Admission Requirements

If you are a prospective student and would like information about applying to Teachers College, Columbia University, please visit the Office of Admissions, email AHadmission@tc.columbia.edu, or call (212) 678-3710.

The application process is available through the Online Application System.  Please note that the Program does not pre-screen applicants to determine eligibility for Admission.

The following items are required:

1. A completed application form found online at Online Application System
2. Application Fee
3. Statement of Purpose
4. A video essay (to be completed online at Online Application System)
5. A current resume or CV
6. Official transcripts from each university you attended
   All transcripts for degrees completed from non-U.S post-secondary institutions must have course-by-course evaluations from World Education Services (WES), Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE), or other evaluation institutions approved by the Office of Admission. Please view the application notes for International Applicants.
7. 2 letters of reference
8. For Ed.M. and Ed.D. applicants ONLY: A writing sample that demonstrates your English academic writing ability and your potential to do research
9. For all international applicants:  If your native language is not English and you have not received, or do not plan to receive, a baccalaureate (undergraduate) degree from an institution where English was the sole official language of instruction, you must submit official scores from an accepted English proficiency exam. We accept the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and the International English Language Testing System (IELTS).

    

   In order to be considered official, scores must be sent directly from the testing administrator and have been taken within the past 2 years.

   The accepted tests and minimum scores are:

   Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) - Minimum score requirement: 100 internet-based test (IBT)

   Teachers College institution code: 2905

   IELTS English Language Test - Minimum score requirement: 7.0

    

   If you have taken the TOEFL exam multiple times and your MyBest Score meets our minimum score requirement, please order an official score report that reflects your MyBest Score to be sent to Teachers College. Then, please contact the Office of Admission at admission@tc.columbia.edu to ensure that your MyBest Score is reflected in your application. We do not require individual score reports if a MyBest Score is submitted.

   If you have not earned an undergraduate degree at an institution where English was the sole official language of instruction, but you have successfully completed a graduate degree at a school that meets this criteria, you are not required to submit official results from an accepted English proficiency exam. If you meet these conditions, in order to qualify for a TOEFL/IELTS exam waiver, evidence of your conferred graduate degree must be displayed on the relevant academic transcript or course-by-course evaluation.

10. Applicants to the Ed.M. and  Ed.D. programs must have an M.A. in TESOL, Applied Linguistics or a related field. During the admission review process, the committee will review the applicant's complete transcripts to determine academic relatability to the coursework. Applicants that are unsure of the relatedness of their previously completed graduate degree should still apply to their desired degree track. The admissions committee ensures that all applicants are considered for their desired degree track as well as for any lower-level masters degree tracks.
11. All students are expected to write and speak in a way that is appropriate to their professional responsibilities. Students having difficulty in achieving these standards will be required to take additional coursework or seek help from the TC Writing Center.

NOTES: 

• Ed.M. applicants may request to transfer up to 30 credit points into the TESOL program from previous graduate study at an accredited institution. Applicants who have already earned an M.A. from Teachers College may transfer a total of 15 points in related areas from an accredited institution. Ed.D. students may transfer up to 45 points from previous graduate study at an accredited institution. All transfer of credit points must meet the approval of a faculty advisor.