English Language Proficiency Requirement for Admission to UCLA

All graduate applicants are required to demonstrate English proficiency for admission consideration. There are two ways to meet this English language proficiency requirement:

1. Prior education – A bachelor’s degree or higher from an accredited university located in the U.S or another country in which English is both the primary spoken language of daily life and the language of instruction (e.g., Australia, Barbados, Canada, Ireland, Jamaica, New Zealand, United Kingdom), or at least two years of full-time study at such an institution. If you meet either of these criteria, you are exempted from submitting English proficiency test scores. Please be sure to include such information and transcripts in your application.
2. Exam score – If you did not receive your bachelor’s degree in an Anglophone country, you must certify proficiency in English when you apply. UCLA accepts the Internet-based Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL iBT) and International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Academic exams.
   • Minimum overall score on TOEFL iBT: 87. TOEFL iBT scores should be sent to your major department. Be sure to list the TOEFL institution code for UCLA 4837. UCLA does not currently accept MyBest TOEFL 
   • Minimum overall band score on IELTS Academic: 7.0. Ask IELTS to send your scores to your major department and the Division of Graduate Education.

This requirement applies to U.S. citizens and Permanent Residents as well as international applicants. If you are admitted, you may also be required to confirm your proficiency upon arrival.

Some majors may require higher overall scores or minimum section scores for admission in Departmental Information. Please check the program’s website for specific testing requirements.

TOEFL iBT Home Edition and IELTS Online test scores can count towards meeting current UCLA English language requirements. Submit your scores from the TOEFL iBT or the IELTS Academic as part of your application. The TOEFL iBT is administered by the Educational Testing Service (ETS). IELTS Academic is administered by local IELTS test centers throughout the world.  Please note: The IELTS Indicator and TOEFL iBT Paper Edition exams are no longer offered.

TOEFL iBT and IELTS Academic scores are considered valid for only two years. The scores must be valid at the time you submit your application. If you took the examination multiple times, only the most recent score is considered. If you have previously taken the TOEFL iBT Paper Edition test or IELTS Indicator, your test scores will remain valid and be accepted for two years after your test date.

Your test results can help you determine whether you are prepared to undertake graduate study conducted in English before making extensive plans for graduate study in the U.S.

Special note: If you studied at a satellite campus located in a country where English is not the primary spoken language of daily life, be sure to submit recent TOEFL iBT or IELTS Academic scores.  Citizenship, U.S. residence and/or work experience are not substitutes for meeting the requirement.

Academic Writing Proficiency for Admitted Applicants (ESLPE Requirement)

If you are an admitted applicant whose overall score on the TOEFL iBT is less than 100 or whose overall band score on IELTS Academic is less than 7.5, you must, upon arrival at UCLA, take the UCLA English as a Second Language Placement Examination (ESLPE). Note that these minimum scores are higher than those needed for admission to UCLA. The ESLPE is an English diagnostic test. For information about the ESLPE, visit the Writing Programs website.

Depending on your results on the ESLPE, you may be required to complete one or both of the following English as a Second Language courses beginning in your first term at UCLA:

• ESL 300: Intermediate Writing & Communication for International Graduate Students
• ESL 301: High-Intermediate Writing & Communication for International Graduate Students

If English courses are required, you should enroll in them right away, and you should also anticipate spending a longer period of time at the University.

Oral Proficiency for Graduate Teaching Assistants (TOP Requirement)

If you are a graduate student whose first language is not English and want to become eligible for a teaching assistantship, you must meet English proficiency requirements. There are two ways to meet this eligibility requirement:

1. Prior education — A prior undergraduate degree from an institution at which English is the sole language of instruction and which is located in a country where English is the primary spoken language of daily life.
2. Exam score – If you did not receive your bachelor’s degree in an Anglophone country, you must certify proficiency in English when you apply to UCLA.

Minimum score on TOEFL iBT Speaking Subsection: 28

Minimum score on IELTS Academic Speaking Band (not the overall band score): 8.5

• • UCLA’s Test of Oral Proficiency (TOP). The TOP is UCLA’s own examination designed specifically for screening the spoken English skills of international students before their appointment as teaching assistants. A clear pass of 7.1 or higher is needed on the TOP to be eligible to TA without required coursework.
  • A provisional pass of 6.4 to 7 permits those who are concurrently enrolled in an ESL oral skills course to accept a teaching assistantship. Before or during the first quarter of teaching assistantship, students with a provisional pass on the TOP exam are required to take a full 10-week approved ESL course for TAs whose first language is not English. Eligibility for further teaching assistantships is contingent upon passing the course. If the student successfully completes the ESL course with a passing grade, the student may serve as a TA without further testing or coursework. If the student does not pass the required ESL course, the student must take a second approved ESL course in a subsequent quarter and receive a passing grade in order to serve as a TA. We encourage prospective TAs to take an ESL oral skills course before their first quarter TAing.
  •  NOTE: If a student has fully or partially completed an approved course prior to receiving a marginal pass, this course is considered preparatory and does not satisfy the TOP requirement for a marginal pass.

For information about the TOP, visit the TOP webpage. For information about coursework and other resources, visit the Writing Programs website.