Minimum TOEFL and IELTS Scores US Universities Require by Degree Level and School Selectivity

Why there is no single official score chart

TOEFL and IELTS minimums are set individually by each university and often by each department within it, not by a central government body or by ETS and IELTS themselves. This means the honest way to research your target score is your program's own admission requirements page, not a general chart. Confirm anything you read here or elsewhere against that page before you plan your test date.

How TOEFL and IELTS scores line up

TOEFL iBT is scored from 0 to 120. IELTS is scored on a 9-band scale in half-band steps. ETS publishes a comparison table mapping TOEFL total scores to approximate IELTS bands, reported by this ETS score scale reference :

Since January 21, 2026, ETS also reports TOEFL iBT scores on a new primary 1-6 scale aligned to CEFR levels. The familiar 0-120 total used above still appears on every score report alongside it through January 2028, and most university admissions pages still cite the 0-120 figure.

Use this table to translate a minimum stated in one test into the other, since some schools only publish one of the two.

How selectivity changes the minimum

Community colleges and open-admission four-year schools generally set the lowest English minimums of any US institution type.

An open-admission school admits most applicants who meet a basic minimum rather than ranking applicants against each other, which is why its English minimum tends to sit lower than a selective school that turns away most applicants. Sometimes a moderate score plus a placement test or a support course covers the remaining gap at these schools.

Mid-tier four-year universities sit in the middle. Highly selective universities set the highest bar: the most selective US universities commonly require an IELTS band around 7.0 or higher, based on published IELTS background information , or the TOEFL equivalent from the table above.

Selectivity is not the only factor. A less selective university can still set a high English minimum for a specific competitive program, such as journalism or a writing-heavy major, so check the program level, not just the university's general reputation.

How degree level changes the minimum

Graduate and professional programs commonly set a higher English minimum than undergraduate admission at the same university, since graduate coursework leans more heavily on independent reading, writing and class discussion. Some professional programs, especially ones involving direct patient or client contact, add speaking-specific minimums on top of the overall score.

PhD programs sometimes weigh your prior research and publication record alongside your English score, and some departments waive the test for applicants with a prior degree taught entirely in English. This waiver policy is set department by department, not university-wide, so ask your target department directly.

Where to find your exact minimum

• Search your program's own international admissions or graduate admissions page for the current cycle's score chart

• Check whether your department publishes a separate, higher minimum than the university's general figure

• Confirm whether the school accepts TOEFL, IELTS, or both, some schools favor one

• Email the international admissions office if the page only gives a range, and ask for the exact number they hold you to for your application