International Students

You are able to fully complete any of our degree and certificate programs on-line while remaining in your country.
Beginning with the 2023-24 academic year, we are not able to process F-1 visa requests as we undergo an evaluation of our programs for F-1 visa compliance.

If you have any questions, please contact our Vocational Outreach office at Admissions@nbts.edu

In addition to the admissions procedures indicated for all applicants, international students who wish to pursue a degree program at NBTS must:

Submit transcripts of undergraduate degree programs in English; *
Secure letters of recommendation written in English;
Prepare a statement of purpose written in English;
Demonstrate proficiency in English (see English Proficiency Policy, below);

*The Admissions Committee requires that all transcripts that originate from an institution outside the United States or Canada be sent to a professional transcript service for a course-by-course evaluation. For any other questions involving international student admission please contact the International Coordinator at ralmonte@nbts.edu.

English Proficiency

To ensure success in our degree programs, the Seminary requires that students for whom English is a second language must have their English skills evaluated prior to full matriculation in its degree programs. This evaluation will determine whether additional language studies are needed to achieve the proficiency levels described below. This policy does not apply to students who have graduated from a four-year college or university where the instruction was in English.

There are several paths to full matriculation into the Seminary’s degree programs:

1) Required Scores for Full-Time Admission into NBTS degree programs:

Required testing scores:
- TOEFL PBT of at least 550 [NBTS’ TOEFL code is 8937]
- TOEFL iBT of at least 80
- TOEFL CBT of at least 214
- IELTS of at least 6.0

2) Required Scores for a one semester allowance to take NBTS courses and ESL courses through the Rutgers PALS (ESL) program. Students will enroll in 6 credits of NBTS courses and 6 credits of PALS course work:

- TOEFL PBT of at least 500 [NBTS’ TOEFL code is 8937]
- TOEFL iBT of at least 61
- TOEFL CBT of at least 173
- IELTS of at least 5.5

The student must pass the PALS program with a grade of B+ or better by the beginning of the next semester or be dismissed from the seminary.

3) Students may be provisionally admitted to the Seminary based on their prior academic record. Before matriculating at the Seminary, students will enroll in the Rutgers PALS (ESL). In this case, the Rutgers PALS program will issue the I-20 visa. Students will continue in the PALS program until they have achieved proficiency at the highest level of PALS in all categories. Students enrolled in PALS can audit one course at the Seminary each semester, at no charge, to enhance their English listening and conversational skills.

Students who have completed, or are enrolled in, an accredited ESL program other than PALS, may submit detailed information concerning the program with their NBTS application. The Admissions Committee will evaluate the program, and where warranted, grant it the same standing as the Rutgers PALS program. Where not warranted, students will be required to be evaluated through PALS for English proficiency.