Undergraduate Application Requirements

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The student seeking admission to the BA in Liberal Arts program as a First-Year and First-Year International student must fulfill the following application requirements to be considered for admission. Application requirements are frequently reviewed and can change without notice.

  • Application Form:
    • Applicants must use the Soka Online Application or the Common Application and fill out the application forms completely. Completed application forms should be signed and dated by the applicant. Online applications may be printed out or completed online and are available at admissions.soka.edu/apply.

  • Application Fee:
    •  A $45 nonrefundable application fee (paid by check or money order only) must be submitted with the paper application. If you submit your application via the Soka Online Application or Common Application, your fee will be reduced to $30.
    • Soka University accepts College Board, NACAC, and Common Application fee waivers. Applicants who are eligible for a Fee Wavier must send their approved waiver to SUA if paying by waiver.
    • Applicants are responsible for ensuring that a fee waiver or payment is sent to the Admission Office or their application will be considered incomplete.

  • Official Transcripts:
    • Applicants must provide official high school or secondary transcripts showing all academic coursework completed.
    • All coursework completed outside of the U.S. must be sent to IERF (www.ierf.org) for conversion to U.S. grade equivalents. Soka University requires the Detail Report of your completed education.
    • If necessary, and as requested by the Office of Admission, General Equivalency Diploma (GED) or High School Equivalency (HSE) may need to be submitted. Applicants must submit official score reports from the GED or HSE test and also submit a copy of the GED or HSE certificate. Admitted students must submit official score reports from the GED or HSE test and submit a copy of the GED or HSE certification to enroll.
    • Official transcripts for all completed college-level coursework are also required.

  • Recommendations:
    • ​​​​​​​Two letters of recommendation are required.  Academic recommendations (from a principal, headmaster, school counselor, or teacher) is preferred. We ask that recommenders use the official form provided in the Soka Online Application or the Common Application.  Up to three letters of recommendation will be accepted.

  • English Proficiency:
    • Applicants for whom English is not their native language will need to demonstrate English proficiency by submitting TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) or Duolingo English Test results. It is preferred for applicants to pass the TOEFL iBT exam with a minimum score of 80 or pass the Duolingo English Test with a minimum score of 115 (160 scale).
    • The Office of Admission does not accept TOEFL iBT or Duolingo English Test scores older than two years of the testing date.
    • Official TOEFL iBT or Duolingo English Test scores must be sent directly to the Office of Admission. Student copies and self-reported scores are not accepted.
    • The TOEFL® school code for Soka University of America is 4720. For Duolingo, please select “Soka University of America Undergraduate Admissions.”

  • Mandatory Essays:
    • ​​​​​​​Two mandatory essays that answer the questions put forth in the application.  Essay prompts can be found on our "How to Apply" webpage.

  • List of Extracurricular Activities:
    •  Soka University requires list of extracurricular activities or talents demonstrating outside interests and leadership experience. The activities section of the Soka online application and Common Application fulfills this requirement when filled out fully.

  • Official Test Scores (Optional):
    • Official SAT or ACT test scores are not required for admission consideration. For those who would like to send their test scores, Soka’s SAT code is 4066 and Soka’s ACT code is 0467. Test scores will be official if the examination scores of the SAT or ACT are sent directly to Soka University by the testing agency.
    • The name used for your SAT and/or ACT examinations must be your legal name that you use on your admission application.
    • The Office of Admission does not accept SAT or ACT scores older than five years from the testing date.
    • SUA does not require the SAT II-SAT Subject Test.

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