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

An applicant from another country seeking admission to graduate studies must meet the same requirements for admission as applicants from the United States. In addition, he or she must demonstrate the 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 PTE Academic exam. 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, IELTS information from http://www.ielts.org/ and PTE Academic from http://pearsonpte.com/. 

Applicants who are citizens of the following countries will be exempt from the English Language Proficiency requirement for admission and considered English Language Proficiency (ELP) Verified:

  • American Samoa
  • Anguilla
  • Antigua and Barbuda
  • Australia
  • Bahamas
  • Barbados
  • Belize
  • Bermuda
  • British Virgin Islands
  • Canada (except Quebec)
  • Cayman Islands
  • Dominica
  • Federated States of Micronesia
  • Gambia
  • Ghana
  • Gibraltar
  • Grenada
  • Guyana
  • Ireland
  • Jamaica
  • Liberia
  • New Zealand
  • Nigeria
  • Saint Kitts and Nevis
  • Saint Lucia
  • Trinidad/Tobago
  • Turks and Caicos Islands
  • United Kingdom

NOTE:  Applicants from these countries will be considered ELP Verified, but must still follow the ELP Certification process to serve as Teaching Assistants.

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 English language proficiency verification.

For eligibility to teach in positions – such as Graduate Assistant-Teaching, Instructor, Lecturer, etc. – the State of Texas Education Code (Section 51-917) requires that international graduate students attain English proficiency certification beyond those required for admission.    

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

English Proficiency 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;
  • the Office of Admissions will exempt applicants who are citizens of certain English-speaking countries from the English proficiency requirement for admission and will consider these students English Language Proficiency Verified. Refer to the list on the Office of Admissions website; or
  • acquiring alternative verification during the admission process from the Graduate and Professional School via a request submitted by departments, interdisciplinary programs, or colleges.  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 or departments may choose to establish test 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 proficiency verification.

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 requires that international graduate students attain English proficiency certification. 

International graduate students who wish to serve in teaching positions can certify their English proficiency before enrollment by achieving requisite scores on the oral component of the following standardized tests:  TOEFL-iBT, TOEFL Essentials or IELTS examinations (see chart below).  Departments may also request alternative certification under certain conditions (see details below).

If international graduate students who wish to serve in teaching positions do not achieve requisite standardized test scores prior to enrollment, they can certify 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, but must simultaneously enroll in the Texas A&M University Center for Teaching Excellence English Language Proficiency (CTE-ELP) instruction and achieve a certifying score on the oral skills assessment of the ELPE or the speaking section of one of the Global Standardized tests (TOEFL, TOEFL Essentials, or IELTS) by the end of the semester.

Level 3: Ineligible—Students not eligible for teaching assignment should participate in spoken language training (such as those offered by TAMU 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 certifying score on the oral skills assessment of the ELPE or the speaking section of one of the Global Standardized tests (TOEFL, TOEFL Essentials, or IELTS).

Global Standardized Tests Locally Administered Exam (on Texas A&M campus)
Level # TOEFL Speaking Section IELTS Speaking Section PTE Speaking Section ELPE Oral Exam
1. Eligible 26-30 ≥8.0 N/A ≥80
2. Conditionally Eligible 23-25 7.0-7.5 N/A ≥75
3. Ineligible <23 <7.0 N/A <75

Alternative Certification for International Graduate Students Serving in Teaching Positions

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.

  • 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 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 U.S. institution qualifies for verification, but not certification.
  • Departments can request alternative certification for an international graduate student who is a citizen of certain English-speaking countries listed under required documents on the Office of Admissions website.

All other requests for alternative certification require strong department 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.