English Proficiency Requirements

All international applicants must meet a minimum standard of English proficiency. Graduate departments set their minimum English proficiency requirements, as shown in the table of Minimum Scores Required.

Providing Score Reports

International applicants are required to provide a Verifiable English Proficiency Score Report for the TOEFL, IELTS, or Duolingo exam with their application. The test date must be within two years of the intended admission term for consideration. Verifiable Score Reports should contain the following information:

  • TOEFL Score Report: Applicant Name, Appointment Number, Date of Birth, and MyBest® Scores as of date.
  • IELTS Score Report: Applicant Name, Test Report Form Number (TRF), Date of Birth, and Test Date.
  • Duolingo Score Report: Applicant Name, Secure link to the Duolingo Certificate, and Test Date.

Other Ways to Demonstrate English Proficiency

The English proficiency requirement can also be satisfied under either of the following conditions:

  1. Your studies at a previous university-level institution met ALL the following criteria:
    1. The institution is in the U.S. or a Qualifying Country from the table below.
    2. You have completed at least one year of full-time ACADEMIC study at that institution.
    3. The date you completed your studies (or left the institution) is within two (2) years of your desired admission term,
      1. Example 1: Your desired admission term is Fall 2025. Studies that ended in the Spring (April – June) of 2023 would meet the criterion.
      2. Example 2: Your desired admission term is Fall 2025. Studies that ended in the Fall (October – December) of 2022 would not meet the criterion.
    4. You provide transcripts for the institution that verify ALL the criteria have been met.
    5. IMPORTANT! The following departments DO NOT ACCEPT condition #1 (university study) above and require verifiable English proficiency test scores for those international applicants: Economics PhD and Music (Please review the College of Music English proficiency waiver policy and application).
  2. You are a citizen of a qualifying country.

International applicants who are citizens of a qualifying country from the table below are not required to provide proof of English proficiency and do NOT need to submit a Verifiable English Proficiency Score Report.

Enrollment in an English language program, including within the USA, does not fulfill the English proficiency requirement.

We do not accept Medium of Instruction (MOI) letters as proof of English proficiency.

Minimum Scores

Admitted students must achieve a score that meets or exceeds the requirements of their program. Please use the “Minimum Scores Required” table below to determine the passing score your program requires. Minimum score requirements may be higher for students offered assistantships.

Providing “Official” Test Scores

Applicants and admitted students must submit a Verifiable Score Report with the application. If an applicant cannot provide a Verifiable Score Report, “Official” valid (unexpired) test scores must be sent directly from the testing agency to the University of Colorado Boulder. To submit official scores, follow these instructions:

  • Official TOEFL test scores are only valid for two years from the test date. Login to your ETS Account and request your TOEFL score to be sent to the University of Colorado Boulder. Our school code 4841. If prompted for a Department Code, please use 99.
  • Official IELTS test scores are only valid for two years from the test date. Please request your IELTS test center report your score to our school using the information below (IELTS does not use school codes).
    • University of Colorado Boulder - Masters & PhD, 3100 Marine Street, Suite A122, UCB 65, Boulder, CO 80303
  • Official Duolingo test scores are only valid for two years from the test date. Log in to your account and ‘Send Results’ from inside the Duolingo application. Choose, “University of Colorado Boulder – graduate” when prompted.

Minimum Scores Required

Graduate ProgramsTOEFL IBTIELTSDuolingo
Accounting and Taxation Accounting80 (Min)
100 (Preferred)
7.0120
Advertising, Public Relations and Media Design (MA)1007.0120
Advertising, Public Relations and Media Design (PhD)1077.0120
Aerospace Engineering836.5120
Anthropology756.0120
Applied Mathematics1007.0120
Architectural Engineering907.0120
Art History756.0120
Asian Languages & Civilizations956.5120
Atmospheric & Oceanic Sciences756.0120
Biochemistry1007.0120
Biomedical Engineering756.0120
Business (PhD)1007.0120
Chemical and Biological Engineering1007.0120
Chemistry1007.0120
Civil Engineering907.0120
Classics756.0120
Communication756.5120
Computational Linguistics, Analytics, Search and Informatics (CLASIC)836.0120
Computer Science83 (Min)
100 (Preferred)
7.0120
Critical Media Practices756.0120
Creative Technology and Design (ATLAS)1007.0120
Dance796.5120
Data Science806.0120
Ecology and Evolutionary Biology796.0120
Economics75*6.0 Overall, 7.0 Speaking120
Education907.0120
Electrical, Computer & Energy Engineering1007.0120
Engineering Education836.5120
Engineering Management1027.5125
English1007.0120
Environmental Studies1007.0120
Environmental Engineering907.0120
German756.0120
History756.0120
Integrative Physiology1007.0120
Journalism1007.0120
Law (JD & LLM)1007.0 
Linguistics907.0120
Masters of the Environment756.0120
Master of Business Administration (MBA), MS Finance, MS Real Estate, MS Business Analytics, MS Supply Chain Management806.5120
Mechanical Engineering806.5120
Media Studies (MA)1007.0120
Media Studies (PhD)1077.0120
Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology (MCDB)1006.0 - 7.0120
Museum & Field Studies756.0120
Music (Artist Diploma)756.5120
Music (DMA, PhD)937.0135
Music (Music Education MA)806.5125
Music (Musical Arts MA)806.5125
Physics806.5120
Political Science907.0120
Psychology and Neuroscience907.0120
Robotics836.0120
Russian756.0120
Spanish806.5120
Theater796.5120
All others756.0120

* Additional Economics TOEFL score minimums: 75 overall; 23 speaking for admission consideration; 24 speaking for funding consideration

Qualifying Countries

  • Australia
  • Belize
  • Botswana
  • Canada (except Quebec)
  • Commonwealth Caribbean
  • Ghana
  • India**
  • Ireland
  • New Zealand
  • Nigeria
  • Singapore
  • South Africa
  • United Kingdom
  • Zimbabwe

** Applicants from India to the Engineering Management program are required to submit English Proficiency Scores.