What IELTS score do you need for MIT?

For non-native English speakers, MIT says it "strongly recommend[s]" an English proficiency exam if you have used English for fewer than five years or do not speak it at home or in school. It accepts Cambridge English (C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency, 185 minimum, 190 recommended), Duolingo, IELTS, PTE Academic and TOEFL. Self-reported scores are fine at application and are verified on enrollment. Validity and home editions are not stated by MIT on this page. See the tests and scores page.

MIT requires international applicants whose primary language is not English to submit English proficiency scores. Some qualify for an automatic exemption, for example with an undergraduate degree from an English-speaking institution in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, the UK or the US, and departments can grant waivers. GradAdmissions recommends IELTS Academic 7, TOEFL iBT 100, Duolingo 135 or Cambridge 190, but department minimums supersede these, and Duolingo and Cambridge are accepted only by a limited number of departments.

PTE does not appear among MIT GradAdmissions' accepted tests. MIT does not accept TOEFL MyBest, TOEFL Essentials, TOEFL ITP or IELTS One Skill Retake. Scores that will be invalid by the application deadline are not accepted. The MIT Sloan School may use different codes. Check your department page from the ELP requirement page.

The US F-1 student visa sets no English test score of its own. What counts is the requirement MIT 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 MIT Admissions page again before you book a test, and check your own program page, which can set a higher bar.