What IELTS score do you need for the University of Cologne?

On the WiSo programme pages, IELTS Indicator and IELTS Online are accepted in addition to the regular IELTS Academic test, and TOEFL iBT Home Edition and Paper Edition are accepted alongside the regular TOEFL. TOEFL and IELTS results are valid for two years; Cambridge certificates and degree-based proof have unlimited validity.

CEMS is stricter: it does not accept TOEFL MyBest Scores or IELTS Academic One Skill Retake, and only accepts results from specific test dates.

Outside WiSo, departments set their own scores. The MSc Computational Biology asks for upper B2: IELTS 6.5 with at least 6.0 in each component, or TOEFL iBT 93.

WiSo accepts a bachelor's or master's degree taught totally in English, with proof such as a Diploma Supplement or an official university letter confirming the programme was 100% in English. The pages do not limit this to particular countries, so an English-medium degree from India or Pakistan can count if the letter says so. For a bachelor double degree, at least one year must have been spent in an English-speaking country.

CEMS accepts an English-taught bachelor's only if it was issued in an English-speaking country, by a CEMS member or by an EQUIS/AACSB-accredited university.

Some Business Administration specialisations, such as Accounting & Taxation, also require German at C1, unless your degree or school-leaving qualification was in German. All subject and language requirements must be met at the time of application, which runs from mid-April to 15 June through the KLIPS portal. Applicants with a bachelor's from outside Germany also need a preliminary review documentation (VPD) from uni-assist.

Requirements vary by programme and change between admissions cycles. The score that binds you is the one on your Cologne programme page and in your offer, so check it there before you book a test.