The ability to communicate effectively in English — to read, write and speak the language fluently — is vital to your success as a university student.
International USC graduate applicants are therefore expected to demonstrate their proficiency in English as part of the application process and should carefully review the guidelines below.
U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents (i.e., green card holders) are considered to be “domestic” applicants – regardless of where they have studied or reside. Domestic applicants are exempt from the university’s English-proficiency requirements.
IMPORTANT: USC does not set university-wide score minimums for graduate admission purposes. The scores listed below are typically used for placement purposes only to determine if an admitted student will need to take the International Student English (ISE) Examination upon arrival at USC.
English-proficiency scores must be dated within 2 years (24 months) of the date you submit your graduate application. For example, a prospective student applying to Fall 2024 who submits their USC application in December 2023 must have taken the test no earlier than December 2021.
USC accepts the TOEFL iBT Home Edition, iBT Paper Edition, and the standard in-person TOEFL iBT administered in official test centers. Admitted students are exempt from taking the ISE Exam with the following scores:
PhD | 100 or above, with 20 or above in each section. |
Master’s | 90 or above, with 20 or above in each section. |
Sending official scores to USC: USC must receive scores electronically from the testing service for them to be considered official. Photocopies or paper copies of scores are not acceptable.
USC’s institution code is 4852. No department code is required.
USC accepts IELTS Academic and IELTS Indicator (Online version) scores. Admitted students are exempt from taking the ISE Exam with the following scores:
PhD | 7 or above, with 6 or above on each band. |
Master’s | 6.5 or above, with 6 or above on each band. |
Sending official scores to USC: USC must receive scores electronically from the testing service for them to be considered official. Photocopies or paper copies of scores from the testing service are not acceptable.
Select “University of Southern California” from the list of available institutions when you register to take the IELTS test. Alternatively, provide this information to your testing center after you have taken the test. Contact information for the USC department to which you are applying is not required.
USC accepts PTE Academic and PTE Academic Online scores. Admitted students are exempt from taking the ISE Exam with the following scores:
PhD | 68 or above, with 53 or above on each band. |
Master’s | 61 or above, with 53 or above on each band. |
Sending official scores to USC: USC must receive scores electronically from the testing service for them to be considered official. Photocopies or paper copies of scores from the testing service are not acceptable.
Select “University of Southern California” from the list of available institutions when you register to take the PTE Academic test. Alternatively, provide this information to your testing center after you have taken the test. Contact information for the USC department to which you are applying is not required.
Special Accommodations: The Educational Testing Service (TOEFL), the British Council (IELTS) and Pearson (PTE Academic) will provide accommodations for those with disabilities.
PLEASE NOTE: Some individual programs may set internal score minimums higher than those listed here. Please refer to your intended graduate program(s) for information about their English-language proficiency test requirements.
International applicants are exempt from submitting English-proficiency scores under the following circumstances:
1) You hold a degree (bachelor’s, master’s, or doctorate) from USC or are currently enrolled in a USC degree program.
2) You hold a bachelor’s degree completed in its entirety in the United States or U.S. bachelor’s-equivalent in a qualifying Anglophone country (as defined below). To determine degree equivalency, please refer to our country requirements.
The bachelor’s degree should be earned at a regionally accredited university located in the United States, or at an officially recognized university in another country where English is both the language of instruction and the only officially recognized language of the country.
The entire program needs to have been completed in the qualifying country. Dual-degree holders who completed just part of their degree in the U.S. or other qualifying country and students who have transferred credits from a non-Anglophone country do not qualify for this waiver.
3) You have completed a master’s or doctoral degree from a country in which English is both the language of instruction and the only official language.
The degree must have already been completed at the time you submit your USC application. Applicants who have not yet completed a qualifying master’s or doctoral program at the time of submission will still need to submit English-proficiency scores
4) Your native language is English.
This applies to native English speakers from countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada (except Quebec), where English is both the only official language of the country and the language of instruction.
USC does not waive the English-proficiency requirement based on any other consideration such as work experience, ESL enrollment, amount of time spent in the U.S., etc. It also cannot be waived on the basis of programs taught in English in non-Anglophone countries.
To determine if USC requires TOEFL/IELTS/PTE scores for your country of study, please check here.
Students seeking to prepare their English and academic skills for the rigors of graduate study at USC may wish to explore the USC International Academy as an option.
EXCEPTIONS: The Office of Graduate Admission does not have the authority to grant exemptions to the university’s English-proficiency policies on the basis of applicant requests. Exemption requests submitted directly to our office by applicants themselves are automatically denied. If you have extraordinary circumstances which you believe may merit an individualized exemption, please contact your intended graduate program to discuss available options.