International Student Admission

Military officers and government civilian employees from other countries may be admitted to most curricula. The procedures for application are available from the Security Assistance Office or Defense Attaché Office of the U.S. Embassy, the MLO, MAAG, OMC, OSC, or ODC, as appropriate. Correspondence must be processed through official channels; requests from individual prospective students should not be sent directly to the School.

All candidates must satisfy the curriculum academic standards, as described in this catalog. International candidates from non-English speaking countries will also be required to validate their fluency in English through the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). Minimum TOEFL score required for direct entry to NPS is 83 IBT (Internet Based Test) or 560 (Written Test). Candidates for PhD Programs or Accelerated Programs need to score at least 100 on the IBT. Waivers will be considered on a case by case basis for scores between 90 and 100 based on the overall application package. (For candidates applying for entry into the Department of National Security Affairs curricula 681-693, an IBT score of 90 is required.) If a candidate fails to achieve the 83 IBT or 560 Written score, but does achieve a score of 70 IBT or 523 Written or higher, he/she is eligible to attend the TOEFL Preparatory Academic Writing Course, ADVANCED LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY III, MASL P177022 (16 weeks) at the Defense Language Institute, DLIELC in San Antonio, Texas.

The only countries exempted from TOEFL testing are those countries who are exempted from all ECL testing requirements as determined by the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) Policy memorandum dtd January 2022 (Antigua, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Belgium, Belize, Brunei, Canada, Denmark, Dominica, Finland,  Grenada, Guyana, India, Ireland, Jamaica, Malta, Mauritius, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Seychelles, Singapore, St. Kitts, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Sweden, Trinidad and Tobago, and the United Kingdom). Note: Students from Austria, Germany, Kenya, Pakistan, and Switzerland scheduled for senior PME courses, including NPS, are also exempt from all in-country and CONUS ECL, TOEFL, and OPI testing.

When applying for a TOEFL exam, the NPS identification code is 4831. This code should be included on the registration application so a copy of the results can be sent directly to NPS. TOEFL test results are valid for two years from the test date and must be valid when the student reports to NPS. Questions regarding available programs or admission procedures should be directed to Code 940, 1 University Circle, Rm B-047, Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, CA 93943-5025. Telephone: (831) 656-2186 or e-mail: IMSO_NPS_IGPO@nps.edu.