English Proficiency Requirement for First-Year Students

Non-native speakers of English are required to have an official report of one of the following English Proficiency Requirement Options.  English is considered a native (first) language if the student has been raised in an environment where English is the only official language of the locality and nation, and English is the primary language used at home.  Score reports need to be sent directly from the testing center.

• TOEFL score report of 550 Paper Based TOEFL (PBT), 213 on the Computer Based TOEFL (CBT) or an 80 on the Internet Based TOEFL (iBT) with a subscore of 20 on the written and 20 on the speaking sections.  The St. Thomas TOEFL code is 6110.
  
• IELTS score report of 6.5.
  
• Michigan English Language Assessment Battery-minimum score report of 77, and must be accompanied by an official letter from the testing coordinator. 
  
• SAT critical reading score of 450.
  
• ACT verbal score of 19.
  
• ELS Language Center successful completion of Level 112, and with the recommendation of academic director. 
  
• Students who do not meet any of the above English proficiency requirements may apply to attend under the University of St Thomas English Program (USTEP).  Click here for details.  

Note: The SAT or ACT are not required for international student visa holders for admissions, but may be used to complete the English proficiency requirement. 

All students who are non-native speakers of English, who have below a TOEFL score of 600 pbt, 250 cbt or 100 ibt, or below an IELTS score of 7.5, are required to take a placement test for English composition upon arrival to UST.   Students may be required to take the placement test based on the submitted transcript; determined by the director of international admissions.