Level 3 Verified. Refer to the list of exempted countries on the Office of Admissions website.

Refer to the Graduate and Professional School website for more information regarding English Language Proficiency requirements.

ELP Certification for International Graduate Students Serving in Teaching Positions

For eligibility to hold a teaching position at Texas A&M University – such as Graduate Assistant-Teaching (GAT), Instructor, Lecturer, etc. – the State of Texas Education Code (Section 51-917) and university guidelines require international graduate students to meet minimum English Language Proficiency standards  beyond those required for admission. 

International graduate students who wish to serve in teaching positions must meet the English Language Proficiency Requirement before hiring by achieving requisite scores on the oral component of a standardized language examination (see chart below). Colleges and schools, departments, and interdisciplinary degree programs may also request Alternative Certification under certain conditions (see details below).

If international graduate students who wish to serve in teaching positions did not achieve requisite standardized test scores prior to enrollment at the university, they can achieve certification by passing the oral skills assessment of the English Language Proficiency Exam (ELPE) offered by Texas A&M Testing Services.

Eligibility Levels for International Graduate Students Serving in Teaching Positions

Level 1: Eligible. Students eligible for teaching assignments.

Level 2: Conditionally Eligible. Students conditionally eligible for teaching assignments for one semester only. Must simultaneously enroll in the Texas A&M University Center for Teaching Excellence English Language Proficiency (CTE-ELP) program. The student must achieve a Level 1 certifying score on the ELPE oral skills assessment or the speaking section of a global standardized test (TOEFL, TOEFL Essentials, or IELTS) by the end of the semester of conditional eligibility.

Level 3: Ineligible. Students not eligible for teaching assignments. Ineligible students who wish to be considered for future employment should participate in spoken language training (such as that offered by the university’s CTE-ELP or other independent English language instruction providers) to assist them in meeting English Language Proficiency requirements. They will remain ineligible until they achieve a Level 1 certifying score on the ELPE oral skills assessment or the speaking section of one of the global standardized tests (TOEFL, TOEFL Essentials, or IELTS).

Eligibility Levels for International Students to Serve in Teaching Positions Global Standardized Tests Locally Administered Exam (on Texas A&M campus)
Level TOEFL Essentials Speaking Section TOEFL Speaking Section IELTS Speaking Section ELPE Oral Exam
1. Eligible ≥11 26-30 ≥8.0 ≥80
2. Conditionally Eligible 9-10 23-25 7.0-7.5 ≥75
3. Ineligible ≤8 <23 <7.0 <75

Alternative Certification for International Graduate Students Serving in Teaching Positions

Colleges/schools and departments have the option to request Alternative Certification from the Graduate and Professional School on behalf of international graduate students who wish to serve in a teaching position. Alternative Certification can be attained using the following:

  • An international graduate student who has received a baccalaureate degree following four years of study at an accredited institution located in the United States qualifies for Alternative Certification. Texas A&M requires an official transcript be submitted to the Office of Admissions denoting the degree conferral date. Please Note: An international graduate student holding a master’s degree from an accredited United States institution qualifies for Level 3 Verification, but not Level 1 Certification.
  • Colleges and schools, departments, and interdisciplinary degree programs can request Alternative Certification for an international graduate student who is a citizen of certain English-speaking countries. Refer to the list of accepted countries on the Office of Admissions website.

All other requests for Alternative Certification require strong college or school, department, or interdisciplinary degree program justification.  The Graduate and Professional School will evaluate requests on a case-by-case basis.

For more information please visit https://www.qatar.tamu.edu/admissions/graduate-admissions.