Fordham University Admission Requirements for International Students 2027: Acceptance Rate, Tuition, Scholarships and Deadlines

Fordham University admission requirements for international students are straightforward on paper: you apply through the Common Application, send your school transcript, one recommendation and an essay, and prove your English with TOEFL, IELTS, Duolingo or PTE. SAT and ACT scores are not required if you apply from outside the United States. What makes Fordham different from many private universities is money. It offers international first-years both merit scholarships and a limited amount of need-based aid, but its aid review is need-aware, and the need-based route only works if your family can show at least $35,000 a year on the CSS Profile.

Fordham admitted 25,719 of 43,364 first-year applicants for fall 2024, an acceptance rate of about 59%. It is tied at No. 85 among National Universities in the U.S. News 2027 edition. For fall 2027 entry, Early Action and Early Decision I close on 1 November 2026, and Early Decision II and Regular Decision close on 3 January 2027. I checked every figure below on Fordham’s own admission and financial aid pages on 29 October 2026, except where a different source is named.

Fordham ranking and what it tells you

U.S. News published its 2027 Best Colleges edition in September 2026. Fordham sits tied at No. 85 among National Universities (U.S. News 2027 edition), up 12 places from No. 97 in the 2026 edition, according to Poets&Quants’ report on the release. Southern Methodist University shares the same No. 85 position this year.

A rank in the 80s means Fordham is a large, well-known research university with a strong regional name in New York finance, law and media, but it is not in the ultra-selective tier where acceptance rates fall below 10%. For an international student that is useful: you can apply with a solid record and a reasonable chance, as long as you plan your finances honestly.

Fordham acceptance rate and class profile

Fordham’s official Common Data Set page sits behind a university login, so the figures below are the fall 2024 numbers Fordham reported for its 2024-25 Common Data Set, as published in the federal IPEDS database.

Measure (fall 2024 entry)	Figure
First-year applicants	43,364
Admitted	25,719
Acceptance rate	About 59%
Enrolled first-years	2,492
SAT middle 50% (reading and writing / maths)	660 to 730 / 660 to 750
ACT composite middle 50%	30 to 33
Share of enrolled students who sent the SAT	18%

The low share of SAT submitters matters. Most of the class was admitted without test scores, so the ranges above describe a minority. Fordham does not publish a separate acceptance rate for international applicants. Its international FAQ does publish one number that matters more for planning: only about 7% of international students who apply for need-based aid receive an award.

Fordham tuition for international students: 2026-27 cost of attendance

International students pay the same tuition as everyone else. Fordham’s 2026-27 guide, Financing Your Fordham Education, gives this budget for an undergraduate living in university housing:

Cost item (2026-27)	Living on campus	Commuting
Tuition and fees	$70,952	$70,952
Food and housing	$26,334	Not charged
Books, course materials and supplies	$1,692	$1,692
Transport and personal expenses	$3,742	$7,490
Total cost of attendance	$102,720	$80,134

Fordham’s guide does not split tuition from fees, and it applies the same figures to the Rose Hill and Lincoln Center campuses. International students who need an I-20 will almost always live on campus in the first year, so plan around the $102,720 figure. Fordham also tells aided families to expect costs to rise by about 3% to 5% a year, while their award stays the same amount.

Fordham scholarships for international students

Fordham gives international first-years two routes to money. You can receive one, both or neither.

Merit scholarships

Every complete application is considered for merit scholarships automatically. There is no separate form, and test scores are not needed for scholarship consideration. Fordham’s international page says merit awards for international applicants go up to $25,000, and award news appears in your online admission letter. The 2026-27 financing guide lists the university’s main merit awards:

Award	What it covers	Who usually gets it
Presidential Scholarship	Full tuition and fees, plus a double room and meal plan for residents	Typically the top 10 admitted students
Fordham Scholarship	Full tuition (not fees)	About 3% of admitted students
Dean’s Scholarship	From $25,000, rising with financial need	About 10% of admitted students
Loyola and Jogues Scholarships	Amounts not published	Renewal needs a 3.0 and 2.75 GPA

The same guide says Fordham aid generally goes to US citizens and eligible non-citizens unless stated otherwise, and it points international students to a separate international scholarship page. Fordham does not say on its pages which of the larger awards an international student has received, so treat the $25,000 figure on the international page as the realistic ceiling for merit.

Need-based aid

This is where Fordham stands out among universities ranked near it. It offers need-based institutional grants to a limited number of new first-year students on non-immigrant visas who apply for the fall term. The rules are strict:

• Your CSS Profile must show an estimated family contribution of at least $35,000 a year. That money has to cover the indirect costs, including room, board, books, travel, health insurance and future tuition increases.
• Awards are grants only, with no loans or work-study, and range from a few thousand dollars up to full first-year tuition. They never cover the full cost of attendance.
• Admission is need-aware for these applicants, so asking for aid can affect your decision.
• About 7% of international applicants who ask for aid receive it.
• You cannot ask for aid after you are admitted or once you are enrolled. Spring and transfer applicants are not eligible.
• Awards renew for up to four years at the same dollar amount if you keep the required GPA and make satisfactory academic progress.

If your family cannot show $35,000 a year, Fordham’s need-based route is closed to you, and you should rely on merit or look at full-need colleges such as those in our list of the best American scholarships for international students.

How to apply for Fordham financial aid as an international student

1. Submit the CSS Profile: on the College Board site, using Fordham’s CSS code 2259 and the same email address as your Common Application. Fordham does not accept a PDF copy, the ISFAA, or a CSS Profile fee waiver.
2. Email your CB FinAid ID: Fordham asks you to send it to the international admission office by the CSS Profile deadline.
3. Meet the aid deadline for your round: 1 November for Early Action and Early Decision I, 3 January for Early Decision II, and 15 January for Regular Decision.
4. Complete the Statement of Funding: it appears in your applicant portal after you submit. Students paying in full complete this statement; aid applicants still need to show the family contribution.
5. Prepare visa documents early: to receive an I-20 you upload the Application for Certificate of Eligibility, bank or financial statements and your passport data page through the portal.

Fordham says aid applications without a CSS Profile on file by the deadline are reviewed without aid consideration, so this step is not one to leave until after the admission deadline.

Fordham admission requirements for international students: the application

Application parts

1. Common Application: with the Common App personal essay.
2. Application fee: $75. Fordham’s fee waivers are tied to SAT fee waivers, the NACAC option on the Common App and US military service, so most international applicants pay.
3. School transcript: sent by your school or counsellor through the Common App or by email. Fordham does not accept transcripts sent by students.
4. One letter of recommendation: required for first-year applicants.
5. English test results: required if English is not your first language (see below).
6. Optional Fordham essay: one short supplement (see the essay section).
7. Optional interview: Fordham does not run its own interviews, but international applicants can send a recorded or live interview from Duolingo, InitialView or Vericant. The interview deadline is 15 November for EA and ED I, and 15 February for RD and ED II.

Testing policy

Fordham calls its policy permanent: applicants from outside the United States and its territories do not need SAT or ACT scores. You can self-report scores on the Common App (SAT code 2259, ACT code 2748), and if you enrol you must then send official scores. If your SAT is strong, send it. If it is average or you could not sit it, leave it out; Fordham reviews you on your school record.

English requirements

Test	Fordham minimum
TOEFL iBT	90
IELTS (Academic or Indicator)	7.0
Duolingo English Test	125
PTE Academic	65
TOEFL ITP with Vericant interview (China only)	575

Scores must be less than two years old. Attending a US-curriculum high school does not waive the requirement on its own. If you think you qualify for an exemption, file the English Language Proficiency Test Waiver Request Form in your applicant portal after you submit. Students who fall short may be offered the Via Fordham pathway programme.

Fordham deadlines for fall 2027 entry

Round	Application	CSS Profile (aid applicants)	Decision
Early Action (non-binding)	1 November 2026	1 November 2026	20 December 2026
Early Decision I (binding)	1 November 2026	1 November 2026	20 December 2026
Early Decision II (binding)	3 January 2027	3 January 2027	15 February 2027
Regular Decision	3 January 2027	15 January 2027	By 1 April 2027
Deposit	1 May 2027 (EA, RD); 15 January 2027 (ED I); 15 March 2027 (ED II)

Fordham’s deadline page still lists the dates of the cycle that ended in 2026, so the dates above carry the same days forward one year (based on this year’s date; confirm on the official page when the call opens). Last cycle Fordham extended Early Action and Early Decision I to 8 November and Regular Decision to 22 January. Do not count on an extension. Dance and theatre applicants must use the Early Action deadline.

How to write the Fordham supplemental essay

For 2026-27, Fordham offers an optional essay of up to 300 words, chosen from three prompts: what has prepared you to live and learn in New York City; what the future “you” would tell the present “you” about what you achieved at Fordham; and an experience that changed your point of view or led you to act for positive change. I would treat “optional” as expected, because it is your only chance to talk directly to Fordham.

The New York prompt suits international students well, because moving to New York from Accra, Manila or São Paulo is a real change and readers want to see that you have thought about it. Pick one concrete experience of navigating a big, unfamiliar place, or of living with people very different from you, and connect it to something specific in New York that you plan to use: an internship near Lincoln Center, a Bronx community project, a museum, a course. Fordham is a Jesuit university and talks often about service and “active citizens”, so the third prompt rewards one real story of acting on what you believed. A list of volunteer hours will not do that job.

A sample opening, for illustration only: “The first time I took the Lagos ferry alone, I missed my stop twice and learned more about the city from the woman who sold me groundnuts than from any map.” From there, the essay should move quickly to what that taught you about learning in a crowded city and what you will do with it in New York.

What happens after you apply to Fordham

1. Check the portal: Fordham’s applicant portal shows missing documents, the Statement of Funding and the English waiver form.
2. Send the interview: if you chose Duolingo, InitialView or Vericant, make sure it arrives by 15 November or 15 February.
3. Read your decision letter carefully: merit awards are announced in the online admission letter, and need-based grants come with your aid notice.
4. Commit: ED students deposit by 15 January or 15 March 2027; everyone else by 1 May 2027.
5. Start the I-20: upload your funding evidence so Fordham can issue the I-20, then book an F-1 visa interview at the US embassy or consulate nearest you.

Common mistakes international applicants make with Fordham

• Assuming need-based aid will cover everything: it never covers the full cost, and you need a $35,000 family contribution even to qualify.
• Missing the CSS Profile deadline: in EA and ED I it is the same day as the application.
• Using a different email on the CSS Profile: Fordham matches the CSS Profile to your Common App by email address.
• Skipping the English test: test-optional covers the SAT and ACT, not English proficiency.
• Applying Early Decision without a budget: ED is binding, so only use it if you know your family can pay what Fordham offers to leave.
• Sending the transcript yourself: Fordham only accepts it from the school or counsellor.

Costs a Fordham scholarship will not cover

Even a large merit award leaves bills. Fordham’s own budget includes $1,692 for books and $3,742 for transport and personal costs, and it adds travel to and from home. You also need health insurance, the visa application fee and SEVIS fee before you travel, winter clothing for a New York winter, and money for the summer if you stay in the US. Because awards stay fixed while costs rise 3% to 5% a year, the gap grows each year you are enrolled.

Majors, campus and city

Fordham has three New York campuses. Rose Hill in the Bronx is the main residential campus, with Fordham College at Rose Hill and the Gabelli School of Business. Lincoln Center in Manhattan, next to the city’s performing arts district, holds Fordham College at Lincoln Center, the law school and the theatre and dance programmes. There is also a campus in Westchester. Business, economics, communications and media, political science, psychology and the pre-law and pre-health tracks are the routes most international students ask about, and New York gives you internships within a subway ride.

Graduate admissions at Fordham

Graduate study is separate from undergraduate admission. Each school runs its own process: the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, the Gabelli School of Business, the School of Law, the Graduate School of Education and the Graduate School of Social Service. Check your programme’s page for deadlines, test requirements and funding, because these differ by school.

Fordham compared with similar universities

University	Aid for international first-years	Early deadline (fall 2027)	Our guide
Fordham	Merit up to $25,000; limited need-based grants (need-aware, $35,000 minimum family contribution)	1 Nov 2026 (EA and ED I)	This page
Southern Methodist University	Merit scholarships only; no need-based aid	1 Nov 2026 (EA and ED I)	SMU admission requirements
Tulane University	Merit up to $32,000 a year, Global Scholarships up to full cost, need-based aid up to $30,000	1 Nov 2026 (ED I), 10 Nov 2026 (EA)	Tulane University scholarships
Emory University	Scholar Programs up to full tuition, fees, room and meals; need-based aid for a select group in Regular Decision	1 Nov 2026 (ED I)	Emory University scholarships

If you want a university that meets full need for international students, the profile is very different; read our MIT admission requirements for international students guide for how a need-blind school works.

Who should apply to Fordham

Apply if you want a large university in New York, have strong grades in a demanding curriculum, and your family can cover most of the $102,720 cost with help from a merit award. Fordham also makes sense if your family can contribute $35,000 or more a year but not the full price, since that is exactly the gap its need-based grants are built for.

Fordham is a weak choice if you need full funding. Neither route covers the full cost of attendance, and the need-based route reaches only a small share of applicants. In that case put your effort into need-blind or full-need colleges and treat Fordham as a merit-only option.

FAQ on Fordham admission requirements for international students

What is the Fordham acceptance rate for international students?

Fordham does not publish a separate rate for international applicants. The overall rate for fall 2024 was about 59%, with 25,719 offers from 43,364 applicants.

Does Fordham give full scholarships to international students?

Rarely. International merit awards go up to $25,000, and need-based grants top out at full first-year tuition, so neither covers the full $102,720 cost of attendance.

Do international students need the SAT for Fordham?

No. Applicants from outside the United States do not need SAT or ACT scores, but you can self-report them if they help your application.

What IELTS score does Fordham require?

Fordham asks for IELTS 7.0, TOEFL iBT 90, Duolingo 125 or PTE 65, and scores must be less than two years old.

Sources and updates

Admission requirements, testing rules, English minimums, the need-based aid conditions, the CSS code and the international deadlines come from Fordham’s international students page and its international FAQ. The 2026-27 cost of attendance and merit award descriptions come from Fordham’s guide Financing Your Fordham Education 2026-27. Application fee and checklist details come from Fordham’s how-to-apply page, and essay prompts were checked against published 2026-27 supplement guides. Admission statistics are Fordham’s fall 2024 figures as reported to the federal IPEDS database, and the ranking is from the U.S. News 2027 Best Colleges edition as reported by Poets&Quants. Last checked 29 October 2026. We will update the deadline table when Fordham publishes its 2026-27 dates.