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A survey of English language proficiency tests in international student admissions at US research-intensive universities.

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Title: A survey of English language proficiency tests in international student admissions at US research-intensive universities.
Authors: Coney, Nicholas1 (AUTHOR), Isbell, Daniel R.1 (AUTHOR) disbell@hawaii.edu
Source: Language Testing. Apr2026, Vol. 43 Issue 2, p233-252. 20p.
Subject Terms: *English language ability testing, *Research universities & colleges, *Language ability, *Foreign study, *School entrance requirements, *International English Language Testing System
Geographic Terms: United States
Abstract: Over one million international students are enrolled in US higher education institutions. To be admitted into one of these degree-granting institutions, international students must demonstrate sufficient English language proficiency (ELP)–often with a test score. Previous research on ELP tests has shed light on how scores correlate with academic success and how institutions make decisions about minimum required scores, but the extent to which US institutions vary in their use of ELP tests in international admissions is not well understood. In this study, we examined ELP test policies across all US research-intensive, doctoral-granting institutions (Carnegie R1) for general undergraduate admissions and graduate admissions. Results show that 32 different ELP tests were being used for admissions. The most accepted ELP tests were TOEFL iBT, IELTS Academic, Duolingo English Test, and Pearson Test of English Academic (in that order). A wide range of unconditional and conditional cut scores was found across institutions. Subscore requirements were not common. Institutions requiring higher ELP cut scores (specifically TOEFL iBT) tended to be more prestigious (higher ranked) and selective (admitting smaller proportions of undergraduate applicants). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Language Testing is the property of Sage Publications, Ltd. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Education Research Complete
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  Data: Over one million international students are enrolled in US higher education institutions. To be admitted into one of these degree-granting institutions, international students must demonstrate sufficient English language proficiency (ELP)–often with a test score. Previous research on ELP tests has shed light on how scores correlate with academic success and how institutions make decisions about minimum required scores, but the extent to which US institutions vary in their use of ELP tests in international admissions is not well understood. In this study, we examined ELP test policies across all US research-intensive, doctoral-granting institutions (Carnegie R1) for general undergraduate admissions and graduate admissions. Results show that 32 different ELP tests were being used for admissions. The most accepted ELP tests were TOEFL iBT, IELTS Academic, Duolingo English Test, and Pearson Test of English Academic (in that order). A wide range of unconditional and conditional cut scores was found across institutions. Subscore requirements were not common. Institutions requiring higher ELP cut scores (specifically TOEFL iBT) tended to be more prestigious (higher ranked) and selective (admitting smaller proportions of undergraduate applicants). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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  Data: <i>Copyright of Language Testing is the property of Sage Publications, Ltd. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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        Value: 10.1177/02655322251348617
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        Text: English
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      – SubjectFull: Research universities & colleges
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      – SubjectFull: Language ability
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      – SubjectFull: Foreign study
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      – SubjectFull: International English Language Testing System
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              Text: Apr2026
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