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

Every graduate applicant must show English proficiency in one of three ways: a bachelor's, master's or doctorate from a fully accredited US institution; an official, valid test score; or a statement on the official transcript, or an attestation letter sent by the registrar of the degree-granting institution to gradtranscripts@uky.edu, confirming that English was the language of instruction. That last route only works when English was the sole language of instruction. See the Graduate School application process.

You can self-report scores in the application, but official scores should come straight from the testing agency (TOEFL institution code 1837, program code 99). Duolingo scores of 115 "may be evaluated by an ESL professional". The international application fee is $75. The country exemption list published by the International Center is for freshmen and, in its own words, does not apply to graduate applicants.

First-year and transfer applicants send scores directly from the testing centre: TOEFL iBT 71 for tests taken on or before 20 January 2026, or 4 overall and in every subscore for tests on or after 21 January 2026; TOEFL Essentials 7.5; IELTS 6.0; or Duolingo 105. ACT or SAT scores are optional except for engineering programs. See admission requirements.

Freshmen from the countries on the exemption list do not need a test. The list includes Australia, Canada, Ghana, Nigeria, Singapore, South Africa and the UK; India and Pakistan are not on it. Transfer applicants who passed English 101 and 102 (or equivalents) at a US college may qualify for a waiver.

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