What IELTS score do you need for Rice University?

Graduate applicants show proficiency with a degree from an accredited US high school, college or university, a qualifying TOEFL, IELTS or Duolingo score, or a post-secondary degree from an institution where the official language of instruction is English. Only the best composite TOEFL is accepted, not MyBest, and the TOEFL ITP Plus is not accepted. Scores go to ETS code 6609. Conditional admission is not stated by Rice.

Rice lists countries where English is the official language of instruction, and international universities whose graduates "will have met the English Language Requirement". India is on that list by institution, including all IIT campuses, IISc, IIM Bangalore, IISER Bhopal, BITS, Anna University, Jadavpur University, NIT Calicut, Thapar Institute, the University of Calcutta and the University of Hyderabad. Enter your institution exactly as listed and identify the language as English; do not contact the graduate office about waivers. See language proficiency requirements.

First-year applicants whose first language is not English either complete at least two years of full-time study in an English language curriculum before applying, or submit TOEFL 100 before 21 January 2026 or 5.0 after (Home Edition accepted), IELTS 7, Cambridge C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency 185, or Duolingo 130. PTE is not on the list. See first-year international applicants.

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