English Proficiency Requirements
Applicants whose first language is not English must submit results of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) for admission to the university. Some alternatives to the TOEFL are accepted, as described below.
The University of Iowa's institution code on the TOEFL is 6681.
Minimum TOEFL Score Requirements for Admission
- Internet-based test (iBT): 80 with no subscore lower than 17
- Paper-based test (PBT): 530
English Proficiency Evaluation—Admitted students will also need to take an on-campus English Proficiency Evaluation unless they have a TOEFL score of 100 or higher on the iBT or 600 or higher on the PBT.
Alternatives to the TOEFL (ACT, SAT, IELTS)—Minimum Score Requirements
- An ACT English subscore of 21
- An SAT Critical Reading score of 540
- An IELTS (International English Language Testing System) total score of 6.5, with no subscore lower than 6.0
Required English Proficiency Evaluation—Admitted students who submit ACT, SAT, and IELTS scores instead of TOEFL scores will be required to take an on-campus English Proficiency Evaluation.
If Your Score is Below the Minimum Requirement
Students whose scores do not meet the minimum scores on the TOEFL (or the alternative tests) but are otherwise academically admissible may be granted conditional admission to the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences. However, a very limited number of conditional admissions can be offered each term as space is available. Scores must fall within the following ranges to be considered for conditional admission:
- TOEFL (IBT) scores of 57-79
- TOEFL (PBT) scores of 450-529
- IELTS 4.5 with no subscore less than 4.0
