English Language Proficiency Requirements
Proficiency Requirements also available on PDF. Click here.
Graduate Student Requirements
All international graduate students whose native language is not English must fulfill an English proficiency requirement, through either English Proficiency Verification or English Proficiency Certification. This proficiency requirement should be met early in a student's program, and it must be completed before scheduling either the final examination for the master's degree or the preliminary examination for the doctoral degree.
There are two levels of English Proficiency Status for graduate students: English Proficiency Verified and English Proficiency Certified. English Proficiency Certification is required by the State of Texas before a graduate student is eligible to serve as a graduate teaching assistant, or any other position considered to be a teaching position (e.g., instructor, lecturer, etc.). All other students must be at least English Proficiency Verified.
Graduate students who have completed an equivalent English training program at an institution other than Texas A&M may request English Proficiency Verification or Certification. Verification or certification on this basis is requested through the departmental graduate advisor. The student should provide the advisor with documentation to support verification or certification. If the department concurs with the request, the advisor will submit a letter recommending and requesting verification or certification (with documentation attached) to the Office of Graduate Studies. The Office of Graduate Studies will determine on a case-by-case basis whether verification or certification is granted.
English Proficiency Certification
Complete any of the following items.
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Score at least 80 on four sections (listening, reading, speaking, and writing) of the English Language Proficiency Examination (ELPE).
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Obtain grades of A or B in English Language Institute (ELI) courses at the 300 level or higher.
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Request alternative certification by the Office of Graduate Studies. Students who have received a baccalaureate degree following four years of study at an accredited U.S. institution will qualify automatically for English Proficiency Certification under this alternative.
English Proficiency Verification
English Proficiency Verification can be achieved with test scores to include:
- TOEFL score of at least 550 paper-based (213 computer-based, 80 on iBT)
- GRE Verbal score of at least 400
- GMAT Verbal score of at least 22
Individual colleges may choose to establish minimum TOEFL standards that exceed the University minimum for English Proficiency Verification. Scores from TOEFL examinations administered more than two years before submission of the application for admission shall not be eligible for English Proficiency Verification.
English Language Proficiency Examination
Graduate students who score below 550 paper-based/213 computer-based on the TOEFL (or have not submitted official TOEFL scores to Texas A&M) and have not obtained English Proficiency Verification or Certification by other means (GRE/GMAT scores, U.S. baccalaureate or Office of Graduate Studies waiver) must take the English Language Proficiency Examination (ELPE) prior to registering for Texas A&M courses in their first semester. The ELPE evaluates English skills in the areas of grammar, vocabulary, reading, listening, written composition and oral communication. English Language Institute (ELI) course placements for graduate students will be made by the departmental graduate advisor in consultation with personnel from the Office of Graduate Studies, English Language Institute, and Measurement and Research Services. Graduate students who have not had their English proficiency verified through the TOEFL and take the ELPE may be allowed to postpone some or all remaining English proficiency requirements the first semester of enrollment. Graduate students who wish to appeal their placement in ELI courses should make the appeal through their departmental graduate advisor. The advisor will present the appeal to the Office of Graduate Studies. They must begin to take ELI courses (in at least one of the areas not yet passed) no later than their second semester enrolled at Texas A&M. Graduate students will be allowed to take a combination of Texas A&M and ELI courses up to a total of 15 hours in fall or spring semesters and up to a total of 12 hours for a 10-week summer semester.
Undergraduate Student Requirements
Texas A&M requires international undergraduate students to demonstrate (verify) their ability to speak, write and understand the English language. Undergraduate students may meet this requirement in one of five ways.
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Obtain an official TOEFL score of at least 600 (computer-based score of 250, iBT of 100).
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Have an official SAT Verbal score of at least 480 or ACT English score of at least 19 and have attended grades nine through twelve of U.S. secondary education and graduate from a U.S. high school.
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Obtain an IELTS score of 6.5.
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Transfer from an accredited U.S. institution of higher education with at least 30 semester credit hours, including the equivalent to Texas A&M ENGL 104.
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Achieve English Language Proficiency verification by taking the English Language Proficiency Examination (ELPE) and score at least 70 in each section* prior to registration for the first semester at Texas A&M University, or obtain grades of A or B in English Language Institute (ELI) courses at the 300 level or higher. If remedial English classes are necessary, it will extend the time required to complete a degree.
This information adapted from Texas A&M University Undergraduate Catalog, 125th Edition, 2002-2003, p. 52 and *Texas A&M University 2002-2003 Graduate Advising Handbook, p. 28. Revised December 2006.
Timothy Scott, Associate Dean, College of Science, serves as the Chair of the International Student Placement Committee (ISPC).
David J. Martin, Director, Measurement and Research Services (MARS), administers the ELPE and monitors the five ways of English language proficiency verification.