First-Year Admission Requirements

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1. Complete the Common Application

Complete and submit the Common Application. Upon submitting, you will be asked to pay a $70 nonrefundable application fee. Be sure you use the same email address for every part of the application process, including registering for standardized tests.

If applying for Spring or Fall 2021, you will be required to submit a supplemental essay of 250 words or less in response to the following prompt.

The University of Miami's official mascot is the ibis. Folklore maintains that the native marsh bird is the last to take shelter before a hurricane hits and the first to emerge once the storm passes, making it an apt symbol of courage and resilience.

Considering your ability to control your own motivation and behavior, how have past experiences helped build your courage and resilience to persist in the face of academic and life challenges so that, once these storms pass, you can emerge in continued pursuit of your goals? 

In addition, students will be asked to respond to one of seven prompts in a personal statement of 650 words or less. 

These portions of the Common Application give you the opportunity to demonstrate your ability to develop your thoughts, to communicate them clearly, and to write them concisely conveying your unique voice. We also ask that you list your involvement in extracurricular activities outside of school involvements and/or commitments; these will be evaluated as another factor in the admission process.

2. Send Official High School Transcripts

Review the options below and follow the instructions for the option that describes your educational background. 

Submit your official high school transcripts directly from your high school. A school official may submit them electronically via Common Application or by mail to one of the following addresses: 

Mailing Address
University of Miami
Office of Undergraduate Admission
P.O. Box 249117
Coral Gables, FL 33124-9117  

If sending via FedEx, DHL, UPS, or courier
University of Miami
Office of Undergraduate Admission
1320 S. Dixie Highway
Gables One Tower, Suite 945
Coral Gables, FL 33146 

If you have attended a secondary school outside of the United States, you must submit your official secondary school documents (transcripts, mark sheets, certificates, examination results, etc.) to one of the services below for a course-by-course evaluation and grade point average calculation that will be sent directly to us.

If you prefer to use a service other than the two listed above, it must be an approved member of NACES (National Association of Credential Evaluation Services).

Exception: If you attend a U.S. school, are pursuing an IB curriculum, or are currently attending a school in Canada (except Quebec), the United Kingdom, or the Caribbean, do not submit your documents to a service for a course-by-course evaluation and grade point average calculation. Instead, submit a Request to Waive Evaluation of Foreign Educational Credentials through the applicant portal. If your request is approved, have your official high school transcripts sent directly from your high school. A school official may submit them electronically via Common Application or by mail to one of the following addresses:

Mailing Address
University of Miami
Office of Undergraduate Admission
P.O. Box 249117
Coral Gables, FL 33124-9117  

If sending via FedEx, DHL, UPS, or courier
University of Miami
Office of Undergraduate Admission
1320 S. Dixie Highway
Gables One Tower, Suite 945
Coral Gables, FL 33146 

3. Submitting Test Scores

Review the options below and follow the instructions for the option that describes your educational background. 

For students who are applying for admission for the Spring or Fall 2021 term, it is optional to submit ACT and/or SAT scores. 

Architecture applicants not submitting test scores must instead submit a portfolio. All Music applicants complete an audition as part of the evaluation process.

Note: You may update your decision to have your application reviewed with or without test scores even after you have submitted your application. Applicants will be given an extra 15 days past their selected admission plan deadline to update their file. Here are some examples of testing-specific updates applicants can make:

  • Submit test scores for the Admission Committee’s consideration
  • Update your test scores
  • Update your choice to be test optional or not

To make these and other changes, applicants must complete the Test Score Updates form in the Applicant Portal.

Submit your application by the stated deadline: November 1 for Early Decision I and Early Action or January 1 for Early Decision II and Regular Decision. We hope that offering you the opportunity to make these updates up to 15 days past your selected admission plan deadline will provide you with any needed flexibility.

Students who choose to submit an ACT and/or SAT score may:

  • request that official scores be sent to the University directly from the testing agency.
  • self-report their scores on the Common Application. You will not need to Superscore your own results or recalculate your scores. Simply enter your scores exactly as you receive them. Students self-reporting scores will be required to submit official score reports only if they are admitted and choose to enroll.

The optional Essay and/or Writing sections of the ACT and SAT are not required.

If you choose to submit your scores, be sure to complete all testing by the following dates:

  • November 1 if applying Early Decision I or Early Action
  • January 1 if applying Early Decision II or Regular Decision

Test Codes for UM:

  • ACT Code: 0760 
  • SAT Code: 5815

ACT and/or SAT scores are optional for:

  • students applying for the Spring or Fall 2021 term.
  • students graduating from a secondary school outside the United States.
  • students applying for admission to the School of Architecture or the Frost School of Music. Architecture applicants not submitting test scores must instead submit a portfolio. All Music applicants complete an audition as part of the evaluation process.

Students who choose to submit an ACT and/or SAT score may:

  • request that official scores be sent to the University directly from the testing agency.
  • self-report their scores on the Common Application. You will not need to Superscore your own results or recalculate your scores. Simply enter your scores exactly as you receive them. Students self-reporting scores will be required to submit official score reports only if they are admitted and choose to enroll.

Important note: Even though ACT and/or SAT scores are optional for students graduating from a secondary school outside the United States, applying for the Spring and Fall 2021 term, and for students who are applying to the Frost School of Music and the School of Architecture, we will consider any self-reported scores on the Common Application as part of our evaluation process.

All students whose native language is not English are required to submit official results of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). For information on scores, visit the English Proficiency Requirements page. 

Be sure to complete all testing by the following dates:

  • November 1 if applying Early Decision I or Early Action
  • January 1 if applying Early Decision II or Regular Decision

Test Codes for UM:

  • TOEFL Code: C730
  • IELTS Code: 4861
  • ACT Code: 0760 
  • SAT Code: 5815

4. Complete the School Report

The School Report should be completed by your high school guidance counselor and can be found on the Common Application. It is often submitted along with your high school transcript and information about your high school. 

5. Submit Letters of Recommendation

We require you to submit two letters of recommendation: at least one letter must be from a teacher OR high school guidance counselor. These can be submitted electronically through the Common Application or Naviance, by email to mydocuments@miami.edu, or by mail to one of the following addresses:

Mailing Address
University of Miami
Office of Undergraduate Admission
P.O. Box 249117
Coral Gables, FL 33124-9117  

If sending via FedEx, DHL, UPS, or courier
University of Miami
Office of Undergraduate Admission
1320 S. Dixie Highway
Gables One Tower, Suite 945
Coral Gables, FL 33146 

6. Additional Requirements for Special Programs

If you are applying to any of the programs below, complete the supplemental application, submit a portfolio, and/or schedule an audition.

Supplemental applications are available in the applicant portal. Access to the portal will be granted once your admission application is received. Please submit any additional documentation as soon as possible. We will accept documents up to seven days after the admission plan deadline.

7. Submit Educational Activities

If you have a time gap of three months or more during your educational career or from the time you graduated high school to the date of your intended University of Miami enrollment, you must submit an Educational Activities statement in the Common Application explaining the reason for the gap(s) and include the dates.

If you are unable to provide this information within your Common Application, you can submit it through the applicant portal under the "Materials Upload" section, or by emailing it to mydocuments@miami.edu. If emailing, be sure to include  “Educational Activities” inthe subject line and your full name and date of birth on all correspondence. This information is required to complete your application file.

8. Complete the International Financial Certification Form (International applicants only)

Yes, the University of Miami offers international student both merit and need-based aid. If you are applying for need-based financial aid, you must submit the CSS Profile and Government or Employer Earnings Statements by the stated deadlines. For more information, please review the checklist on our Applying for Aid page.  

The University of Miami is need-aware. This means that, for a portion of applicants, the Admission Committee will consider that student’s ability to pay tuition without the need for financial aid. UM is committed to meeting the full demonstrated financial need of all admitted students. 

All prospective first-year international students who apply for admission to UM must submit an International Financial Certification Form, which can be accessed via the applicant portal after you have submitted your application.

9. Submit Financial Aid Documents

Review the options below and follow the instructions for the option that best applies to you.

If you are applying for financial aid, review the checklist on our Applying for Aid page. There you will find the dates and required documents that must be submitted in order to be considered for need-based financial aid.

If you are applying for financial aid, you must submit the CSS Profile by the stated deadlines. For more information, please review the checklist on our Applying for Aid page.

10. Send Conduct Updates

If there is an update to your conduct (academic or behavioral) or your standing as a student in your high school (suspension, expulsion, withdrawal, etc.) you must alert the Office of Undergraduate Admission immediately by uploading the documentation to the applicant portal in the "Materials Upload" section. You can also email documents to conductupdate@miami.edu. 

Be sure to include your name and date of birth on all documents.

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