English Proficiency

• Undergraduate Students

  All undergraduate applicants whose native language is not English, and who have not attended schools at the secondary level or above for at least three years full time where English is the principal language of instruction must:

  • present a qualifying score on a recognized external English language proficiency exam OR
  • provide evidence of study in a qualifying country/region OR
  • successfully complete qualifying GE courses from an accredited US institution OR
  • successfully complete the required level at a partner English Language School

  Accepted Exams for Undergraduate Applicants

  Exam Type	Undergraduate Minimum Score	2nd Bachelor's Minimum Score
  TOEFL (iBT) Tests  TOEFL iBT TOEFL iBT Home Edition TOEFL iBT Paper Edition	61	80
  TOEFL Essentials Test	7.0	9.0
  IELTS Tests IELTS Academic IELTS Indicator (Home) IELTS Online	6.0	6.5
  Pearson PTE Pearson PTE Academic Pearson PTE Academic Online	47	59
  SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing	550	-
  ACT English	22	-
  WAEC SSCE English	B3	-
  GCSE, GCE O-level, or IGCSE English First Language	B	-
  IB English A: Language & Literature HL or Literature HL(opens in new window)	5	-

  Bachelor’s English Proficiency Waiver Countries/Regions

  Students who have completed three years of full-time academic study at a secondary school or beyond in the following countries:

  Antigua & Barbuda, Australia, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Canada (except Quebec), Cayman Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Ireland, Jamaica, New Zealand, South Africa (English medium schools), Kitts & Nevis, Lucia, Trinidad & Tobago, Turks and Caicos, United Kingdom, United States, or any international school with US regional accreditation.

  Second Bachelor's applicants should refer to the graduate list of waiver countries below.

  GE Classes at a US College: 

  Students who have completed CSU General Education areas A1 Oral Communication and A2 Written Communication at any US regionally-accredited college or university in the US with grades of C or better.

  Conditional Admission through a Partnered English Language School:

  1. Successful completion of Level 112 at an ELS language Center.(opens in new window)
  2. Successful completion of Level 10 at The New England School of English(opens in new window).
  3. Successful completion of the high-intermediate level at Kaplan International Center.(opens in new window)
  4. Successful completion of Level 600 at the UC Riverside Extension's Intensive English Program (IEP)(opens in new window)
  5. Successful completion of Level 6 at the UC San Diego English Language Institute(opens in new window)
  6. Successful completion of Level 5 at the University of Southern California Intensive Language Program

  Second Bachelor's applicants should refer to the graduate list of partner English Language Schools below.

• Graduate Students

  All international graduate applicants whose native language is not English, and who have not attended institutions at the post-secondary level for at least three years full time where English is the principal language of instruction must: 

  • present a qualifying score on a recognized external English language proficiency exam OR
  • provide evidence of study in a qualifying country/region OR
  • successfully complete the required level at a partner English Language School

   

  Accepted Exams for Graduate Applicants

  Exam Type	Graduate Minimum Score
  TOEFL (iBT) Tests  TOEFL iBT TOEFL iBT Home Edition TOEFL iBT Paper Edition	80
  TOEFL Essentials	9.0
  IELTS Tests IELTS Academic IELTS Indicator (Home) IELTS Online	6.5
  Pearson PTE Pearson PTE Academic Pearson PTE Academic Online	59

  *Some master's programs may require a higher score. Check the department website for information.

  Graduate English Proficiency Waiver Countries/Regions

  Students who have completed a degree or three years of full-time academic study at post-secondary schools in the following countries:

  Antigua & Barbuda, Australia, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, Botswana, British Virgin Islands, Canada (except Quebec), Cayman Islands, Dominica, Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guyana, Ireland, Jamaica, Kenya, Liberia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, South Africa (English medium schools), St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Lucia, the United States (or any international university with US regional accreditation), Trinidad & Tobago, Turks and Caicos, United Kingdom, Zambia, Zimbabwe

  Conditional Admission through a Partnered English Language School:

  1. Successful completion of Level 7 at the  UC San Diego English Language Institute(opens in new window)

  Note: Not all Graduate programs offer conditional admission.  Check with the specific department to which you are applying.

Chico State reserves the right to require evidence of English language proficiency for all applicants, the adequacy of which shall be at the sole discretion of Chico State.