When is the TOEFL/IELTS exam waived for international students?
There are only three circumstances under which the TOEFL or IELTS exam will be waived. An exam will be waived if an applicant has obtained a bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degree from a U.S. accredited institution located within the U.S.; if he/she is a citizen of a country in which English is the official language; or if the applicant is not a citizen of a country whose official language is English but has completed a degree program at an institution outside of the U.S. where the language of instruction is English and where the official national language of the country in which the institution is located is English. If none of these circumstances applies, the TOEFL or IELTS exam is required. Please click here to view a list of countries from which a TOEFL or IELTS score is required. The departments reserve the right to request TOEFL or IELTS scores if they feel that they are necessary for the evaluation of the application, even if the applicant meets one of the criteria above.
