Main Content

English Proficiency Requirement

Per U.S. Department of State regulations, an "objective measurement" must be used to evaluate English proficiency and determine that J-1 applicants possess sufficient language skills to participate successfully in a program and to function on a day-to-day basis.

The objective measurements accepted by UMMC include:

1.       Recognized English test;

          The following scores are adequate to fulfill the English proficiency requirement.

• International English Language Testing System (IELTS): a score of 6.5 or higher on the academic module.
• Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL): a score of 80 or higher on the iBT; or 550 or higher on the paper-based test; or 213 on the computer-based test.

2.       Signed documentation from an American academic institution or English language school; or
 
3.       A documented interview conducted either in-person, by videoconferencing, or by telephone by the sponsor and a previously designated member of the department's administrative staff. Please use the Certification of English Language Proficiency form to document the interview. The Questions for Assessing English Proficiency can be utilized as a guide.

Exemption from English Proficiency

Exemptions are granted to applicants who have earned a U.S. bachelor's, master's, or doctoral degree from a college or university accredited by a regional accrediting association in the United States.

Also, applicants who have completed a degree program at universities in the following countries may be exempt from showing proof of proficiency in English.

 

Anguilla	Antigua and Barbuda	Australia
Bahamas	Barbados	Belize
Bhutan	Botswana	Canada
The Cayman Islands	Dominica	Eritrea
Ethiopia	Fiji	Gambia
Ghana	Grenada	Guyana
Hong Kong	India	Ireland
Jamaica	Kenya	Kiribati
Lesotho	Liberia	Malawi
Marshall Islands	Micronesia	Namibia
New Zealand	Nigeria	Palau
Papua New Guinea	Pakistan	Saint Kitts & Nevis
Saint Lucia	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	Seychelles
Sierra Leone	Singapore	Solomon Islands
South Africa±	Swaziland	Tanzania
Tonga	Trinidad and Tobago	Uganda
United Kingdom	United States of America	Zambia
Zimbabwe

                

*Some applicants from these countries may be required to provide proof of English proficiency as not all universities in these areas teach solely in English.