English Proficiency Requirements

All international applicants are required to meet a minimum standard of English proficiency. This requirement can be met if:

1. Your native language is English, or
2. You have completed at least one year of full-time academic study at a U.S. institution (or at an institution in a country where English is the native language) at the time you apply, and within two years from your desired admission term. Enrollment in an English language program, including within the USA, does not fulfill this requirement. This can be confirmed by your transcripts. NOTE** The College of Music, the Business PhD Program and the Department of Economics require the TOEFL whether or not you have previously studied at a U.S. institution and regardless of length of attendance.

3. You take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), or an International English Language Testing System (IELTS) and receive a score that is equal to or higher than your program’s requirements.  Some departments do not accept the IELTS, please check with your program. Official TOEFL and IELTS test scores are only valid for two years from the date of taking the test.

   Please Request that ETS report your TOEFL score to our school code 4841

   OR

   Please request your IELTS test center report your score to our school using the following information (IELTS does not use school codes):

   University of Colorado Boulder - Masters & PhD
   3100 Marine Street
   Suite A122, UCB 65
   Boulder, CO 80303

4. For 2020 and 2021 admissions:

   We will be accepting the online version of TOEFL offered by ETS through Proctor U.

   • We will accept English language proficiency demonstrated through Duolingo.

Note: Paper-Based TOEFL scores will no longer be accepted after October 1, 2019.

*IELTS is jointly owned by the British Council, IDP: IELTS Australia, and the University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations.

If you need additional instruction in English, you may wish to enroll at the university's International English Center.