IEP Application & Program Information
How to apply
Before you apply to the IEP, you must carefully review the information on the program, cost, level and course offerings, important dates, eligibility requirements, and the program requirements for different visas. If you have any questions, please contact us at iep@uga.edu.
When you are ready to apply, please complete the application form, pay the application fee, and upload all necessary documents. (Please notice that your application can only be processed if you pay the non-refundable application fee.) We are looking forward to receiving your application and meeting you soon!
Application Form: Click here to apply now.
If you are currently enrolled as a student at UGA, do not use this application form. Please email us at iep@uga.edu and inform us about your interest in participating.
Document Upload: Click here to upload your passport, payment confirmation for the application fee, and other necessary documents.
Conditionally Admitted Graduate Students
If you are a Conditionally Admitted Graduate Student at the University of Georgia, please do the following:
Before you fill out the IEP application, forward the email or letter you received from the UGA Graduate School to iep@uga.edu. When you are cleared to apply to the IEP, please upload the email or letter you received from the UGA Graduate School in the Document Upload form.
To find more information, please see the section Conditionally Admitted Graduate Students below.
Transfer to the IEP at UGA
If you want to transfer from an IEP at another institution within the U.S. to UGA’s IEP, please do the following:
Apply to our program like any other student. We will inform UGA Immigration Services that you need to have your I-20 record transferred to our program. Immigration Services will then contact you and/or the international office at your university about further steps. If we require any additional information, we will contact you per email.
Program Information
The IEP offers 6 course sessions each academic year beginning in August (Fall I), October (Fall II), January (Spring I), March (Spring II), June (Summer; optional), and July (July Program). In fall, spring, and summer, our course sessions are 7.5 weeks long. In July, students can take a more specialized 4-week program (see here). Please see the Important Dates page for more information about session dates.
We offer a 16-week online course for international visiting scholars who must pass the English Language Proficiency Documentation for J-1 International Visiting Scholars. Incoming visiting scholars can begin this course at any time. You are welcome to take other IEP classes if you are interested. Visiting scholars often find it helpful to take additional IEP courses while they are staying in the U.S. Many scholars who have an English proficiency level above A1 or A2 choose to take classes in the IEP as part-time students.
Eligibility Requirements
Language proficiency: We accept students of all English proficiency levels—from beginner to advanced. If you are not sure about your level, you can request a short placement interview with the IEP Assistant Director and Program Coordinator after completing the application form. Based on our assessment during the interview, we will make a recommendation for what level you should study in. After you arrive in Athens, we will further clarify your placement level during the first week of class.
Please note: We plan on offering courses for beginners starting in August 2025—if enough students apply. If we have to cancel our plans for a beginner level due to low enrollment, we will inform applicants immediately. To be accepted into the program, applicants must be able to participate in a short conversation. There is no guarantee that applicants will be accepted into the IEP.
Age: We accept international students who are 18 years and older. You can apply when you are 17, but you must be 18 years old when you begin your studies in the IEP. We welcome older students in our program: Nobody is too old to improve their English proficiency!
Visa: Unless you are a U.S. citizen or legal permanent resident, you must hold a visa to study in our program (see the section Program Requirements for Different Visas below). We can help you initiate your F-1 or J-1 visa application through UGA Immigration Services. You must provide the information necessary to apply for a visa during your application. If you want to come to the U.S. to study in the IEP full-time, we will submit your information to Immigration Services after you complete your IEP application and pay the application fee. Immigration Services will then contact you about taking further steps to process your visa application.
Participating in the July Program for Conditionally Admitted Graduate Students: The July Program is taught at the advanced level (Level 6). The IEP can therefore only admit applicants who already have a high level of English proficiency to the July Program. If your English proficiency is not high enough, we recommend that you study with us during the 2025/2026 academic year and begin your academic program when your English proficiency is high enough to fulfill the English language proficiency requirement for international students.
Conditionally Admitted Graduate Students
International students must demonstrate sufficient English language proficiency for admission to graduate programs at the University of Georgia. If applicants do not reach satisfactory TOEFL or IELTS scores, the UGA Graduate School will accept successful completion of Level 6 in the Intensive English Program as one way to satisfy the English Language Proficiency Requirement for International Students.
Students must attend all advanced level (Level 6) classes and successfully complete all assigned coursework, homework, and assessments during the July Program to receive a Certificate of Completion that fulfills the English Language Proficiency Requirement for International Students. When students successfully complete the July Program, the IEP will inform the Graduate School, the student’s academic department, and UGA Immigration Services.
To enroll in the July Program, applicants must provide their Letter of Conditional Acceptance from the UGA Graduate School before submitting their application to the IEP.
Visiting Scholars
If you are an international visiting scholar and have been informed by Immigration Services that you must fulfill the English Language Proficiency Documentation for J-1 International Visiting Scholars, you can find information on how to enroll in the Visiting Scholars Online Course and other optional IEP courses below. UGA will accept successful completion of Option 3 (“J-Check”) as one way to satisfy the English proficiency requirement for visiting scholars.
How do I register for the Visiting Scholars Online Course?
Please complete our application form, pay the application fee, and upload all necessary documents.
When and how does the class meet?
The class meets twice a week online at a time that is convenient for most scholars. After you register for the course, the instructor will contact you to tell you how to access the online class. You will receive an invoice to pay for your course after you register.
How much does the course cost?
The course costs $600 (plus the $150 registration fee) for 32 hours of class over 16 weeks. If you do not pass the “J-Check” online exam after taking the full 16-week online course, you have the option to take the course for another 8 weeks and attempt the exam again. An additional 8 weeks of class cost $300.
How long do I have to take the course?
To complete a whole level, scholars must take the entire 16-week course. After scholars successfully complete a whole level, they can re-take the “J-Check.” If they do not pass the exam, they must continue to take the course in 8-week steps until they successfully complete Level 3 and the exam.
Will I receive individual tutoring in the course?
This course is not for individual tutoring, but it is very small and gives visiting scholars the opportunity to work very closely with the instructor. There are usually only 2 to 4 scholars in the course at any point.
Program Requirements for Different Visas
You may apply for a F-1 visa (if your application is self-funded) or a J-1 visa (if your
application is funded by your home government or university), and you must take a full-time course load (18 hours of coursework per week) in the IEP. More information on the immigration process can be found here.
UGA’s IEP can accept F-1 transfers from other institutions. As a F-1 visa holder, you must take a full-time course load (18 hours of coursework per week) in the IEP. Please fill out the IEP application form where you will be asked further questions about your transfer.
J-2 visa holders can study full-time in the IEP. If you have a F-2 visa, you can only take a part-time course load (less than 18 hours of coursework per week).
B-visa holders or visitors on an ESTA waiver can take one course per session in the IEP to improve their English listening and speaking skills. They can choose a Listening & Speaking or Conversation & Presentation Skills course.
Nonimmigrant visa holders may be eligible to study either part-time (less than 18 hours of coursework per week) or full-time (18 hours of coursework per week) in the IEP. To confirm your eligibility, please contact immigration@uga.edu. Put “Prospective IEP Student” into the subject line and the following into the body of your email:
- Name:
- Your current visa type:
- Other information you would like to provide:
This chart serves as a general reference of who may be able to study in the U.S.
You must take a full-time course load (18 hours of coursework per week) in the July Program.
You can choose to study in the IEP full-time (18 hours of coursework per week) or part-time (less than 18 hours of coursework per week).
Please contact us at iep@uga.edu.
Yes! During academic semesters, you can work up to 20 hours per week “on-campus” (any of UGA’s campuses; more information here) as long as you take IEP classes full-time and hold a I-20 form (F-1 student) or a DS-2019 form (J-1 student) issued by UGA Immigration Services. Over vacation terms or breaks, you are allowed to work full-time.
- F-1 students do not need any special authorization or documentation, as long as they have been maintaining legal status in the U.S.
- J-1 students must have written authorization from an Immigration Services advisor at UGA prior to accepting on-campus employment.
- J-2 visa holders can work if they receive work authorization from USCIS.
- F-2 visa holders are not allowed to work.
To confirm your eligibility to work, please contact Ashley Johnson, Associate Director of Immigration Services, at ashleyhj@uga.edu. Put “IEP Student: Work on Campus” into the subject line and the following information into the body of your email:
- Name:
- Your current visa type:
- Other information you would like to provide:
IEP students are eligible for a vacation term after 36 weeks of continuous study. The IEP offers 34 weeks of instructional time during an academic year (each regular IEP fall and spring session is 7.5 weeks long; the July session is 4 weeks long).
IMPORTANT:
I-20 Processing Time: Once you applied to the IEP and paid the application fee, we initiate your I-20 application process as quickly as possible. The IEP and UGA Immigration Services have highly trained professional staff dedicated to serving international students as they complete the IEP application process, visa process, and prepare to enter the United States.
Check-In: Students who are issued an I-20 or DS-2019 form (to apply for a F-1 or J-1 visa) for UGA’s IEP must complete both an online and in-person check-in. For the online check-in, students are required to provide a local Georgia-based residential address. For the in-person check-in, students must attend the IEP orientation and the first day of classes at the IEP. A student who does not complete an in-person check-in by attending the first day of IEP classes will have their SEVIS record terminated.
SACM: We accept sponsorships from SACM (Saudi Arabian Cultural Mission). If you are sponsored by SACM and wish to participate in IEP courses, you must submit a valid Financial Guarantee from SACM with your application.