What IELTS score do you need for UC Riverside?

UCR says you can demonstrate proficiency with either the TOEFL or the IELTS. IELTS Online and the TOEFL iBT Home Edition are accepted; IELTS One Skill Retake, TOEFL MyBest and TOEFL ITP+ are not. An unofficial score report may be used for initial review, and admitted students then send official scores electronically (TOEFL code 4839). Graduate conditional admission is not stated by UCR.

You meet the requirement without a test if you hold a degree from a regionally accredited US college where English is the sole language of instruction, or from an institution outside the US where English is the exclusive language of instruction, confirmed through WHED; if English is not the only language listed, more documents may be needed. UCR names no countries, so India is not on any list. Its international academic records page also says Indian applicants need a four-year bachelor's; three-year degrees are not acceptable.

UC Riverside undergraduates follow the University of California's systemwide rule. First-years who completed all secondary school where English is not the language of instruction show proficiency by December of their final year with IELTS 6.5, TOEFL iBT 4.5 (80 before January 2026), Duolingo 115, ACT English Language Arts 24, SAT Writing and Language 31, AP or IB English, or a C in a UC-transferable English composition course. PTE is not on the list. UC does not accept IELTS One Skill Retake or TOEFL MyBest, a campus may require a higher score, and scores must still be valid when you send them after admission. See UC English language proficiency.

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