• What You Need to Know
• How to Meet the Requirement
• Accepted Exams
• Test Score Guidelines
• How to Send Your Scores to Cornell
• Exemptions to the Requirements
• Graduate Field Requirements

What You Need to Know

• To be successful in Cornell’s rigorous graduate and professional degree programs, students must be highly proficient or fluent in English.
• Students in doctoral degrees or research master’s degree programs (MA, MS, MFA) who are appointed as teaching assistants (TAs) must demonstrate a higher level of English proficiency. Students who have not met the higher threshold will be supported through Cornell’s International Teaching Assistant Program (ITAP) in the Center for Teaching Innovation.
• Applicants can demonstrate English Language proficiency using IELTS Academic or TOEFL iBT scores or can provide proof of an exemption.
• Some graduate fields and programs have additional language requirements. They may require higher IELTS Academic or TOEFL iBT scores or may request an interview before offering admission.

How to Meet the Requirement

All applicants must provide proof of English language proficiency.  There are 3 ways this may be done:

1. Submit Scores – Provide official IELTS Academic or TOEFL iBT test scores that meet the Graduate School’s minimums.
2. Request a Standing Exemption in your application for admission – On the first page of the application form, you will attest that you meet one of the standing exemptions outlined below. Provide documentation if required.
3. Request a Special Exemption – In exceptional cases, applicants may ask for a special exemption. Guidelines and the request process are outlined below.

Accepted Exams

• IELTS Academic
• TOEFL iBT

Both IELTS and TOEFL provide at-home testing solutions in most countries. Applicants are expected to take an in-person test whenever possible. However, if a safe in-person option is not available for you, you may take an online or at-home version instead. We do not accept any other English Language Proficiency exams (e.g. Pearson, Duolingo DET, etc.).

Test Score Guidelines

Research Degree Applicants (Ph.D., D.M.A., M.A., M.S., M.F.A.)

Research degree applicants must demonstrate language proficiency at a level that will allow them to be successful in their graduate studies and as teaching assistants (TA). Admitted applicants from Score Tier A are automatically approved to serve as a TA, while applicants in Score Tier B should consult with their department to arrange for an English Language Assessment with Cornell’s International TA Program to determine whether additional language support in an ITAP course is required.

Professional Master’s Degree Applicants 

(M.Arch., M.Eng., M.F.S., M.H.A., M.I.L.R., M.L.A., M.M.H., M.P.A., M.P.H., M.P.S., M.R.P., M.S.L.S., M.S.B.A.)

IELTS Academic:

• An overall band score of at least 7.0

TOEFL iBT

• Speaking: 22 or above
• Reading: 20 or above
• Listening: 15 or above
• Writing: 20 or above

How to Send Your Scores to Cornell

IELTS Academic

• When you register for the exam, you may select up to 5 institutions to which you would like to have your scores sent. Cornell University has multiple IELTS accounts so please be sure to select Cornell University Graduate Admissions when registering for your IELTS test date.
• You may also ask your test center to send additional score reports to institutions not originally listed on your test registration form. Scores must be sent electronically (e-delivery) to the Cornell University Graduate Admissions, Caldwell Hall e-download account. E-delivery may also be referred to as an e-TRF by your test center. Paper TRFs (Test Report Form) are not accepted.
• Your IELTS Academic scores must be valid as of your program’s application deadline (scores are valid for 2 years after your test date).

TOEFL iBT

• Have scores delivered electronically to Cornell University Graduate School, Institution code 2098. Department codes are not needed;  if ETS requires you to select a department code, you may choose code 99 “undecided.”
• Your TOEFL scores must be valid as of your program’s application deadline (scores are valid for 2 years after your test date).
• If you have taken the TOEFL iBT more than once within the last 2 years, have ETS send us your most recent score report. ETS will automatically include your MyBest scores along with the traditional scores from your selected test date. If your most recent scores do not meet the Graduate School’s minimum sub-score requirements, but your MyBest scores do, let the Graduate School and your proposed field of study know that you would like us to consider your MyBest scores. Please note: while the Graduate School accepts MyBest scores, individual graduate fields may not accept them.

Standing Exemptions

For admissions purposes, Cornell University Graduate School does not require IELTS or TOEFL scores from applicants who meet one of the following standing exemptions. However, applicants admitted to research degrees may still need to complete the English Language Assessment before being a TA. If you meet the criteria for one of the following standing exemptions, you will indicate this in your application for admission. There is no need to contact the Graduate Admissions Office in advance.

1. Speak English as a first language and are a citizen or permanent resident of a country where English is an official language (including but not limited to Ghana, Hong Kong, India, Nigeria, and Pakistan). Research degree applicants who meet this exemption are automatically approved to serve as a TA without an individual English Language Assessment.
2. At the time of enrollment at Cornell, will have earned a bachelor’s degree from an accredited U.S. college or university located in the U.S. (Please note that you must have been physically present in the U.S. for the majority of your enrollment.) Research degree applicants who meet this exemption will need to complete the English Language Assessment and may be offered an individual support plan. 
3. At the time of enrollment at Cornell, will have earned the international equivalent of a U.S. bachelor’s degree from a college or university located in a country where English is an official language, and where English is the language of instruction (including but not limited to Ghana, Hong Kong, India, Nigeria, and Pakistan). The medium of instruction must be indicated on the transcript or easily verified on the institution’s website. (Please note that you must have been physically present in the exempt country for the majority of your enrollment.) Research degree applicants who meet this exemption will need to complete the English Language Assessment and may be offered an individual support plan. 
4. At the time of enrollment at Cornell, will have studied and/or worked full-time for at least 2 consecutive years* within the last 10 years in a country where English is an official and widely spoken language. This experience must be noted on a transcript and/or described on a resume or CV. We will accept a combination of study and work—e.g., an applicant who completed a 1-year master’s degree in the U.S. followed by 1 year of OPT. If you are or were a student, the full-time study must have been for at least 2 consecutive academic years (potentially slightly less than 24 months) AND English must have been the language of instruction for your studies. (Please note that you must have been physically present in the exempt country for the majority of your enrollment.) Research degree applicants who meet this exemption will need to complete the English Language Assessment and may be offered an individual support plan. 

Special Exemptions

Applicants who speak English as a first language, but do not otherwise qualify for a standing exemption, may be considered for a special exemption under the following circumstances: 

• Speak English as a first or native language, but citizenship does not meet the Standing Exemption criteria.
• Full-time study or work in a primary English country was for less than 2 years, was not consecutive, or occurred more than 10 years ago.

Contact the Graduate Admissions Office if you think you qualify for a special exemption. Note: Research degree applicants with special exemptions admitted to research degrees may still need to complete the English Language Assessment prior to being a TA.

Graduate Field Requirements

Questions about your English language proficiency? Contact the graduate field to which you are applying. Administrators in your proposed field will guide you through the application process and will communicate with other offices at Cornell as needed to gather additional information.

Find the contact information for your field of interest.

If you still have questions after talking to your graduate field, contact the Graduate Admissions Office for more information.