Admissions for International Students

Students applying with fewer than 16 transferable post-secondary credits will need to provide an official transcript from their high school to be considered.

Important: If applying prior to graduation, you must also arrange to have an official, final high school transcript showing your date of graduation sent to Ridgewater College once you have graduated.

Foreign high school transcripts must be evaluated by an accredited agency, such as:

• Educational Credential Evaluators Inc. (ECE)
• World Education Services (WES)

The type of evaluation report should be general for students who have only a high school diploma.

We will not accept student or fax copies.

Official transcripts must be sent directly to Ridgewater College.

Transcripts which are not in English will need to be officially translated into English and sent to us directly from the school.

Bahamas

Bahamas General Certificate of Secondary Education or O-Levels. Report sent directly from the Bahamas Ministry of Education and Culture. O-Levels report sent directly from the Cambridge Local Examinations board.

Canada

Students from Montreal may need to have transcripts translated by an official translation service or through the secondary (high) school and will need to have both the French and English versions sent from the school and will be required to have an English proficiency exam.

Ethiopia

The Ethiopian University Entrance Examination Certificate or attested copy by the EducationUSA office.

Ghana

West African Secondary School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) and Scratch Card information.

India

Senior School Certificate Examination offered by CBSE. Send official certificate or have it attested by United States-India Educational Foundation (USIEF).

Kenya

Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) official document attested copy by the EducationUSA office.

Nepal

Send Secondary Education Board and Higher Secondary Education Board results attested by the United States Educational Foundation in Nepal (USEF – Nepal).

Nigeria

West African Examination Council examination results (WAEC) Senior School or NECO Certificate and Access card (Scratch card).

If you have attended college or university within the Minnesota State system, Ridgewater College can usually pull your transcript with eTranscript after you submit your general application. If we cannot access the transcript, we will notify you so that you can request that an official transcript is sent to Ridgewater College.

If you have attended institutions outside of the Minnesota State system, request that your official transcript(s) be sent directly to the Ridgewater College. Official transcripts submitted by applicants cannot be accepted unless the envelope is still sealed.

If you have attended a non-U.S. post-secondary institution, college or university a course-by-course transcript evaluation by one of the following agencies is required for admission:

• Educational Credential Evaluators Inc. (ECE)
• World Education Services (WES)

Please note:

• An official copy of your course-by-course transcript evaluation must be sent directly to the Admissions Office. We do not accept faxed copies or copies from students.
• It can take six to eight weeks to receive a transcript evaluation report. Initiate this process well in advance to ensure your report is received prior to the application deadline. Ridgewater College is not responsible for any delays in receiving the report.

• ELS Completion of level 109
• TOEFL Score of 61+ (through 1/20/26) or 3.5+ (post 1/20/26)
  • Scores are valid for 3 years

• Official transcript from an accredited US College or University showing 12+ completed credits, including the completion of an English Composition sequence with C grades or better.
• Successful graduation from a U.S. high school
• Successful graduation from an English-medium high school or university. (An original letter from the school principal/headmaster/rector on school letterhead must be submitted as part of the application. The letter must state that English is the medium of instruction and attest to the applicant’s English language abilities.)
• English speaking country: Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Barbuda, Belize, Bermuda, Botswana, British Virgin Islands, Canada – except Quebec, Cayman Islands, Dominica, England/United Kingdom, Federate States of Micronesia, Fiji, the Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guyana, Ireland, Jamaica, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Montserrat, New Zealand, Nigeria, Northern Ireland, Papua New Guinea, Rwanda, Scotland, Seychelles, Shetland Islands, Sierra Leone, Singapore, South Africa, St. Kitts-Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Tanzania, Trinidad, Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands, Uganda, Virgin Islands, Wales, Zambia, Zimbabwe