What IELTS score do you need for Ohio University?

The Graduate College accepts TOEFL, IELTS and the Duolingo English Test (the Duolingo minimums apply from spring semester 2026). With IELTS 6.0 in every band you can be admitted unconditionally but without funding eligibility; 6.5 in every band makes you eligible for assistantships and scholarships. Students admitted without funding eligibility can gain it by completing recommended English courses or further testing. Ohio law requires teaching assistants to demonstrate English proficiency, and the assistantship minimum is IELTS 6.5 with Speaking 7.0. Some departments set higher scores. IELTS results go from the test centre to the Graduate College. See English proficiency.

You are exempt if you will hold a US degree from the past two years, or if you are from a country where English is the official and majority language (such as the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Canada except Quebec, Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana or Singapore) and hold a qualifying degree from the past five years. India is not on that list.

For direct admission, undergraduates need IELTS 6.0 with no band below 5.5, TOEFL iBT 4 with Writing 4 (72 with Writing 17 on the old scale), Duolingo 110, PTE 48, Cambridge 169, SAT 1060 with 540 EBRW or ACT 21. The exam must be no more than a year old. Without a qualifying score you can be admitted to the Ohio Program of Intensive English (OPIE) and move to full-time study when you reach the required level.

Students educated in an exempt country, or with at least three years in an English-speaking system such as Cambridge or IB and B grades in college-preparatory English, need no further proof. See how to apply.

The US F-1 student visa sets no English test score of its own. What counts is the requirement Ohio 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 Ohio University Graduate College English proficiency page again before you book a test, and check your own program page, which can set a higher bar. To see where you stand now, take a timed IELTS mock test.