Minimum IELTS and TOEFL Scores by Program Level: Foundation, Undergraduate, Postgraduate and PhD
By Muntasir • Published Jul 24, 2026 • Updated Sep 20, 2026 • Admissions & Applications
English score requirements step up by program level. Foundation and pathway programs often accept IELTS 5.0-5.5, undergraduate degrees ask for IELTS 6.0-6.5, master's programs typically want 6.5-7.0, and PhD programs at top universities set the bar at IELTS 7.0 or TOEFL iBT 95-100 on the old scale.
🎓 Foundation/pathway: IELTS 5.0-5.5, often with a minimum writing sub-score.
🎓 Undergraduate: IELTS 6.0-6.5 or TOEFL iBT 79-90.
🎓 Master's: IELTS 6.5-7.0 or TOEFL iBT 90-100, higher for research and writing-heavy fields.
🎓 PhD: IELTS 7.0 or higher, sometimes with a minimum speaking sub-score, or TOEFL iBT 95-100 on the old scale.
⏱️ Some universities require a minimum score in every section, not only the overall average. Check each program page.
Why the bar rises with program level
Universities raise their English requirement as coursework shifts from guided classroom learning to independent research and writing. A foundation program leans on English support classes built into the course, an undergraduate degree expects you to follow lectures and write essays without extra support, and a PhD expects you to write a dissertation, publish, and often teach. Each step up the ladder brings a higher score requirement, and PhD programs sometimes add a minimum speaking sub-score on top of the overall band.
Score requirements by level
| Program level | Typical IELTS Academic | Typical TOEFL iBT (0-120 scale) |
|---|---|---|
| Foundation / pathway year | 5.0-5.5, often with a set minimum writing score | Accepted at some pathway providers, check individually |
| Undergraduate (bachelor's) | 6.0-6.5 | 79-90 |
| Master's (postgraduate taught) | 6.5-7.0 | 90-100 |
| PhD (doctoral) | 7.0 or higher, sometimes with a minimum speaking sub-score | 95-100, occasionally higher |
Foundation and pathway programs
Foundation year and International Year One pathway programs run inside partner colleges attached to a university and prepare you academically and linguistically for the degree ahead. Leeds International Study Centre, for example, asks for IELTS 5.0 overall with a minimum of 5.0 in writing for its Foundation Year, and IELTS 5.5 overall with a minimum of 5.5 in writing for International Year One and Pre-Masters programs (Leeds International Study Centre ). If your score falls short, many pathway providers offer a short English preparation course before the main program starts, so a lower score does not always close the door completely.
Undergraduate programs
Most bachelor's degree programs across the US, UK, Canada, and Australia set their minimum between IELTS 6.0 and 6.5, or TOEFL iBT 79 to 90 on the old scale. Competitive programs in journalism, law, and communications often ask for a higher score than the university-wide minimum, since these degrees involve heavy reading and writing from the first semester.
Master's programs
Postgraduate taught programs generally raise the bar to IELTS 6.5-7.0 or TOEFL iBT 90-100. Business and technical master's programs sometimes accept a slightly lower score if you bring strong work experience or a quantitative undergraduate degree, while research-heavy master's programs in the humanities and social sciences tend to hold firm at the higher end of the range.
PhD programs
Doctoral programs set the strictest requirements, since a PhD candidate writes a dissertation, presents at conferences, and often teaches undergraduate classes. Harvard's Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences requires IELTS Academic 7.0 overall with a minimum speaking score of 6.5, or TOEFL iBT 95 on the old scale, or 5.0 on the new scale introduced from 21 January 2026, with a minimum speaking sub-score of 4.5 on the new scale (Harvard GSAS ). UCLA sets its graduate-wide minimum at IELTS 7.0, while the University of Texas at Austin and the University of Tennessee both ask for IELTS 6.5 overall with no individual band below 6.0 (UCLA Graduate Division , University of Tennessee ). Individual departments often set their own requirement above the graduate school minimum, so check both levels before you apply.
Where PTE Academic fits in
Pearson's PTE Academic follows the same pattern of rising thresholds by level, though fewer universities publish a PTE minimum for foundation and PhD entry compared to IELTS and TOEFL. Where a PTE score is accepted, use the official Pearson concordance to estimate your equivalent IELTS band rather than guessing. Pearson's July 2025 concordance study lines up a PTE score of 47 with IELTS 6.0, a PTE score of 55 with IELTS 6.5, and a PTE score of 63 with IELTS 7.0 (Pearson PTE ). Treat this as a starting estimate only, since universities set their own PTE minimums independently rather than applying the concordance automatically.
Why sub-scores matter more at higher levels
A foundation program mainly checks whether you can follow classroom English well enough to build on it over the year. A PhD program checks whether you can already defend your work verbally in front of an academic panel, write publishable prose, and follow fast, unstructured discussion in seminars. That is why Harvard and similar universities set a minimum Speaking sub-score for doctoral applicants but leave undergraduate requirements as a single overall band. If your overall score is strong but one section, usually Speaking or Writing, sits noticeably lower, work on that specific skill before you retake the test rather than repeating the whole exam blind.
Planning your test timeline
Target the score for your highest program level first if you plan to progress from foundation to bachelor's to master's at the same institution, since retesting later costs time and money.
Check whether your PhD program requires a minimum in every section, not only the overall band. A strong reading score cannot offset a weak speaking score at universities like Harvard GSAS.
Remember that TOEFL score reports issued between January 2026 and January 2028 show both the old 0-120 number and the new 1.0-6.0 band, so you do not need to guess the conversion yourself.
Retest early if your first score misses the target for your next program level, since most ASEAN test centers run IELTS and TOEFL sessions every few weeks.