IS TOEFL COMPULSORY?

Question

I’ve just been told that after taking my GMAT, I have to take the Test of English. Is that compulsory??

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abhimahna · Answer

Hey Estheroma ,

It is actually not and it really depends on your undergraduate university instruction medium as well as the school you are applying to.

Most of the schools give waiver if your undergraduate language of instruction was English.

But there are a few schools such as UCLA, USC, that require TOEFL(if you are international) to be taken no matter what.

Let me know in case of further queries.

Estheroma · Answer

Oh okay, thanks for replying. I’m actually interested in a few schools but I’ll make some research and get back to you

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Carcass · Answer

Actually, if you are a foreign student TOEFL is always mandatory.

Probably only Harvard BS does not require it. Because is implied if you are accepted into Harvard, then is impossible you do NOT have a proficiency English at a top level.

Regards

stonecold · Answer

I don’t think that is 100 percent true carcass.

Only a handful of schools (mostly Californian) schools make it mandatory to submit the TOEFl.
I have applied to three schools so far without a toefl score.

Schools have offer waiver if the medium of instruction at your undergraduate was in English.
Which actually is the case almost everytime.

NOTE-> TOEFL is recommended as schools such as USC, vandy make it a compulsion.
So take it just to be sure that you can apply without anything thwarting your application.

Best 
Stone cold

Carcass · Answer

Sorry. I appreciate your feedback, real handful. But I went through the admission criteria of hundred of Schools from south-east Asia, US, Canada, Latin America and Europe. Believe me: TOEFL is always one of the criteria of the admission process.

If it is used for the acceptance of over 25.000,00 BS' in the entire world, especially in the US because the TOEFL is an invention of the American school system, why then is it not compulsory ??

Once again, hundred of admission requirements ask for the TOEFL.

The fact that you have not submitted it in your application could not be being representative of the entire scenario; more or less a survey is NOT representative of the entire population objected of the same.

regards.

abhimahna · Answer

Hi carcass , I applied to 10 schools this year and none of them asked me to submit TOEFL score because my undergraduate was from English Medium University. All the schools I applied to were under top 25. I agree with stonecold and this has been my personal experience/research. Most of the schools waive TOEFL off except a few such as UCLA or USC. Thanks

Estheroma · Answer

Okay thank you. I will take the exams after my TOEFL

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Carcass · Answer

Sorry guys, otherwise we do have a misunderstanding. TOEFL stands for Test of English as a Foreign Language. Of course, you have an education such as you have mentioned the exam could be waived. If I come from Naples and I wanna study at Princeton, for sure I have to have the TOEFL

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abhimahna · Answer

Hey  Estheroma  ,

Make sure you research the schools requirements before actually appearing for the same.

It is NOT required by most of the schools. Read comments in the above posts.

Thank you!

akela · Answer

Not required:
MIT Sloan – a TOEFL is not required to apply to the MBA program. We measure this during personal interviews. This is our best gauge of English ability. We will also use the verbal sections of the GMAT or GRE to evaluate English language ability.

Yale – the TOEFL, PTE Academic, or IELTS exam is not required for international applicants.

Duke Fuqua – English as a Second Language test scores are not required, but we encourage you to include valid scores that you may have available.

RSM – We don’t require TOEFL, IELTS or PTE scores initially, but the admissions committee may request them at any point during the admissions process.

IMD – You don’t need to take the TOEFL. If we are interested in your application you will be invited for an on-campus assessment day, which will give us the opportunity to evaluate your level of English for ourselves.

The following programs require the TOEFL but don’t set a minimum score for admission:

Wharton
LBS
Kellogg
Columbia
Tuck
NYU Stern
Darden

The following programs require the TOEFL but have a relatively low minimum score for admission:

Berkeley Haas – IBT 90 or CBT 230 or PBT 570.
UCLA Anderson – IBT 87 or CBT 220 or PBT 560.
BYU Marriott – IBT 94 or CBT 240 or PBT 590.
Arizona State Carey – IBT 80 or PBT 550.
Boston University – IBT 95 or PBT 600 (recommended).
UC Irvine Merage – IBT 80 or PBT 600.

DonnaTownsend · Answer

Nice article!

AlRoss0908 · Answer

It depends on your educational background and where are you planing to study. Sometimes you do not need to take additional English tests. Just ask your university

Hovkial · Answer

If you are applying to PhD programs and your undergraduate education was at an institution in a non-English speaking country, then TOEFL will be mandatory, with very few exceptions.  The exceptions come from very few programs that will consider your graduate education in English, but this is very rare.

Note that countries that use English as a medium of instruction, but which are not located in English-speaking countries, cannot provide the above exception. English-speaking countries include the usual USA, Canada, UK, some Caribbean nations and some African nations.

TOEFL is a requirement for international students set by graduate schools.

MBA programs may have different requirements.

hetankhatri · Answer

It all depends on your educational background. 
As stated earlier, the submission of TOEFL scores is mandatory only for those students who:
1. Studied in a university that does not follow English as the official instruction medium
2. Or belong to a country where English is not the official language. In these countries, English as a Second Language, may or may not be the norm.

URv · Answer

Hi bb @abhimahna,@Akela..... though there is a requirement for a TOEFL/IELTS score at these universities, is it waived for applications given the current situation?(maybe we can submit the score at a later date?). Have you come across any such cases?! I plan to take the GMAT in the coming months and apply in R1 for the 2022 sept intake. Not sure if i'd have enough time for IELTS ...hence the curiosity

IS TOEFL COMPULSORY?

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