UMass Amherst seeks to admit students who will contribute fully to campus life, inside and outside the classroom. Therefore, all non-native speakers of English must demonstrate English language proficiency. The following are ways in which you can satisfy the English language proficiency requirement:
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TOEFL: minimum composite score of 80 no subscore lower than 20 (code #3917). We do not accept TOEFL MyBest Scores.
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IELTS: minimum composite score of 6.5 on the academic test with no subscore lower than 6.0 (We will not accept paper IELTS test report forms)
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English education: Entire secondary education (four years) is at a school where English is the primary language of instruction and the British or American curriculum is followed
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Unscripted interview: While not required for admission, all international students may choose to submit a third-party unscripted interview. If you choose to submit an interview, companies that provide this service include InitialView
We are committed to reducing barriers caused by COVID-19 disruptions for students who plan to apply for admission. Therefore, beginning with the spring 2021 term the following tests will temporarily be accepted as approved examinations for English proficiency:
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TOEFL ITP Plus for China: minimum score of 550 is required (scores will be provided by Vericant)
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TOEFL iBT Special Home Edition: minimum score of 80 is required (code #3917)
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IELTS Indicator: minimum composite score of 6.5 on the academic test with no subscore lower than 6.0 (We will not accept paper IELTS test report forms)
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Duolingo English Test (DET): minimum score of 105 is required (Use the same email address as used with the Common Application)
If you are providing proof of English language proficiency based on one of the test scores listed above, please note that the score reports must be less than two years old and come to Undergraduate Admissions directly from the testing service. Also note that we do not superscore language tests (e.g. we do not accept MyBest scores from TOEFL.)
The University of Massachusetts Amherst downloads IELTS scores that have been transmitted to our e-download account. Please contact your test center and request that your scores be sent to the following IELTS e-download account:
University of Massachusetts Amherst
534 Goodell Building
140 Hicks Way
Amherst, MA 01003-9333
Please note: Waiver of the English proficiency testing requirement will be granted only after our verification that the applicant has satisfied one of the above waiver criteria, based on official documentation contained in the student's application materials. The official verification process will be conducted after the student's application has been submitted and reviewed.
UMass Amherst welcomes you to apply for admission as an international student if you are not a United States citizen or a permanent resident of the United States.