TOEFL/IELTS/DET Questions

If you are an international student, you must take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) exam, the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) exam or the Duolingo English Test (DET).

Self-Reported TOEFL/IELTS/DET scores must be input into the application by the application deadline. Official TOEFL/IELTS/DET scores are required in order to accept offers of admission (typically sent before the end of February).

TOEFL Codes:

• School/Institution: 4836
• Department: 35

Minimum Acceptable Scores:

• TOEFL Speaking: 23 (Applicants below 23 will not be considered)
• TOEFL Total: 100 (Applicants below 100 will not be considered)
• IELTS Speaking: 7 (Applicants below 7 will not be considered)
• IELTS Overall: 7 (Applicants below 7 will not be considered)
• DET: Equivalent to TOEFL and IELTS requirements

International applicants may be exempt from this requirement if they have earned or will be earning a bachelor's, master's, or doctoral degree with grades of B (3.0) or better from either:

• A regionally accredited U.S. college or university where English is the sole language of instruction, or
• A foreign college or university which provides instruction solely in English. You may verify whether your institution meets this requirement by looking up your institution in the IAU World Higher Education Database (WHED). If English is not the sole language of instruction listed, if no language is listed at all, or if the institution does not appear on the WHED website, you are required to submit English proficiency exam scores. No other documentation (e.g. letters, language certificates, school websites) may be used in place of WHED as a means to obtain an exemption from the English proficiency requirement.

For the Division of Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs' (GEPA) TOEFL/IELTS/DET FAQs, please visit their page on Test and Scores Questions.

International applicants may be exempt from this requirement if they have earned or will be earning a bachelor's, master's, or doctoral degree with grades of B (3.0) or better from either:

• A regionally accredited U.S. college or university where English is the sole language of instruction, or
• A foreign college or university which provides instruction solely in English. You may verify whether your institution meets this requirement by looking up your institution in the IAU World Higher Education Database (WHED). If English is not the sole language of instruction listed, if no language is listed at all, or if the institution does not appear on the WHED website, you are required to submit English proficiency exam scores. No other documentation (e.g. letters, language certificates, school websites) may be used in place of WHED as a means to obtain an exemption from the English proficiency requirement.

For questions regarding TOEFL/IELTS/DET exemption, please contact gradadmissions@ucsd.edu.

No, working/teaching in the United States does not qualify you for a TOEFL/IELTS/DET exemption.

Yes, beginning with the Fall 2026 admissions cycle, UC San Diego will accept the Duolingo English Test (DET) as one of the approved options to meet the English language proficiency requirement.

No, MyBestScore is not accepted by UC San Diego.

No, only Self-Reported TOEFL/IELTS/DET scores must be input into the application by the application deadline. Official TOEFL/IELTS/DET scores are required in order to accept offers of admission (typically sent before the end of February).

Minimum Acceptable TOEFL and IELTS Scores for the program:

• TOEFL Speaking: 23 (Applicants below 23 will not be considered)
• TOEFL Total: 100 (Applicants below 100 will not be considered)
• IELTS Speaking: 7 (Applicants below 7 will not be considered)
• IELTS Overall: 7 (Applicants below 7 will not be considered)
• DET: Equivalent to TOEFL and IELTS requirements

No, applicants who do not meet the TOEFL/IELTS/DET minimum scores will not be considered by the Admissions Committee nor the program:

• TOEFL Speaking: 23 (Applicants below 23 will not be considered)
• TOEFL Total: 100 (Applicants below 100 will not be considered)
• IELTS Speaking: 7 (Applicants below 7 will not be considered)
• IELTS Overall: 7 (Applicants below 7 will not be considered)
• DET: Equivalent to TOEFL and IELTS requirements

• TOEFL School/Institution Code: 4836
• TOEFL Department Code: 35

Only School/Institution Code is required.

Please visit the Division of Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs' (GEPA) page on Test and Scores Questions and see How can I submit my IELTS scores?.

No, you must submit unofficial TOEFL/IELTS/DET scores by the deadline.

Please visit the Division of Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs' (GEPA) page on Test and Scores Questions and/or email gradadmissions@ucsd.edu.