TOEFL vs IELTS for International Applicants — Requirements & Waivers

English proficiency requirements vary widely. Some schools insist on TOEFL/IELTS, others grant waivers for English-medium schooling, and many accept alternatives like Duolingo. Plan early so testing is part of your admissions calendar, not a scramble.

Use this guide if you’re an international applicant (or a student with English as an additional language) figuring out which English proficiency test to submit—or whether you qualify for a waiver.

Which test do colleges accept?

Confirm for each school: accepted tests (TOEFL, IELTS, Duolingo), section minimums, superscore policy, and whether certain programs require higher scores.
Note reporting timelines and preferred score-reporting methods (ETS codes, uploads).

Current scores, not an old conversion table

Since January 21, 2026, ETS reports TOEFL iBT on a 1–6 scale. During the transition, a report can also show a comparable overall on the older 0–120 scale. That comparable overall is not an IELTS band. IELTS says its older TOEFL comparison applies only to TOEFL tests taken before January 2026. This page does not reprint that historical concordance.

For a test you take now, read the official 1–6 report and the requirement on that college's current page, including any section floors. If the college still prints an older 0–120 cutoff, use the scale that college names and ETS's own transition guidance. Do not convert a current 1–6 score into an IELTS band with a table from before January 2026.

Waiver eligibility — ask that college, not a general rule

There is no general rule that 2 to 4 years of English-medium study produces a waiver. Each college prints its own exception.
A degree taught in English, or an AP, IB, A-level, or T-level English score, counts only when that college's page says it counts.
Upload the proof that college asks for. If the page is unclear, ask that college before you skip the test.

TOEFL vs IELTS — which fits your profile?

If both tests are accepted at your target schools, use the signals below to pick the test with the clearer improvement path. Work through the table top-to-bottom; the first definitive match is your answer. Do not treat curriculum type as proof that you should take TOEFL or IELTS.

Profile signal	Lean TOEFL iBT	Lean IELTS Academic
School lists only one test	TOEFL is listed	IELTS is listed
Reading diagnostic (practice test)	Higher accuracy on long academic passages	Higher accuracy on shorter, varied-source passages
Listening comfort	North American lecture and campus-conversation format	Mixed-accent, shorter conversations and interviews
Speaking format preference	Computer-recorded responses	Live interviewer
Retake timeline	MyBest Score (superscore across attempts) is useful; scheduling flexible	Need a result in 2–3 weeks; IELTS offers more frequent test dates

If the table produces a tie, do not default to TOEFL or to IELTS. Pick from a practice section on each test, or from a requirement printed on a college's own page. ETS codes and MyBest are not a reason to choose TOEFL for every school.

Test alternatives & timeline (Duolingo, institutional tests)

If allowed, Duolingo can be a faster retake option; verify minimums and superscore rules.
Institutional/bridge tests may satisfy conditional admission; confirm if they replace TOEFL/IELTS.
Schedule early enough to allow one retake; back-plan from application deadlines.

Ana's path: waiver check, test routing, and timeline

Ana is a Brazilian student applying to U.S. universities from an international school in São Paulo where all instruction has been in English — but she enrolled there in 10th grade, giving her two years of English-medium coursework before she applies in 12th grade.

Step 1 — Waiver check

Ana reviews each target school's waiver policy before assuming she's exempt:

UCLA: If all secondary education was in English, UCLA treats the student as proficient. If the student has had less than three years of instruction in English, UCLA requires a proficiency test. Ana has two years. She does not meet the no-test path. UCLA also says a competitive TOEFL is 5 or higher with subscores of 5 or higher on the revised scale, or above 100 with subscores above 24 on the older scale, and that MyBest is not considered. Checked on UCLA Undergraduate Admission, international applicants, 2026-09-27.
University of Michigan: The published exception is not "English was the language of instruction throughout secondary school." Michigan exempts a student who has SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing of 650 or higher, or ACT Reading and English both 27 or higher, and who has recently completed at least four years of rigorous academic study in a listed English-speaking country, or in an American or British school abroad. Ana is applying from São Paulo with two years of English-medium coursework and is not using that score-plus-country path. She does not qualify. Checked on University of Michigan Office of Undergraduate Admissions, Exams and Visas, 2026-09-27.
NYU: These are alternative paths, not two conditions she must meet together. English testing is not required if English is her first language (the language she learned first and speaks best), or if all schooling for the three full consecutive academic years before the current year was taught entirely in English, excluding world-language classes. NYU's page also says testing is required when English is not the first language and, during those three years, the student took non-English coursework (other than world language), English-support coursework, or a bilingual curriculum. Ana has two years of English-medium schooling, so the three-year path does not apply. The example does not establish that English is her first language, so she should not assume the other path either. NYU also says it does not waive the requirement based on SAT or ACT. Checked on NYU Undergraduate Admissions, English Language Testing, 2026-09-27.

Result: no waiver. All three schools require a submitted test score.

Step 2 — TOEFL vs IELTS routing

Ana works through the routing table above:

All three schools accept both TOEFL and IELTS. That does not pick a test.
She takes a short reading practice on each test. The TOEFL reading practice is stronger for her than the IELTS reading practice. That is a personal practice result, not a rule that TOEFL is better.
She does not choose TOEFL because of ETS codes or MyBest. UCLA says it will not consider MyBest. A MyBest total would not satisfy UCLA's published rule.

Decision: TOEFL iBT, because her practice reading was stronger on that test. She still has to meet each school's section floors. A single total does not do that. UCLA wants subscores as well as the total.

Step 3 — Timeline

Ana back-plans from November 1:

September: Full-length practice. A practice total of 97 on the pre-January 2026 0–120 model is only a practice note. It is not the score she will submit. She uses it to see that reading is stronger than speaking, then books two dates on the current test.
October 3: TOEFL iBT (first attempt). She submits the official report from that sitting, on the 1–6 scale ETS issues, and she checks each school's current requirement on the scale that school prints.
October 24: TOEFL iBT (backup date, if needed). For a test on or after January 21, 2026, ETS says official scores are in the test taker's account about 3 days after the test. That account date is not delivery to a college, and it is not the college processing the score. Do not treat an October 24 test as guaranteed to meet a November 1 college deadline.
Score reporting: ETS codes submitted at registration so scores route automatically. Confirm each school's section minimums separately from the total.

She does not treat the October 3 report as proof that she cleared a section floor at UCLA, Michigan, and NYU. UCLA describes a competitive TOEFL as 5 or higher overall, with subscores of 5 or higher, on the revised scale. That is competitive guidance, not a minimum this example has shown she met. Michigan describes a 5 to 6 range with section scores of 5 or higher. This example does not invent an NYU section minimum. She keeps the October 24 date until she has compared the official 1 to 6 report, including every section that school names, with each school's current page. The story does not treat a pre-January 2026 0 to 120 total as the submitted score.

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FAQ — quick answers

Q: Can I request a waiver? A: Only if that college's current page allows one. Two to four years of English-medium study is not a general waiver. Upload the proof that college asks for.
Q: Do programs set higher scores? A: Yes—business, nursing, and STEM often do. Check program pages.
Q: What if I’m below the cutoff? A: Retake only if practice shows upside; target the weakest section and confirm whether section minimums apply.

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Download the TOEFL vs IELTS requirements checklist

Prefer a printable one-page checklist for requirements, waivers, and timelines? Download the PDF.

Download TOEFL vs IELTS checklist (PDF)