What IELTS score do you need for Florida State University?

The university minimums are TOEFL iBT 80 (or 4.0 for tests on or after 21 January 2026), IELTS 6.5, Duolingo 125, PTE 55, Cambridge C1 Advanced 180 or Michigan Language Assessment 55, and some departments require more. Completing Level 8 at FSU's Center for Intensive English Studies (CIES) also meets the requirement. Most departments start reviewing with self-reported scores while the official ones arrive. See graduate international admissions.

The requirement can be waived at university level if you hold a bachelor's or higher from the US or an English-speaking country, but your department may still ask for proof. FSU's exempt list includes Australia, Canada (except Quebec), Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, the Philippines, Singapore and the UK; India is not on it. The Wertheim College of Business asks for TOEFL 5.0 for master's or 5.5 for PhD, IELTS 7, PTE 66, Cambridge C1 180 or Michigan 55, taken within the past two years (FSU code 5219). Duolingo is not on its list. See Wertheim international applicants.

First-year applicants whose native language is not English need TOEFL iBT 80 (4.0 on the new scale), IELTS Academic 6.5, PTE 55, Michigan Language Assessment 55, Duolingo 125 or Cambridge C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency 180. See international English language proficiency. Students who complete the top level of CIES do not need to take an English test.

The US F-1 student visa sets no English test score of its own. What counts is the requirement Florida State University 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 FSU Graduate School international admissions page again before you book a test, and check your own program page, which can set a higher bar.