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TOEFL Score Requirements for 500+ Universities (2026)

Gabble Team·May 31, 2026·15 min read

Knowing the TOEFL score your target university requires is the most direct way to set a preparation goal. The problem is that score requirements vary widely — not just by institution, but by programme, degree level, and even department within the same university.

This guide compiles TOEFL iBT requirements across 500+ institutions so you can find your target, understand what per-skill minimums mean, and build your preparation around a concrete score.

How to Read University TOEFL Requirements

Before diving into the data, three things to know:

Overall vs. per-skill minimums — Many universities list both an overall score requirement and a minimum for individual skills (Speaking, Writing, etc.). Meeting the overall without clearing a per-skill minimum will still get your application rejected.
Programme-level variation — Engineering and Computer Science programmes often require higher scores than Humanities programmes at the same university. Always check the specific department page, not just the general admissions page.
Conditional admission — Some institutions offer conditional admission with a score below their standard threshold. This typically requires attending a language support programme before or during your first semester.

TOEFL Score Bands: What They Mean

Score Range	Level	Typical Implication
110–120	C2 Mastery	Top-tier research universities, scholarships
100–109	C1 Advanced	Strong university applications globally
90–99	B2+ Upper Intermediate	Broad university acceptance
80–89	B2 Intermediate	Most undergraduate admissions
60–79	B1–B2	Community colleges, conditional admission
Below 60	Below B1	Generally insufficient for direct admission

Top US Universities — TOEFL Requirements

Ivy League & Top-10 Universities

University	Min Overall	Min Speaking	Min Writing	Notes
MIT	100	—	—	Recommended 100+; no formal minimum stated
Harvard University	100	—	—	Typical admitted student scores 110+
Stanford University	100	26	25	Graduate school minimums vary by dept
Princeton University	100	—	—	Graduate 100+; undergraduate no formal min
Yale University	100	25	25	Per-skill mins apply to graduate programmes
Columbia University	100	22	22	School of General Studies: 100 overall
University of Chicago	104	26	26	One of the highest formal requirements
University of Pennsylvania	100	25	25	Wharton School same threshold
Cornell University	100	22	20	Varies by college within Cornell
Dartmouth College	100	—	—	Graduate programmes set own mins
Brown University	100	20	20	Graduate programme minimums vary
Duke University	100	22	20	Fuqua MBA: TOEFL 104

Top Public Universities (US)

University	Min Overall	Min Speaking	Min Writing	Notes
UC Berkeley	90	22	22	Graduate programmes: 90–110 by dept
UCLA	87	22	22	Graduate: 87 minimum; most admit 100+
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor	84	23	20	Ross School of Business: 100+
University of Virginia	90	—	—	Darden School: 100+
University of North Carolina	90	22	18	—
University of Wisconsin–Madison	92	22	21	—
UC San Diego	85	22	22	Graduate: by programme
Georgia Tech	100	22	22	Engineering: 100
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign	96	24	24	Graduate: 96–102 by programme
Ohio State University	79	18	18	Graduate minimum; recommended 80+
Penn State University	80	18	18	Business and Engineering: higher
Purdue University	77	18	17	Graduate Engineering: 80+
University of Minnesota	79	18	17	—
University of Florida	80	19	18	—
University of Texas at Austin	79	22	20	McCombs MBA: 100+
Michigan State University	83	22	20	—
University of Washington	92	25	24	Graduate: by programme
Arizona State University	61	—	—	Undergraduate minimum
University of Pittsburgh	80	19	18	—
Rutgers University	83	18	17	—

Well-Known US Colleges & Universities

University	Min Overall	Notes
Boston University	84	Graduate: 84–100 by programme
Northeastern University	72	Undergraduate; co-op programmes
New York University	100	Stern School of Business: 100
George Washington University	80	Law School: 95+
American University	80	—
Georgetown University	100	Graduate: varies by school
Tufts University	100	—
Emory University	100	—
University of Rochester	90	—
Case Western Reserve	90	Engineering: 80 minimum
Fordham University	80	—
Temple University	79	—
University of Miami	80	—
Drexel University	79	—
Syracuse University	80	Newhouse School: 80

Canada — TOEFL Requirements

Top Canadian Universities

University	Min Overall	Min Speaking	Min Writing	Notes
University of Toronto	100	22	22	Rotman MBA: 100
University of British Columbia	100	22	21	Graduate: 100; some programmes 580 iBT equivalent
McGill University	86	20	20	Graduate: 86–100 by faculty
University of Alberta	90	22	21	—
University of Waterloo	90	22	21	Math & Engineering: 90
Queen's University	88	21	21	—
Western University	86	20	20	Ivey Business School: 100
University of Calgary	86	20	20	—
Dalhousie University	90	20	20	—
McMaster University	86	20	20	—
University of Ottawa	86	20	20	Bilingual programmes may vary
Simon Fraser University	80	20	20	Graduate: by programme
York University	79	19	17	Schulich Business: 100
Concordia University	86	20	20	—

United Kingdom — TOEFL Requirements

TOEFL acceptance in the UK expanded significantly after 2023, when UKVI relaxed its approved test list for student visa purposes.

Top UK Universities

University	Min Overall	Min Speaking	Min Writing	Notes
University of Oxford	110	22	24	Among the highest requirements globally
University of Cambridge	110	25	24	Some departments require 120
Imperial College London	92–100	22	24	By programme
London School of Economics	107	25	24	MSc programmes: 107 overall
University College London	92–100	24	24	By faculty
King's College London	92	22	24	—
University of Edinburgh	92	20	22	—
University of Manchester	90	20	22	Business School: 100
University of Bristol	90	20	22	—
University of Warwick	90	20	22	WBS MBA: 100
University of Birmingham	88	20	21	—
University of Leeds	88	19	20	—
University of Exeter	88	19	20	—
University of Glasgow	90	20	21	—
Durham University	92	20	22	—
University of Southampton	88	19	20	—
University of Nottingham	87	19	20	—
University of Sheffield	88	19	20	—
University of Bath	88	20	21	Management: 92

Australia — TOEFL Requirements

Top Australian Universities (Group of Eight)

University	Min Overall	Min Speaking	Min Writing	Notes
University of Melbourne	79	18	21	Graduate: 79–94 by faculty
Australian National University	80	18	21	Research programmes: 80+
University of Sydney	85	20	24	Business School: 92+
University of Queensland	87	20	24	—
University of New South Wales	85	22	24	Engineering: 85
Monash University	79	18	21	Graduate: by programme
University of Western Australia	82	20	24	—
University of Adelaide	79	18	21	—

Other Australian Institutions

University	Min Overall	Notes
RMIT University	79	—
Deakin University	79	—
La Trobe University	79	—
Curtin University	79	—
Macquarie University	83	Graduate: by programme
University of Technology Sydney	79	—
Griffith University	79	—
Bond University	79	—

Europe — TOEFL Requirements

Top European Universities (Non-UK)

University	Country	Min Overall	Notes
ETH Zurich	Switzerland	95	Some Master's: 100+
EPFL	Switzerland	100	—
LMU Munich	Germany	88	Graduate English-taught programmes
TU Munich	Germany	88	Engineering: 88; some 100
Delft University of Technology	Netherlands	90	—
University of Amsterdam	Netherlands	92	Graduate: 92–100
Leiden University	Netherlands	90	—
Wageningen University	Netherlands	90	—
KU Leuven	Belgium	90	—
Ghent University	Belgium	88	—
Uppsala University	Sweden	90	—
Lund University	Sweden	90	—
University of Copenhagen	Denmark	88	—
University of Helsinki	Finland	92	—
University of Oslo	Norway	90	—
Trinity College Dublin	Ireland	88	Business: 92
University College Dublin	Ireland	88	—
Bocconi University	Italy	100	—
Sciences Po	France	100	—
HEC Paris	France	105	MBA: 100; MiM: 105
IE Business School	Spain	100	—
IESE Business School	Spain	100	MBA: 100

New Zealand — TOEFL Requirements

University	Min Overall	Min Writing	Notes
University of Auckland	90	21	Graduate: 90
Victoria University of Wellington	90	21	—
University of Canterbury	90	21	—
Massey University	90	21	—
University of Otago	90	21	Health sciences: 100+

MBA & Business School Requirements

Business schools often set their own — higher — TOEFL requirements. Here are the leading programmes:

Business School	Programme	Min TOEFL
Harvard Business School	MBA	109
Wharton (University of Pennsylvania)	MBA	100
Chicago Booth	MBA	104
Kellogg (Northwestern)	MBA	104
Sloan (MIT)	MBA	100
Columbia Business School	MBA	100
Haas (UC Berkeley)	MBA	90
Yale SOM	MBA	100
Tuck (Dartmouth)	MBA	100
Fuqua (Duke)	MBA	104
Ross (Michigan)	MBA	100
Stern (NYU)	MBA	100
Marshall (USC)	MBA	100
London Business School	MBA	110
INSEAD	MBA	110
HEC Paris	MBA	100
IE Business School	MBA	100
Rotman (Toronto)	MBA	100
Ivey (Western)	MBA	100

Score Requirements by Field of Study

Different academic disciplines have different norms. These are typical ranges — always verify with the specific programme.

Field	Typical Range	Per-Skill Focus
Engineering & CS	80–100	Speaking 22+, Writing 22+
Business & Finance	90–110	Speaking 25+, Writing 24+
Medicine & Health Sciences	90–110	Speaking 26+, all skills high
Law	90–110	Writing 25+, Reading 24+
Natural Sciences	80–100	—
Humanities & Social Sciences	79–100	Writing 22+
Education	79–92	Speaking 24+
Architecture	79–90	—
Art & Design	72–85	—
Nursing	88–100	Speaking 26+, Writing 24+

Understanding MyBest Scores (Superscoring)

ETS automatically sends MyBest Scores with every official score report — this is your highest score for each section across all valid TOEFL iBT attempts, combined into a single superscore.

Which universities accept MyBest Scores?

Institution	Accepts MyBest
MIT	Yes
Harvard	Yes
Stanford	Yes
Yale	Yes
Columbia	Yes
Most US universities	Yes (majority)
Most Canadian universities	Yes
Oxford	No — requires single-sitting score
Cambridge	No — single-sitting
LSE	No — single-sitting
Most UK universities	No (verify per institution)
Most Australian universities	Check per institution

If your target institution accepts MyBest Scores, you can strategically sit multiple times and combine your best per-skill performances. If they require a single-sitting score, you need to hit every threshold in one session.

How to Use This Data in Your Preparation

Step 1: Identify your hard minimums

List every university on your application list. For each one, note the overall minimum and any per-skill minimums. Your target score is the highest of all those requirements — you want one score that clears every institution on your list.

Step 2: Set a score 5–10 points above the minimum

Applying with exactly the minimum score is risky. A score 5–10 points above gives you a buffer and signals stronger preparation to admissions committees.

Step 3: Diagnose your gap by skill

Take a full practice test under timed conditions. Identify which skills are below your per-skill targets. A score gap of 5 points on Writing requires completely different preparation from a 5-point gap on Speaking.

Step 4: Practise with feedback on your weak skills

TOEFL Writing and Speaking cannot be improved through passive exposure alone. You need specific feedback on exactly what the rubric penalises in your responses — and consistent practice fixing those things.

Common Score Mistakes to Avoid

Aiming only for the minimum. A minimum TOEFL score clears a technical barrier; it doesn't strengthen your application. A score 10+ points above the minimum genuinely helps.

Missing a per-skill minimum. A 105 overall with a 19 Speaking fails most programmes that require Speaking 22+. Know every threshold before you sit.

Not checking the graduate vs. undergraduate requirement. The same university often has different thresholds — always check the degree level you're applying for.

Not verifying whether MyBest Scores are accepted. Retaking the exam assuming superscoring applies, then discovering your target university requires a single-sitting score, is an expensive mistake.

No matter which universities are on your list, consistent preparation on Speaking and Writing — the two sections where students most commonly fall short of per-skill minimums — is the highest-return investment of your prep time.

Start TOEFL preparation with Gabble — AI-powered speaking and writing feedback that tells you exactly where your score stands against the TOEFL rubric, so you know what to fix before test day.

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