How does Fordham evaluate international students in the undergraduate admissions process?

Fordham evaluates international applicants through the same general holistic process it uses for all first-year students, but with extra attention to how your school system works. They do not expect your grades or curriculum to look like a U.S. transcript. Instead, they read your record in the context of your country, school, grading scale, and available courses.

Your academic record is usually the most important part. That means your secondary school transcript, the rigor of your coursework within your national curriculum, and your performance over time. If your school offers external exams, predicted results, national leaving exams, IB, A-Levels, CBSE/ISC, or similar credentials, those can carry significant weight because they help Fordham compare applicants across systems.

Admissions officers typically rely on your school profile, counselor recommendation, and sometimes credential evaluation practices built into their international review process to interpret grades from abroad. They want to see whether you have taken a demanding program relative to what was available to you, not whether your transcript matches an American format.

Beyond academics, Fordham also considers essays, recommendations, extracurricular involvement, and personal qualities. For international students, these pieces matter, but they usually support rather than outweigh the academic review. Strong involvement outside class can help, especially if it shows initiative, leadership, service, or intellectual engagement.