July 1
How high does my TOEFL score need to be to get into a U.S. university?
In my ten years of working with international students, I have lost count of the number of times I have been asked this question. The TOEFL test is for many the first major obstacle confronted when preparing to apply to a U.S. university. For almost all international students the TOEFL is mandatory and will play a large and important role in which university you go to.
Given the importance of this test, myUface thought you might be interested in learning a little more about it and dispel some of the myths surrounding the TOEFL.
What is the TOEFL test? In short, the Test of English as a Foreign Language is a test that is used by most U.S. universities to gauge your (international students’) knowledge of English. A university will look at your score and decide whether or not your English is good enough to understand class work. One important note – TOEFL is a test of your knowledge of English in an academic setting. You might speak English well, but the TOEFL is meant to measure your ability to understand and communicate academic concepts.
If you are not planning on going to a U.S. university, then the TOEFL test may not be the best measurement of your skills. There are other tests out there that are designed to tell how well you can speak in non-academic environments. For instance, the TOEIC test (the Test of English for International Communication – www.toeic.org ) is meant to determine how well a person use and understand business English.
Regardless, back to our TOEFL! If you want to study in the U.S., then you will almost certainly have to take this wonderful test. You will no doubt have heard that you need to do very well in order to “get into a good university”. This is true….with exceptions (members of myUface will get tired of hearing about all the “exceptions” involved with the US higher education system!). Students that want a rule of thumb, though, can rely roughly on the following (based on our experience):
1. If you are interested in getting into an undergraduate program, you should aim for at least a 213 (or 550 paper-based).
2. If you are interested in getting into a masters program, you should aim for at least a 250 (or 600 paper-based).
This “rule of thumb” is an easy way to gauge where you are when you get your test scores. Of course, the best universities will want higher scores, Other universities may accept lower ones.
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Tags: entrance to US university, standarized test and international students, Test of English as a Foreign Language, TOEFL, what TOEFL score do I need
