Graduate English Language Requirements at Top US Universities

1. Harvard University (The Harvard Kenneth C. Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences)
2. Requirements:
3. TOEFL iBT: Minimum score of $\mathbf{80}$. Some programs may require a higher score.
4. IELTS Academic: Minimum overall score of $\mathbf{6.5}$. Some programs may require a higher score.
5. Conditions/Waivers: The requirement is typically waived if you received an undergraduate degree from an academic institution where English was the primary language of instruction. A Master's degree or other graduate degree is not accepted as proof of English proficiency.
6. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
7. Requirements: MIT requires all international applicants to submit English Language Proficiency (ELP) test scores. Check specific departmental requirements for minimums, as they vary.
8. IELTS Academic: Accepted.
9. TOEFL iBT: Accepted.
10. Duolingo English Test (DET): Accepted.
11. Conditions/Waivers: Automatic exemption may be granted, for example, if you have a bachelor's degree from a university in which English is the sole language of instruction. Departments may also grant waivers based on demonstrated English fluency. Enrolling international students may still be required to take the English Evaluation Test (EET) at MIT before the semester begins, even if they had a test waiver for admission.
12. Stanford University
13. Requirements: To be eligible for admission, you must demonstrate proficiency.
14. TOEFL iBT: Minimum score of $\mathbf{90}$ for admission consideration. $\mathbf{109}$ is the minimum for exemption from the Stanford English Placement Test (EET).
15. IELTS Academic: Minimum overall score of $\mathbf{7.0}$ for admission consideration. $\mathbf{8.0}$ is the minimum for exemption from the Stanford EET.
16. Conditions/Waivers: You may be exempt if you earned a US bachelor's, master's, or doctoral degree (or international equivalent) from a university where all instruction was conducted in English, or if you have two or more consecutive years of full-time professional or educational experience in English in the past 10 years. Students scoring below the $\mathbf{109/8.0}$ threshold are required to take the English Placement Test shortly before the first quarter.
17. University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley)
18. Requirements: Minimum proficiency scores are set by the Graduate Division.
19. TOEFL iBT: Minimum score of $\mathbf{90}$.
20. IELTS Academic: Minimum overall band score of $\mathbf{7.0}$.
21. Conditions/Waivers: The requirement is waived if you have earned a basic degree (equivalent to a US bachelor's) from a recognized institution in the US or other officially designated English-speaking countries. Other waivers may be granted on a case-by-case basis based on completing at least one year of full-time academic study at a US institution, but this is less common for graduate applicants.
22. Columbia University (Columbia Graduate School of Arts and Sciences)
23. Requirements:
24. TOEFL iBT: Minimum score of $\mathbf{100}$.
25. IELTS Academic: Minimum overall band score of $\mathbf{7.5}$.
26. Note: Some departments may have different minimums.
27. Conditions/Waivers: The requirement is waived if the applicant has completed a bachelor's or master's degree in a country where English is the official language.
28. Princeton University (Graduate School)
29. Requirements: Princeton typically does not have a minimum required score but requests a strong performance to be competitive.
30. TOEFL iBT: Scores over $\mathbf{100}$ are generally competitive.
31. IELTS Academic: Scores over $\mathbf{7.0}$ are generally competitive.
32. Conditions/Waivers: The test is not required if the applicant has completed two years of study or has an undergraduate degree in the US or in another English-speaking country. Waivers based on advanced degrees are generally not granted.
33. Yale University (Graduate School of Arts and Sciences)
34. Requirements: TOEFL or IELTS is required for almost all applicants whose native language is not English. Individual departments may have minimum requirements.
35. TOEFL iBT: No university-wide minimum, but a score of $\mathbf{25}$ or below on the Speaking section requires participation in a Summer English Language program before teaching.
36. IELTS Academic: No university-wide minimum, but a score of $\mathbf{7.5}$ or below on the Speaking section requires participation in a Summer English Language program before teaching.
37. Conditions/Waivers: The requirement is waived if you have received (or will receive) an undergraduate degree from a college or university where English is the primary language of instruction, and you must have studied in residence at the institution for at least three years. No exemptions are made based on an advanced degree.
38. University of Chicago (Division of the Humanities/Social Sciences)
39. Requirements: Minimum scores are often determined by the specific division or department.
40. TOEFL iBT: General minimums often fall around $\mathbf{104}$ (with sub-scores of 26 in each section).
41. IELTS Academic: General minimums often fall around $\mathbf{7.0}$ (with sub-scores of 7.0 in each section).
42. Conditions/Waivers: The requirement is waived if you completed a bachelor’s or master’s degree at an institution where the sole language of instruction is English, or if you have a documented history of academic success at an English-speaking institution.
43. University of Pennsylvania (Penn) (School of Arts & Sciences)
44. Requirements:
45. TOEFL iBT: Minimum score is generally $\mathbf{100}$.
46. IELTS Academic: Minimum overall score is generally $\mathbf{7.0}$.
47. Conditions/Waivers: The requirement may be waived if the applicant has a bachelor's or master's degree from an institution where the language of instruction is English.
48. California Institute of Technology (Caltech) (Graduate Studies)
49. Requirements:
50. TOEFL iBT: Minimum score of $\mathbf{90}$ for admission, but most admitted students score $\mathbf{100}$ or higher.
51. Conditions/Waivers: IELTS is generally not accepted. The requirement may be waived only if the applicant has studied in the US or another country where English is the primary language of instruction for at least three years of their secondary or tertiary education. Completion of a degree in English alone is often insufficient for a waiver; the duration of study is key.

💡 General Scholarship Condition Note

It is critical to understand that for scholarships that involve a Teaching Assistantship (TA), such as the Fulbright Foreign Student Program (Source 1.1) or many departmental fellowships, the Speaking section of the TOEFL or IELTS may have a much higher minimum score requirement than the general admission minimum. This is because the university must ensure the student can teach and communicate clearly with undergraduates. For example, a Speaking score of 27 or higher on the TOEFL iBT is often required to be eligible for an unconditioned TA position.