English Language Proficiency

Tests and Minimum Scores for Admission

Applicants seeking regular admission whose native language is not English must submit minimum satisfactory scores on one of the following standardized tests. No other measures of English proficiency are accepted by the University of Arkansas for the purpose of gaining admission.

This requirement is separate from the contact teaching requirement for Graduate Assistants—students who seek to hold a Graduate Assistantship must meet those requirements regardless of if they receive an exemption or meet this admissibility standard.

Score for Admission

English proficiency tests must have been taken within two years immediately preceding the requested semester of admission.

For graduate students,  individual departments may have higher requirements or may require specific tests for admission. The University of Arkansas will recognize the sum of the highest scores received from the same test, as long as it was taken within the prior two years. View undergraduate writing score requirements. 

English Proficiency Test	Score	Website
PTE-A Pearson Test of English-Academic	58	PTE Academic
TOEFL Internet-Based	79	TOEFL iBT
Institutional TOEFL1	550	TOEFL ITP
IELTS Academic2	6.5	IELTS
iTEP	3.9	iTEP
C1 Advanced (Cambridge Assessment English)	176	C1 Advanced
Duolingo	110	Duolingo
SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing Subscore	500	SAT website
ACT English Subscore	19	ACT website
Completion of English Composition I and II with grades of A, B, or C from a regionally accredited U.S. university or country where English is the native language.

Note:

• The Institutional TOEFL test is only accepted when taken through University of Arkansas' Testing Services.
  
• The IELTS General Training exam is not accepted.
  
• The Duolingo English Test is not accepted for admission to the Walton College. Please refer to the other testing options above or contact gsb@walton.uark.edu for further guidance.
  
  

English Proficiency Test Exemptions

Applicants whose native language is English are exempt. Native language is defined as the primary language a person spoke while growing up in their family, community and nation. Any applicant that is not from one of the listed countries will be asked for additional proof if they are claiming English as their native language.

Applicants who have completed English Composition I and II with grades of A, B, or C from a regionally accredited U.S. university or a country where English is the native language are exempt.

 

• Receiving a degree in a country/territory that lists English as an official language of instruction such as India, Pakistan, Philippines, Hong Kong, Nigeria, Singapore, Ghana, or Kenya does NOT exempt the applicant from meeting the proficiency requirement.
• Graduate applicants who earned a bachelor’s or master’s degree from accredited US institutions or from foreign institutions in countries/territories where the official and native language is English.
• Graduate applicants who hold one of the following certifications with at least a “B” or better, with the approval of the Graduate Dean: West African Senior School Examination Certificate (WASSCE), the General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGSCE), or the International Baccalaureate (IB)

---

Writing Score Requirements and Required Placement in ELAC Courses

Undergraduate students who are non-native speakers of English will be assessed for written English proficiency upon admission. Students that do not meet the minimum written requirements listed in Level I below will be required to successfully complete one or more writing support courses. Assessment is made based on writing scores from the accepted tests in the table below.

Graduate students will be assessed for written English proficiency and receive a required placement in English Language and Culture courses (ELAC) that must be completed within their first year of enrollment in the Graduate School. Assessment is made based on writing scores from accepted tests as indicated in the table below.

English Language Writing Score Requirements for Undergraduate Students¹

• Level I students will not be required to take additional language instruction.
• Level II students will be required to complete (with C or better) the following ELAC course.
  • ELAC 10203
  • Level III students will be required to complete (with C or better) the following ELAC courses.
    • ELAC 10203 and 00101

Accepted Test	Level I	Level II	Level III
PTE-A Pearson Test of English (Academic Writing)	77-84	71-74	0-68
TOEFL Internet-based (Writing)	28-30	26-27	0-25
IELTS Academic (Writing)	≥6.5	6.0	5.0-5.5
iTEP (Writing)	≥4.0	3.7-3.9	0-3.6
C1 Advanced CAE (Cambridge Assessment English)	169-190	155-168	≤154
Duolingo	≥130	115-125	110

Note: Students that received a waiver of the English Language Proficiency requirement for admission also receive a waiver of the writing placement requirement

English Language Writing Score Requirements for ELAC Placement for Graduate Students¹

• Students with scores in Level I are admissible and will not be required to take additional ELAC language instruction.
• Level II students will be required to complete (with C or better) the following ELAC courses: ELAC 00101 AND ELAC 50303 or 50403.
• Level III students are admissible but are required to successfully complete a total of three ELAC courses in sequence as follows:
  • Semester I: ELAC 00101 & ELAC 10203
  • Semester II: ELAC 50303 or 50403

Accepted Test	Level I	Level II	Level III
PTE-A Pearson Test of English (Academic Writing)	≥71	60 - 70	59 or less
TOEFL Internet-Based (Writing)	≥26	23 - 25	22 or less
IELTS Academic (Writing)	≥6.0-	5.5	5.0 or less
GRE General Test (Analytical Writing)	≥4.0	3.5	3.0 or less
Graduate Management Admission Test (Analytical Writing)	≥4.5	4.0	3.5 or less
iTEP (Writing)	≥4.0	3.1 - 3.9	3.0 or less
C1 Advanced CAE (Cambridge Assessment English)	≥169	155 - 168	154 or less
Duolingo	≥130	115-125	110

Note: Graduate students applying for a Teaching Assistantship are required to submit sufficient speaking and writing scores. Details are provided in Tests and Minimum Scores for TEACHING ASSISTANTSHIPS below.

---

Tests and Minimum Scores for Teaching Assistantships

Graduate assistantships with direct student contact require competency in both spoken and written English, even if eligible for an exemption of the English Language requirement for admission. These requirements must be fulfilled before starting a graduate assistantship that requires direct student contact.

"Direct student contact" involves working with students in a teaching or tutorial role, whether in a traditional classroom setting or via distance education.

Spoken English Requirements

Competency in spoken English may be demonstrated by completing one of the two methods below:

Method 1

Submitting one of the following test scores:

Accepted Test	Minimum Speaking Score	Website
PTE-A Pearson Test of English - Academic (Speaking sub-test)	71	PTE Academic
TOEFL Internet-based (Speaking sub-test)	26	TOEFL iBT
IELTS Academic (Speaking sub-test)	7.0	IELTS
iTEP (Speaking sub-test)	4.5	iTEP
C1 Advanced CAE (Speaking sub-test)	185	C1 Advanced
Spoken Language Proficiency Test	Pass	SLPT

OR

Method 2

Successful completion of ELAC 5053 International Graduate Teaching Assistantship Training with an 80% average or above.

Written English Requirements

Competency in written English may be demonstrated by completing one of the two methods below:

Method 1

Submit one of the following test scores:

Accepted Test	Minimum Writing Score	Website
PTE-A Pearson Test of English - Academic (Writing sub-test)	71	PTE Academic
TOEFL Internet-based sub-test (Writing sub-test)	26	TOEFL iBT
IELTS Academic (Writing sub-test)	6.0	IELTS
GRE General Test (Analytical Writing sub-test)	4.0	GRE
Graduate Management Admission Test (Analytical Writing sub-test)	4.5	GMAT
iTEP (Writing sub-test)	4.0	iTEP
C1 Advanced CAE (Writing sub-test)	169	C1 Advanced

OR

Method 2

Completing both of the following conditions, which must be requested by a Graduate Coordinator or Department Chair:

1. Enrolling in either:
   • ELAC 5033 Research Writing for the Social Sciences and Education
     OR
   • ELAC 5043 Research Writing for STEM fields
2. Enrolling in ELAC 0011 Writing Workshop: Grammar through Editing. Placement into these courses is determined by the student's test score (see the table below).

Accepted Test	Minimum Writing Score	Website
PTE-A Pearson Test of English-Academic (Writing sub-test)	62	PTE Academic
TOEFL Internet-based (Writing sub-test)	23	TOEFL iBT
IELTS Academic(Writing sub-test)	5.5	IELTS
GRE General Test (Analytical Writing sub-test)	3.5	GRE
Graduate Management Admission Test (Analytical Writing sub-test)	4.0	GMAT
iTEP (Writing sub-test)	3.5	iTEP
C1 Advanced CAE (Writing sub-test)	162	C1 Advanced