Columbia English requirements at a glance
Sources: Columbia Undergraduate Admissions' English Proficiency Requirements and GSAS's information for international applicants. Columbia's other graduate and professional schools set their own rules.
| Level | IELTS Academic | TOEFL iBT | Duolingo | PTE Academic |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Undergraduate (Columbia College, Columbia Engineering) | 7.5 | 5.5 (old scale 105) | 135 | Not accepted |
| Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS) | 7.5 | 5.5 (old scale 100) | 135 | Not accepted |
Undergraduate: 7.5 IELTS unless you qualify another way
Columbia says you must be comfortable with "rapid and idiomatic spoken English". You meet the requirement without a test if English is your home language, your school taught in English for all of secondary school, or you scored 700+ on SAT Reading and Writing or 29+ on ACT English or Reading. Otherwise you must take TOEFL (105 before 21 January 2026, 5.5 after; MyBest not accepted; TOEFL iBT Special Home Edition accepted), IELTS Academic or IELTS Academic for UKVI (7.5), Duolingo (135) or Cambridge C1/C2 (191). Scores must come directly from the testing service.
PTE is not among the exams Columbia lists. Whether IELTS Online is accepted is not stated by Columbia. See the English Proficiency Requirements page.
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Take a free scored IELTS mock →Graduate: GSAS minimums and waivers
GSAS decides based on the official language of the country where your bachelor's degree was earned, not your citizenship. It accepts TOEFL, IELTS or Duolingo, with minimums of 100 TOEFL iBT (before 21 January 2026), 5.5 TOEFL iBT (after), 7.5 IELTS Academic and 135 DET. IELTS and Duolingo scores are accepted in electronic format only, and scores more than two years old are not accepted.
You may request a waiver if you earned an MA or PhD in a country where English is the sole official language, or if your bachelor's institution in a non-English-speaking country taught officially in English. Waivers are decided case by case. See GSAS.
Student visa and next steps
The US F-1 student visa sets no English test score of its own. What counts is the requirement Columbia sets for admission, which leads to your Form I-20. For the wider picture of studying in the US with each test, see IELTS for the USA and PTE for the USA.
Requirements change between admission cycles. Check the Columbia Undergraduate Admissions page again before you book a test, and check your own program page, which can set a higher bar.
Frequently asked questions
Does Columbia accept IELTS?+
Yes. Both undergraduate admission and GSAS require IELTS Academic 7.5. Undergraduates may also use IELTS Academic for UKVI.
Does Columbia accept PTE?+
No. PTE is not on Columbia undergraduate admissions' list or on the GSAS list of accepted tests.
What IELTS do I need for a master's at Columbia?+
GSAS requires IELTS Academic 7.5. Columbia's professional schools publish their own requirements.
Does Columbia accept the TOEFL Home Edition?+
Columbia undergraduate admissions accepts the TOEFL iBT Special Home Edition. It does not accept MyBest scores.
Can I skip the English test for Columbia undergrad?+
Yes, if English is your home language, all your secondary school was taught in English, or you scored 700+ on SAT Reading and Writing or 29+ on ACT English or Reading.
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Verified against the linked official sources on 4 October 2026. Rules change: confirm on the official page before you book or apply.
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