English Language Requirements
English is the language of instruction and examination at U of T, and success in our degree programs requires a high level of English language proficiency.
If English is not your first language (i.e. is not the first language you learned at home as a child), you will need to provide evidence of adequate English facility for admission consideration, unless you qualify for an exemption.
You may qualify for an exemption from the English facility requirement if one of the following applies to you:
- You have completed/are completing four or more years of full-time study in a recognized Canadian school (in Canada) that teaches in English
- You have completed/are completing four or more years of full-time study in an English language school located in a country where the dominant language is English
- Your first language is French and you have completed four or more years of full-time study at a Canadian school
If you meet any of the exemption criteria listed above, you must complete the “English Language Test Exemption Request Form” after submitting your application for admission. You will be able to access the form on the JOIN U of T applicant website once you have received your U of T acknowledgement email. Submitting the form and all required supporting documentation (e.g. transcripts) well ahead of the document deadline is recommended.
All applicants, including those who must present proof of English facility, are required to present a senior level English course (equivalent to Ontario ENG4U/EAE4U) for admission to all undergraduate programs. The English course result will be considered in the admissions process and calculated as part of an applicant’s admission average.
Tests/Qualifications That Provide Acceptable Evidence of English Facility
If you are required to present evidence of English language facility, you can satisfy the requirement by completing one of the tests/qualifications listed below with acceptable results. We will not accept your Grade 12 English results, your results in any other English course/test, or letters of reference from your school or employer for this purpose.
If you meet the admission and program-specific requirements, but not the University’s English Language Requirements, you might be a candidate for one of our English Language Transition Programs.
If you are unsure as to whether you are required to submit evidence of English facility, contact University Admissions and Outreach for more information.
We strongly advise you to complete your test and submit your scores to us well in advance of published deadlines. It may take several weeks from the time your test results are released until they reach University Admissions and Outreach.
| Test: | Requirements: | Submitting Results: |
|---|---|---|
Cambridge English C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency | A minimum overall score of 180, with at least 170 in each component. For information visit: www.cambridgeenglish.org. Results from the B2 First exam are not accepted (regardless of the result achieved). | Use the "Send Your Result" function of the Candidate Results portal (candidates.cambridgeenglish.org) to send your results electronically to the University of Toronto. |
Canadian Academic English Language Assessment (CAEL), including CAEL Online | The minimum score required to meet our English facility requirement is an overall score of 70 and no part below 60. For information visit: www.cael.ca. | Sign in to your CAEL Account and select University of Toronto as a recipient institution. Results are transmitted to us electronically. |
Caribbean Examinations Council English courses | The minimum requirement is a final grade of A (I) or B (II) in CSEC English. | Final results should be sent to us directly by CXC. |
Duolingo English Test | The minimum requirement for tests completed on or after July 1st, 2024 is an overall score of 120 with a score of 120 in Production. The minimum requirement for tests completed before July 1st, 2024 is an overall score of 120, with no subscore below 100. For more information visit: englishtest.duolingo.com. | To avoid processing delays, do not send your results until you have received your U of T applicant number. To send your results, log in to your Duolingo English Test account and use the “Send Results” function to forward your results to “University of Toronto – Undergraduate”. You will be prompted to add your U of T applicant number to your request. |
English Language Diagnosis and Assessment/Certificate of Proficiency in English (ELDA/COPE) | The minimum requirement is a total score of 86, with 32 in Writing and 22 in each of Reading and Listening Discretionary Range: total score 80 or higher, with 32 in Writing and 22 in each of Reading and Listening Test results that fall into the discretionary range will be reviewed automatically. Applicants will be notified if their discretionary range score satisfies the English language requirement. As we cannot guarantee that these scores will be accepted, it is recommended that applicants arrange to take another test if the official results can be submitted to us by the appropriate document deadline. ELDA/COPE is currently available in Toronto only. For information visit: www.copetest.com. | Results must be sent to us electronically by the testing service. |
GCSE/IGCSE/GCE/AICE English | A minimum final grade of “B” (“6” in reformed qualifications) in GCSE/IGCSE/GCE Ordinary Level English, English Language, or English as a Second Language; OR a minimum final or predicted grade of “C” in GCE A Level/AS Level/AICE English or English Language. Note that IGCSE English as an Additional Language is not accepted. | Final results should be sent to us directly by the appropriate examination authority. Predicted results should be sent by your school. |
International Baccalaureate (IB) English | The minimum requirement is a score of at least 4 (predicted or final) in Higher or Standard Level English A: Literature or English A: Language and Literature. HL English B is not acceptable. | Final results should be sent to us directly by the International Baccalaureate Organization. You can make your request online at: www.ibo.org (select "University of Toronto" as the transcript recipient). Predicted results should be sent by your school. |
IELTS Academic (including IELTS Online) | The minimum requirement is an overall band of 6.5, with no band below 6.0. Results from IELTS (Academic) for UKVI test sittings are accepted.
For information visit www.ielts.org. Note: we do not accept the IELTS Indicator test or results from the IELTS One Skill Retake. Applicants must achieve the scores listed above on a single date. | We only accept scores submitted electronically by the IELTS test centre. An institutional code is not required. Contact your IELTS test centre directly to arrange for your scores to be sent electronically to our account via the IELTS Results Service. All test centres worldwide are able to transmit your scores to our system. You must provide the following information to your test centre when submitting:
|
Ontario College of Applied Arts and Technology | The minimum requirement is a three-year/Advanced Diploma or current enrolment in the final semester of a three-year/Advanced Diploma or Applied Degree program with overall standing of “B+”. A current, updated transcript is required. All three or four years of study must be completed in Ontario. | Official transcripts must be sent to us directly by the OUAC. |
Pearson Test of English (PTE) Academic | The minimum requirement is an overall score of 65 with no part below 60. Results from PTE (Academic) UKVI test sittings are accepted. For information visit: https://www.pearsonpte.com/ | We only accept scores submitted electronically through MyPte account. For more information visit: https://www.pearsonpte.com/help-center/scoring |
TOEFL iBT (including Home Edition and Paper Edition) | The minimum requirement is a total score of 89 with 22 in each of Speaking and Writing. Applicants must achieve the scores listed above on a single date. TOEFL MyBest (super-scored) results will not be used. We do not accept TOEFL Essentials, TOEFL ITP or TOEFL ITP Plus for China for admission purposes | Results must be sent to us electronically from ETS – TOEFL. The institution code is 0982-00. For information visit: www.ets.org/toefl. |
University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies “Academic English” course | The minimum requirement is a grade of “B” at the 60/Advanced level. For information visit: english.learn.utoronto.ca. | Upon successful completion of the Academic English Level 60 course, you must ask the English Language Program office to send the results electronically to the Office of University Admissions and Outreach. |
University Studies | The minimum requirement is one year of full-time study completed at a recognized university in a country where English is the dominant language. At least four full-year transferable courses completed with a grade of “C” in each are required. Courses in progress will also be considered. A current, updated transcript is required. | Official final transcripts should be sent to us directly by the university, or through the OUAC if you attended university in Ontario. |
Submitting Your Results
Your results need to be sent to us as soon as possible and received no later than your deadline for submitting supporting documentation – find the appropriate deadline in Important Application Dates. You will not be penalized for an unacceptable result if we receive an acceptable result by the deadline.
We accept only official test scores sent directly to University Admissions and Outreach by the testing agency.
Be sure that you register for a test using the same first (given), surname (last/family name), date of birth, and gender as on your application for admission. We cannot match your results to your application if this information differs.
For verification purposes, the University reserves the right to share English facility test results sent in support of your application for admission with other English facility test provider(s) who have submitted results to University Admissions and Outreach on your behalf. We also reserve the right to require recent, government-issued photo identification for verification purposes.
Countries That May Qualify for Exemption
You may qualify for an exemption if you have studied in English (for at least four years) in any of the following countries/territories:
| Anguilla | Antigua and Barbuda | Australia |
| Bahamas | Barbados | Belize |
| Bermuda | Botswana | British Virgin Islands |
| Cameroon | Cayman Islands | Dominica |
| Eswatini (Swaziland) | Falkland Islands | Fiji |
| Gambia | Ghana | Gibraltar |
| Grenada | Guam | Guyana |
| Ireland | Jamaica | Kenya |
| Lesotho | Liberia | Malawi |
| Malta | Mauritius | Montserrat |
| Namibia | New Zealand | Nigeria |
| Papua New Guinea | St. Helena | St. Kitts and Nevis |
| St. Lucia | St. Vincent and the Grenadines | Scotland |
| Seychelles | Sierra Leone | Singapore |
| Solomon Islands | South Africa | Tanzania |
| Trinidad and Tobago | Turks and Caicos Islands | Uganda |
| United Kingdom (England, Northern Ireland, Wales) | United States of America | Vanuatu |
| Zambia | Zimbabwe |
Please note that this list is for information only. Your eligibility for an exemption will be determined after you have submitted your application for admission and relevant supporting documents like your transcripts.
