What IELTS score do you need for UMass Amherst?

The Graduate Council sets these minimums, and many programs expect higher scores, so check your program page. TOEFL is accepted from the in-person test or the iBT Home Edition only. UMass Amherst does not accept TOEFL MyBest scores, IELTS One Skill Retake, the IELTS Indicator or TOEFL Essentials, and it does not superscore. Conditional admission is not stated by the Graduate School.

The test may be waived for citizens of listed countries such as Australia, Canada, Ghana, Great Britain, Ireland, Kenya, New Zealand, Nigeria and South Africa, for a bachelor's or master's earned in the US or one of those countries, or after two years of full-time study in the US. India is not on the list. The same page says three-year Indian BA, BSc and BCom degrees are not equivalent to a US bachelor's. See international applicants.

First-year applicants submit Duolingo 115, TOEFL 4.5 with no section below 4 (80 with no subscore below 20 before 21 January 2026), IELTS Academic 6.5 with no subscore below 6.0, or Cambridge 176. PTE Academic is not on the list, and the PTE Academic Online is named as not accepted. Four years at a high school teaching in English with a British or American curriculum can earn a waiver, which is not automatic. See English language proficiency.

The US F-1 student visa sets no English test score of its own. What counts is the requirement UMass Amherst 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 UMass Amherst Graduate School international applicants page again before you book a test, and check your own program page, which can set a higher bar.