IELTS and TOEFL Requirements for International Programs at Thai Universities
By Muntasir Minhaz • Published Jul 03, 2026 • Study in Southeast Asia
Thai university international programs set their own IELTS and TOEFL cutoffs per program, commonly in the IELTS 6.0-6.5 or TOEFL iBT 69-80 range. Score below the cutoff and most programs will not process your application until you retake the test or submit a program-specific alternative like TU-GET.
📩 MUIC requires IELTS 6.0 overall (writing 6.0) or TOEFL iBT 69 overall (writing 22)
Thammasat's BBA program requires TOEFL iBT 80, IELTS 6.0 (5.5 per section), or TU-GET 550 paper-based
Chulalongkorn sets a separate score requirement for each of its 19 international programs, not one university-wide cutoff
⏱️ Score reports stay valid for 2 years at most programs
Universities treat TOEFL, IELTS, and often a local test like TU-GET as interchangeable
Why the Cutoff Differs by Program
Thai universities do not share one national English requirement for international programs. Each faculty or college sets its own minimum, based on how much of the coursework depends on written English versus lab or studio work, and how competitive the program runs. A business or communication program that leans on essays and presentations sets a higher bar than an engineering program built around problem sets and lab reports.
Score Requirements at Three Reference Points
| University / Program | IELTS | TOEFL iBT | Other accepted test |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mahidol University International College (MUIC) | 6.0 overall, 6.0 writing | 69 overall, 22 writing | Not listed |
| Thammasat BBA International Program | 6.0 overall, 5.5 per section | 80 | TU-GET 550 (PBT) or 80 (CBT) |
| Chulalongkorn (19 international programs) | Set per program | Set per program | Varies by faculty |
Sources: MUIC admissions , Thammasat BBA admissions , Chulalongkorn undergraduate admissions .
MUIC has also announced a change effective January 21, 2026: the required TOEFL iBT writing score moves to an equivalent of 4.5, so check the current published minimum before booking a test close to that date.
What Happens Below the Cutoff
Programs that publish a fixed minimum generally will not process an application with a lower score. Some universities running their own English foundation courses admit students who fall slightly short into a preparatory English semester before they start credit-bearing coursework, though this option is program-specific and not guaranteed everywhere. Contact the admissions office directly to ask whether a below-cutoff score has any path forward before retaking the test.
Retaking IELTS or TOEFL costs money and takes weeks to schedule and receive results, so plan the test date with enough runway before the application deadline to retake once if needed.
PTE, Duolingo, and Other Alternatives
A small number of Thai international programs accept PTE Academic alongside IELTS and TOEFL, but this stays far less common than at universities in Australia, the UK, or Singapore. Duolingo English Test acceptance is rare at Thai universities as of this writing. Do not assume a program takes an alternative test unless its own admissions page lists it explicitly, since submitting an unlisted test score usually means the application sits unprocessed until you provide an accepted one.
Score Validity and Which Test to Choose
Score reports for IELTS and TOEFL typically stay valid for two years from the test date at Thai university international programs, matching the standard validity period both testing bodies set. If you already have a score from applying elsewhere, check the test date against the program's two-year window before assuming it still qualifies.
Between IELTS and TOEFL, universities treat them as interchangeable, so choose based on test center access and format preference rather than which one a specific program favors. Thammasat additionally accepts TU-GET, its own English test, which costs less and sits more accessible for applicants already in Thailand.
Reading a Program's Published Requirement Correctly
Program pages list two kinds of numbers: an overall score and per-section minimums. MUIC's IELTS requirement, for example, sets both an overall 6.0 and a 6.0 writing minimum, so a 6.5 overall with a 5.5 writing score would not meet the requirement even though the overall figure clears the bar. Thammasat's BBA program applies the same logic with its 5.5-per-section floor under a 6.0 overall IELTS score. Read every number on the page, not only the headline overall score, before deciding whether your existing test result qualifies.
Practical Steps
Check the specific program's published minimum before booking a test. A university-wide "safe" score does not exist.
Book IELTS or TOEFL at least 3 months before your application deadline to leave room for a retake.
Keep the official score report, not a screenshot, ready for upload, since most portals require the testing body's digital verification.
If your score sits slightly under a program's cutoff, email the admissions office and ask about a foundation or conditional pathway before ruling the program out.
Save every score report and application confirmation email in one folder. Admissions offices ask for re-uploads or verification more often than applicants expect, and having documents ready saves a week of back and forth near the deadline.