What IELTS score do you need for UC Irvine?

UC Irvine's policy names the TOEFL and the Academic Modules of IELTS as the tests accepted for graduate admission, and its international page says applicants who are not exempt must pass an approved test (TOEFL or IELTS). TOEFL needs 80 before 21 January 2026 and 4 after; IELTS needs 7 overall with at least 6 in every module. Low, missing or old scores need an exceptional admission reviewed by the Graduate Dean.

You are exempt if you earned an undergraduate or master's degree from an institution where English was the sole language of instruction according to the World Higher Education Database. If English is not the sole language listed, or no language is listed, the waiver does not apply. Indian students qualify only if their university's listing shows English alone. See the international applicants page.

First-year applicants schooled where English is not the language of instruction can use IELTS 6.5, TOEFL 4.5 (80 before January 2026), Duolingo 115, AP or IB English, ACT English Language Arts 24 or SAT Writing and Language 31, taken by December of the final school year. A campus may require more. Transfers to Irvine need a C or higher in two English composition courses. See UC English proficiency.

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