If your native language is not English, you must meet the English language proficiency requirements and may be required to submit TOEFL/IELTS test scores.
Test scores should be sent no later than three weeks prior to your respective application deadline to ensure receipt of your official score report. The Graduate School will only accept official score reports sent from a test administrator and there is no place in your application that will allow you to self-report required test scores.
Detailed instructions for the score report process are listed below and frequently asked questions can be found on the Graduate School’s website. If you still have questions regarding the submission of your test scores, please contact the Graduate School at gsadmit@princeton.edu.
All Princeton graduate students must demonstrate a sufficient level of oral proficiency in the English language to participate successfully in all of the various activities that comprise a graduate education, including classwork, research, research presentations, group meetings, project teamwork, and the teaching of undergraduates. If you meet any of the below criteria, valid English language proficiency test scores are required.
The two internationally-recognized English language proficiency tests accepted by Princeton are Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). The only exemption for this requirement is if your native language is not English but you have or will have studied for a minimum of three years towards a bachelor's degree or a Ph.D. in the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, or Anglophone Canada before enrollment.
Even if you have received a bachelor's degree in a country that lists English as an official language (such as India, Pakistan, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Nigeria, or Singapore), you are not exempt from the English language proficiency requirement.
There is no place in your application for you to self-report required test scores as Princeton only accepts the official score reports sent from your test administrator. If you are still not sure if you need English language proficiency test, please view review this diagram and/or Princeton’s English language proficiency policy.
Educational Testing Service (ETS) administers the internet-based TOEFL (iBT). Applicants who take the test in a country which does not offer the iBT TOEFL should take the TOEFL paper-delivered test. Due to the nature of the graduate admission process, the Graduate School has not set a recommended minimum score for the iBT TOEFL. However, each department may set its own recommendations. Please check with the department to which you are applying. Additionally, Princeton is not currently accepting MyBest scores; however, the University does consider the highest score from each section.
If you are offered admission and accept our offer and if you score below a 27 on the speaking sub-section of the TOEFL iBT, you will be required to take an English placement test at Princeton. If you do not pass this test, you will be enrolled in English Language Program classes concurrently with the degree program.
The ETS institution code for Princeton University is 2672. Department codes are not used at Princeton; if the test requires you to select a code, choose one closest to your desired field. All score reports with the institution code 2672 will be received by Graduate Admission regardless of whether or not you select a department code. Allow several weeks for test scores to reach us. Graduate Admission will update your submitted application checklist with your test date when your scores are received.
If the name you entered on the test report is different than the name on your application, your test scores may not match. If you only have one name, please enter it in the last name field and a period (.) in the first name field. If there is a name discrepancy, or if you believe you are experiencing problems due to differing names, please contact the Graduate School at gsadmit@princeton.edu.
TOEFL scores expire two years after the original test date. ETS will not send expired test scores. Please contact ETS if there are questions about the validity of your TOEFL scores. The University will not accept expired, self-reported, partial, or copies of test scores.
For more information contact Educational Testing Service (ETS) at 609-771-7100 or 877-863-3456, or via the web.
IELTS is administered jointly by the British Council, IDP Education Australia, and the University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations (Cambridge ESOL). The Graduate School accepts the IELTS Academic test and has not set a recommended minimum score for the IELTS. However, each department may set its own recommendation. Please check with the department to which you are applying.
If you are offered admission and accept our offer, and if you score below an 8.0 on the speaking subsection of the IELTS, you will be required to take an English placement test at Princeton. If you do not pass this test, you will be enrolled in English Language Program classes concurrently with the degree program.
Please send you IELTS scores electronically through e-delivery (no institution code is required). The address, for identification purpose only, is One Clio Hall, Princeton, NJ 08544. Please do not have tests mailed to the Graduate School. Furthermore, note that Princeton does not verify Test Report Forms (TRF’s).
IELTS scores expire two years after the original test date. For questions about the validity of the IELTS scores, please contact the test administrator.
If the name you entered on the test report is different than the name on your application, your test scores may not match. If you only have one name, please enter it in the last name field and a period (.) in the first name field. If there is a name discrepancy, or if you believe you are experiencing problems due to differing names, please contact the Graduate School at gsadmit@princeton.edu.