What TOEFL score do top US universities require?

ETS sets no passing score; each institution decides its own (ETS). Some schools list a minimum to be considered and a higher score to skip an English placement test: Stanford asks 4.5 to apply but 5.5 to skip its English Placement Test (Stanford), and UCLA asks 4.5 to apply but 5 to skip its ESLPE writing exam (UCLA). USC sets no university-wide minimum at all; its figures decide who must sit its ISE exam after admission (USC).

MIT's graduate page lists a recommended TOEFL iBT minimum of 100 and no 1–6 figure on the day we read it (MIT). UChicago sets scores by division, from 4.5 overall for the Visual Arts MFA to subsection minimums of 5.0 in Arts & Humanities (UChicago).

TOEFL scores are valid for 2 years, and schools count that window differently: Harvard Griffin GSAS accepts tests from 5 January 2025 for fall 2027 (Harvard), while Berkeley accepts tests from 1 June 2025 for Fall 2027 (Berkeley). Of the schools whose pages mention MyBest scores, only Stanford accepts them (Stanford); MIT, UChicago, UT Austin and Arizona State do not say.

Send official scores from ETS using the school's code, for example 3451 for Harvard Griffin GSAS, 4704 for Stanford and 5248 for Georgia Tech graduate admissions, and allow about 4–8 business days for delivery (TOEFL results time). Most of these schools also accept IELTS Academic; see IELTS vs TOEFL for the USA and the IELTS to TOEFL converter.