English Language Proficiency
What Level of Proficiency is Required for Admission?
Part of the application process for international students at both the graduate and undergraduate level is documentation of their proficiency in the English language.
Minimum Requirements
All international applicants whose education has been primarily outside the United States must provide objective evidence of proficiency in the English language, with the exception of those primarily educated in the following countries: Australia, Canada (except Quebec), Commonwealth Caribbean (including Belize), Ireland, Liberia, New Zealand, United Kingdom, and the United States territory of Puerto Rico.Applicants who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents but who have been educated outside the countries listed above are also required to submit evidence of English language proficiency.
Applicants who have recently completed three years of full-time study at a secondary institution in the U.S. may be exempted from this requirement after supporting academic records have been reviewed by the Admissions Office.
Applicants who have recently completed two years of full-time study at a post-secondary institution in the U.S. may be exempted from this requirement after supporting academic records have been reviewed by the International Admissions Office.
Any request for a waiver of the English language proficiency requirement must be submitted in writing to the Admissions Office with any supporting documentation.
Kent State University reserves the right to require evidence of English language proficiency for all applicants, the adequacy of which shall be at the sole discretion of Kent State University.
All undergraduate applicants must obtain a minimum TOEFL score of 525 (a score of 197 on the computerized version, or 71 on the Internet based version), minimum MELAB score of 77 or IELTS score of 6.0.
Applicants whose scores do not meet the above criteria may enroll in Kent State University's English as a Second Language program.
Specific Graduate Program Requirements
All graduate applicants must obtain a minimum TOEFL score of 525 (a score of 197 on the computerized version, or 71 on the Internet based version) or a minimum MELAB score of 77 or IELTS score of 6.0 for full-time academic admission, with the following exceptions:- Applicants to these graduate departments must present a TOEFL score of 600*, 250** or 100*** or a MELAB score of 88 or 7 IELTS: Biological Sciences, Communication Studies, English, Journalism and Mass Communication, Library and Information Science (regular admission) and PhD-level Translation.
- Applicants to these graduate departments must present a TOEFL score of 550*, 213** or 79*** or a MELAB score of 80 or 6 IELTS: Architecture, Computer Science, Nursing, Political Science, Public Administration, and the Graduate School of Management.
- Applicants to Physics must present a TOEFL score of 560*, 213** or 83***.
- The School of Library and Information Science requires a TOEFL score of 600*, 250** or 100*** or a MELAB score of 88 or 7 IELTS for regular admission; those applicants presenting TOEFL scores of 550-599 or MELAB scores of 80-87 can be considered for conditional admission.
*paper-based
**computer-based
***Internet-based
