Admission → Additional Requirements for International Applicants
In addition to the requirements for all applicants (click on this link to learn more: Requirements for All Applicants), non-US and Puerto Rican graduate applicants must meet a few other admission requirements. Read on to learn more.
English Language Skill Requirements for Admission
English Testing Exemptions
English Language Skill Requirements for Employment
UF Academic Spoken English
UF English Language Institute
UF International Center
English Language Skill Requirements for Admission
To be admitted as a graduate student, non-US and Puerto Rican applicants must meet the required minimum on the verbal portion of the GRE, plus one of these English language tests:
- IELTS (International English Language Testing System): 6.
- MELAB (Michigan English Language Assessment Battery): 77.
- TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language – Internet-Based): 80.
- TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language – Paper-Based): 550.
- Verbal GRE (scores from tests taken before 1 August 2011): 320.
- Verbal GRE (scores from tests taken 1 August 2011 onward): 140.
English Testing Exemptions
Non-US and Puerto Rican graduate applicants can be exempted from the IELTS, MELAB, TOEFL or verbal GRE requirements if:
- They have official proof of completing the UF English Language Institute (ELI) prior to applying. For more information on UF ELI programs, click on this link: UF ELI Programs.
- They are citizens of a country where English is an official language. Click on this link for a list of these countries: English Exemption Countries.
- They have transcripts showing at least one year of enrollment as a full-time student at a college or university in a country where English is official, within one year before applying to UF. Click on this link for a list of these countries: English Exemption Countries. Please note: Time spent in ESL (English as a Second Language) programs do not qualify for this exemption.
English Language Skill Requirements for Employment
To qualify for a graduate teaching assistantship, Florida law requires non-US and Puerto Rican graduate students to demonstrate fluency in spoken English before being offered a teaching assistantship. At UF, SPEAK Test (offered on campus) or the Speaking portion of TOEFL iBT scores are used to meet this legal requirement. Teaching assistantship candidates must meet these required minimums on either test:
- SPEAK Test: 55.
- Speaking portion of TOEFL iBT: 28.
If teaching assistantship candidates are going to teach in their native languages, they must meet these minimums on either test:
- SPEAK Test: 45.
- Speaking portion of TOEFL iBT: 23.
Teaching assistantship candidates who score 45-50 on the SPEAK Test or 23-27 on the TOEFL iBT may be allowed a provisional teaching assistantship if they take Academic Spoken English 2 at the same time.
Graduate students who score lower than 45 on the SPEAK Test or 23 on the TOEFL iBT do not qualify for teaching assistantships.
Graduate students from certain English-speaking countries may be exempted from this test requirement by UF Academic Spoken English.
For more information on this requirement and the SPEAK Test offered on campus, click on this link: Spoken English Proficiency Testing at UF.
UF Academic Spoken English
UF Academic Spoken English helps non-US and Puerto Rican graduate students build spoken English skills. For more information about the tests and courses it offers, click on this link: UF Academic Spoken English.
UF English Language Institute
The UF English Language Institute can help graduate applicants to improve their spoken and written English before admission through intensive English programs. For more information, click on this link: UF English Language Institute.
UF International Center
The UF International Center handles all visa and immigration matters for non-US graduate students on campus. For more information, click on this link: UF International Center.