Application Process

To be considered for admission to the University, an applicant’s file must include each of the following documents:

  • Electronic or paper application, along with a non-refundable $30 application fee.
  • Official transcripts indicating graduation from the last high school attended or from a home school program. A minimum of 2.5 unweighted cumulative GPA is required. A GED certificate may be provided in lieu of the high school transcript. Candidates who do not have a high school diploma or its recognized equivalent and who meet the requirements outlined by the U.S. Department of Education may submit, in lieu of such documents, a passing score on the Ability to Benefit (COMPASS) exam. Students interested in taking the exam should discuss this possibility with an admissions representative. 
  • Official college transcript(s) from all institutions attended. A cumulative GPA of 2.0 from all institutions attended is required. 
  • Results of the ACT or SAT. The Lindenwood University-Belleville code for reporting purposes is 6888 for the ACT and 6781 for the SAT. A minimum of 20 composite ACT is required or 940 SAT (critical reading and mathematics only). Applicants who have been out of high school for five or more years, applicants with 24 or more transferable college level credits, or those given approval by the Dean of Admission may not be required to submit scores from standardized tests, although such scores are recommended. Satisfactory standardized test scores are required for all students majoring in education. 
  • Transfer students applying for undergraduate semester programs with less than 24 hours of transferable college credits are also required to meet the freshman admission standards by submitting official test scores and high school transcripts. 

Notes: (1) Provisional admission to the University may be granted by the Dean of Admissions on the basis of facsimile copies of high school transcripts, ACT/SAT scores, GED scores, and/or other university transcripts. No financial aid will be distributed while a student remains provisionally admitted.

(2) Students who are admitted to either Lindenwood-St. Charles or Lindenwood-Belleville and wish to transfer to the other campus must submit a formal application to transfer to the Office of Day Admissions at the destination campus.

(3) Conditional admission to the University may be granted by the Dean of Admissions for students not meeting the standard admission criteria. Additional paperwork is required. 

Applicants seeking to transfer university credits awarded at another institution must submit official transcripts from the college or university previously attended directly to the Office of Admissions.

Note that while there is no limit on the number of credit hours that may be transferred to Lindenwood, not all credits may transfer, and some credits may transfer only as electives. Please note the following additional terms, conditions, and requirements regarding the transfer of credit to Lindenwood University:

  • All credit hours accepted in transfer must be from regionally accredited colleges and universities, except in rare cases. (Students may contact the Dean of Admissions for a list of non-accredited institutions from which credit is accepted.)
  • In order to count toward graduation, all transferred credits must be earned at the 10000 level or above. Preparatory courses will not be accepted for transfer by the University.
  • Courses taken between the 10000 and 40000 level for which a passing grade has been earned and that contain content and credit that is similar to that of a Lindenwood course will be transferred onto the student’s transcript as equivalents of Lindenwood courses and credits. (Only credit hours will be transferred; grades earned at other colleges will be made available on the student’s transcript for advising purposes but not computed into the Lindenwood University GPA.)
  • Lindenwood departments will determine the equivalency of each transferred course relative to the department’s respective degree requirements. If the content of a transferred course is unlike any course offered at Lindenwood but within the University’s programmatic range of studies, elective course credit may be granted.
  • If the transfer credit is unrelated to any Lindenwood program, a maximum of 12 hours of technical credit may be granted. The appropriate department will determine whether and how the evaluated transfer credit may be used to meet major and minor requirements.
  • Credits accepted from another institution that correspond to 30000-level Lindenwood courses or higher will be recognized as fulfilling the University requirement that students complete 42-credit hours at or above the 30000-level. Such courses will also count toward the 120 credit hours required for graduation.
  • Lindenwood will accept grades of D or better in transfer except for classes equivalent to ENG/EPP 15000 and ENG 17000, which must be transferred with a grade of a C or better. However, a transferred grade of D in those classes will be counted for credit toward other general education and elective requirements.
  • A student transferring to Lindenwood University-Belleville with a D in a major course or a major course prerequisite may be required to retake the course at Lindenwood University-Belleville, as dictated by the policies of the department in which the student is completing a major. Decisions concerning requirements to retake courses will be left up to the department chairperson (or division chairperson if the department chairperson is unavailable) who has authority over the major. If a transferred course in which a D is earned is retaken, the transferred course credit will be removed from the transcript.
  • Grades of P (pass) will be accepted in transfer and may count for either general education or elective credit, except where minimum grades of C or higher are required.
  • If a major or minor course requirement is transferred to Lindenwood with a P (pass) grade, the department chair and the division chair of the affected division will determine whether the course will meet the major or minor course requirement or whether the course must be retaken or replaced.

Notes: (1) Appeals of transfer credit evaluations should be submitted in writing to Academic Services.

(2) For information about transferring credit for experiential learning or proficiency exam credit, please see Earning Credits through Experiential Learning, Professional Experience, or Examination.

In addition to the terms outlined above, the following criteria must be met in order for students to qualify for graduation:

  • A transfer student must take a minimum of 36 hours in residence in order to receive a Lindenwood degree.
  • A transfer student must complete a minimum of 50 percent of all courses required for his or her major, minor, emphasis, and track at Lindenwood University-Belleville, but a department or school may require a higher minimum number of hours to be taken at Lindenwood University-Belleville in the major, minor, emphasis or track area to earn a degree.

    To be considered for admission to the University, all international students are required to submit the following documents:

    • Electronic or paper international student application, along with a non-refundable $100 application fee.
    • Official transcripts indicating graduation from the last high school attended, along with official transcripts of any college or university attended, if applicable. If the transcript(s) are from a U.S. school or schools, the transcript(s) must be original and sent directly from the U.S. institution(s). If the transcript(s) are from an international institution or institutions, the transcript(s) must be in their original language and accompanied by certified English translation(s). These documents will not be returned to the student. They will become part of the student’s official file at Lindenwood University-Belleville.
    • Official TOEFL or IELTS score. For score reporting, the Lindenwood University code is 2848.
      • Required minimum TOEFL scores:
        • 500 (paper-based)
        • 173 (computer-based)
        • 61 (Internet-based)
      • Required minimum IELTS score: 6.0
    • An affidavit of support in the form of an official document or statement verifying the amount of personal/family funds, in U.S. dollars, available for tuition (personal costs) and educational expenses (books, insurance). The affidavit should provide an official document or statement from the applicant's bank. Documents must be in English.
    • Passport (clear, readable copy of the identification page).
    • Housing Application, submitted along with a $300 housing deposit, made payable to Lindenwood University. International residential students are obligated to pay the housing costs for the entire academic year once a housing form is signed and submitted to the Housing Office. Campus housing will be assigned upon receipt of the housing application and deposit, and written confirmation (via email) from the applicant of having received an F-1 Student Visa. Students should include an email address on the housing form.

    Notes (1) The minimum TOEFL and IELTS scores listed above are requirements for admission to the University. Upon arrival, students will also undergo on-site English language testing to determine English language proficiency. Students whose on-site language testing results indicate an English language proficiency below the level necessary for placement into college-level coursework will be placed into courses at the pre-college level.

    If an international candidate wishes to transfer credit to Lindenwood University-Belleville from an overseas school, the applicant must apply for a course-by-course evaluation from World Evaluation Services (WES). No application for the transfer of international credit will be complete until the WES evaluation is provided. Applicants should list Lindenwood University-Belleville as the recipient of the evaluation. WES will also provide a copy of the evaluation directly to the applicant. Applicants should keep a copy of this evaluation for their records. For more information about transcript evaluation, contact WES at http://www.wes.org. Also see Transferring Credit from International Institutions.

    Notes: (1) Students must request a course-by-course evaluation (not a document-by-document evaluation) in order to transfer credit to Lindenwood for particular coursework.

    (2)The cost for the evaluation of international transcripts will be incurred by the applicant. However, once the applicant obtains a visa and arrives at Lindenwood University-Belleville, the cost of the evaluation will be refunded, provided that the applicant brings in the receipt for the evaluation service to the Business Office.

    In addition to submitting the materials required for admission, international students wishing to transfer to Lindenwood University-Belleville from a SEVIS-sponsored school should also submit the following documents:

    • Official transcripts from the college or university previously attended, sent directly to Lindenwood University.
    • SEVIS transfer form from previous institution attended after admission.

    The student’s transfer will not be considered complete until Lindenwood University-Belleville receives the completed transfer paperwork. Once the transfer application has been processed, Lindenwood will issue the student a Lindenwood I-20, permitting the student to legally reside in the U.S. as a full-time international student.

    International student must arrive on the designated date prior to the start of classes each semester to move into housing. Upon arrival, international students will receive an orientation to the University and an introduction to academic programs and requirements.

    To be considered for admission to Lindenwood University-Belleville, an applicant’s file must include each of the following documents. Please note, individual programs may have additional application procedures. Please review your program of interest in detail.

    To be considered for admission to the University, an applicant's file must include the following documents:

    1. Online or paper application sent with the non-refundable $30 application fee.
    2. A current résumé.
    3. A personal essay including why the applicant wishes to further his/her education, his/her long-term goals, or a specific experience in his/her life.
    4. Official transcript indicating graduation from the last high school attended or home school program. A copy of the student's General Education Development (GED) certificate may be provided in lieu of the high school transcript. Students who earned college credits from another college or university must also submit official transcripts from all previously attended post-secondary institutions.
    5. Some programs may require additional application materials. Students should review the program descriptions for more information.
    Transfer students who have successfully completed a two year program that is acceptable for full credit toward a bachelor’s degree may not be required to submit their high school transcripts. Students wishing to transfer credit from a regionally accredited institution should request official university transcripts at the time they apply for admission to Lindenwood University-Belleville.

    To be considered for admission to the University, an international applicant's file must include the following documents:

    1. International Student Application– submitted along with a non-refundable $100 application fee.
    2. A current résumé.
    3. An affidavit of support– in the form of an official document or statement from a bank verifying the amount of personal/family funds, in U.S. dollars, available for tuition (personal cost) and educational expenses (books, insurance.) All documents must be in English.
    4. Official Transcripts– presented in their original language and accompanied by a certified English translation. These documents will not be returned to the student. They will become part of the student’s official file at Lindenwood University. The cost for the evaluation of the transcript will be incurred by the applicant. However, once the applicant obtains a visa and arrives at Lindenwood University-Belleville, the cost of the evaluation will be refunded up to $116, provided that the applicant brings the receipt for the evaluation service. Provisional admission to the University may be granted by the Dean of Admissions on the basis of facsimile copies of high school transcripts or diploma equivalents, ACT/SAT scores, GED scores, and/ or other university transcripts.
    5. An official TOEFL or IELTS score. The required minimum score for an undergraduate applicant must satisfy one of the following criteria: TOEFL score 550 (paper-based exam), 213 (computer-based exam), or 80 (internet-based exam); or an IELTS score of 6.0 For score reporting, the Lindenwood University-Belleville code is 2848.
    6. If transfer credit is requested from an international institution students should submit their transcripts and translations to World Evaluation Services (WES) for evaluation. Applicants should contact WES at wes.org for more information about how to get transcripts evaluated. Students should list Lindenwood University-Belleville as the recipient. WES will also provide a copy of the evaluation directly to the applicant. The applicant should keep this copy for his/her records. 
    7. If an international student applicant is transferring from another university within the United States, the student should forward the Lindenwood University-Belleville transfer paperwork (found in the application) to their schools’ officials for processing.
    8. Housing Application- submitted along with a $300 housing deposit made payable to Lindenwood University-Belleville. Campus housing will be assigned upon receipt of the housing application and deposit. Students should include an email address on their housing form.
    9. A clear, readable copy of the identification page of the applicant's passport.


    Notes (1) The minimum TOEFL and IELTS scores listed above are requirements for admission to the University. Upon arrival, students will also undergo on-site English language testing to determine English language proficiency. Students whose on-site language testing results indicate an English language proficiency below the level necessary for placement into college-level coursework will be placed into courses at the pre-college level.