What IELTS score do you need for San Diego State University?

Scores must be dated within two years of the start of the application filing period and can be sent by the testing agency or uploaded as a copy of the official report in my.SDSU. Programs may set higher minimums. The Fowler College of Business asks for TOEFL 80 or IELTS 6.5 and says it does not grant conditional admittance to students who do not meet the language requirement. See Graduate Admissions and Fowler.

India is not on SDSU's list of countries exempt automatically, but the waiver list includes an earned or in-progress bachelor's degree, or an earned master's, from an international institution where English was the principal language of instruction, confirmed by official transcript. Two years of full-time study at a US institution also counts. SDSU's India requirements accept three-year bachelor's degrees once all coursework is done and the final diploma is issued.

First-year applicants whose high school did not teach mainly in English need TOEFL 80 (before 21 January 2026) or 4, IELTS 6.5, Duolingo 105 or PTE 58, each within the past two years. Other routes include EAP Level 8 at SDSU's American Language Institute with a GPA of 3.00, ACT English, Higher Level IB English (4–7) and AP English (3). See international first-years.

The US F-1 student visa sets no English test score of its own. What counts is the requirement San Diego 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 SDSU international graduate steps to apply page again before you book a test, and check your own program page, which can set a higher bar.