English Proficiency Requirements

To be considered for admission to Columbia, you must be comfortable with rapid and idiomatic spoken English. There are several different ways to demonstrate that you are proficient in English on your application:

• Your home language is English.
• Your primary language of instruction at school has been English for the duration of your secondary school career.
• You earned one or more of the following subsection scores on the SAT or ACT:
  • 700 or higher on the Evidence Based Reading and Writing section of the SAT (either paper or digital administration)
  • 29 or higher on the English or Reading sections of the ACT

  If you meet one or more of the above criteria, you have fulfilled Columbia’s English language proficiency requirement. If you do not, you will need to take one of the following English Language Proficiency exams. Please note that English language proficiency, including potential English Language Proficiency exams, is required regardless of whether applicants choose to apply with other standardized test scores. If there are questions around your English Language Proficiency, you may be contacted for more information.

  TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language)

  Please visit the ETS TOEFL web page for more information on this examination. A minimum score of 105 (Internet-based test) is necessary for admission to Columbia. Your score must be reported directly to Columbia by the testing service, using report code 2116.

  Columbia accepts only TOEFL iBT ® scores by test administration date (e.g. full test administration results for one sitting) and does not accept MyBest™ scores. We will accept online results from the TOEFL iBT Special Home Edition and TOEFL IPT Plus for China. You may send multiple results.

  IELTS (International English Language Testing System)

  Please visit the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) for more information on this examination. A minimum score of 7.5 is necessary for admission to Columbia. Your score must be reported directly to Columbia Undergraduate Admissions. We will accept online results from the IELTS Indicator .

  DET (Duolingo English Test)

  Please visit the Duolingo English Test for more information on this examination. A minimum score of 135 on the current DET is necessary for admission to Columbia. Your score must be reported directly to Columbia Undergraduate Admissions.

  Cambridge English Qualifications

  Please visit Cambridge English for more information on these examinations. A minimum score of 191 on the current C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency Cambridge English Exams is necessary for admission to Columbia. Your score must be reported directly to Columbia Undergraduate Admissions.