English Language Requirements | University of Toronto

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 studies at a Canadian school

You must be sure to provide your full academic history on your application for admission and provide all relevant transcripts to U of T (after you have submitted your application), so that we can automatically consider you for an exemption on the basis of these criteria.

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/tests, 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 Enrolment Services 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 Enrolment Services.

Cambridge Assessment English

A minimum grade of "C" in C2: Proficiency, OR
A minimum grade of "B" in C1: Advanced
For more information, visit: www.cambridgeenglish.org
Sending us your results: 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)

The minimum score required to meet our English facility requirement is an overall score of 70 and no part below 60.
For information and registration, visit www.cael.ca
Sending us your results: Official final results should be sent to us directly by the testing service.

Canadian Test of English for Scholars and Trainees (CanTEST)

The minimum requirement is a total score of 4.5, and no part below 4.
For information and registration, visit www.cantest.uottawa.ca
Sending us your results: Official final results should be sent to us directly by the testing service.

English Language Diagnosis and Assessment/Certificate of Proficiency in English (ELDA/COPE)

Minimum Requirement: 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
Test results that fall into the discretionary range indicated above 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 and registration, contact:www.copetest.com
Email: info@copetest.com

Sending us your results: Results must be sent to us electronically by the testing service. We don't accept paper results.

GCSE/IGCSE/GCE/AICE English courses

Our English facility requirement can be satisfied by any of the following:

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/CAPE English or English Language
Sending us your results: Final results should be sent to us directly by the appropriate examination authority. Predicted results should be sent by your school.

International Baccalaureate 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.
Sending us your results: Final results should be sent to us directly by the International Baccalaureate Organization. You can make your request online at International Baccalaureate Office: www.ibo.org
Predicted results should be sent by your school.

International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Academic Module

The minimum requirement is an overall band of 6.5, with no band below 6.0.

For information and registration, visit www.ielts.org

Sending us your results: Results must be sent to us electronically. You should select University of Toronto (Undergraduate and Graduate programs) from the list of options. The University of Toronto (Undergraduate and Graduate Programs) is an IELTS "STED RO". This means that we subscribe to the electronic score-sending service and do not accept paper results. You do not need to notify U of T once you have ordered your test results. U of T receives IELTS results on an ongoing basis.

Michigan English Language Assessment Battery (MELAB)

Note: this test is no longer available (as of June 2018)
The minimum requirement is an overall score of 85, with no part score below 80. We do not require the optional MELAB Oral Test.
Discretionary Range: total score 80-85, with 85 or better in Composition
Test results that fall into the discretionary range indicated above 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.

For information, see: https://michiganassessment.org/test-takers/tests/melab/
Email: info@michiganassessment.org

Sending us your results: Results must be sent to us directly from the testing service.

Ontario College of Applied Arts and Technology

A three-year diploma (Advanced Diploma) or an Applied Degree in an academic program at an Ontario College of Applied Arts and Technology
The minimum requirement is the completion of a three-year diploma or current enrolment in the final semester of a three-year diploma or an Applied Degree in an academic program with overall grades of "B+" (or in progress). A current, updated transcript is required. All three or four years of study must be completed in Ontario.
Sending us your results: Official final transcripts must be sent to us directly by the OUAC.

Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)

The minimum scores required for the different TOEFL tests are:

Internet-based Test:

Minimum Requirement: total score of 100 + 22 on Writing
Discretionary Range: total score 89-99 +22 on Writing

Paper-based Test (discontinued in July 2017) :

Minimum Requirement: total score of 600 + 5.0 on TWE
Discretionary Range: total score 573-597 + 5.0 on TWE

Paper-delivered Test (offered from October 2017) results will be reviewed on an individual basis.

Test results that fall into the discretionary ranges indicated above 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.

We do not accept the TOEFL ITP assessment for admission purposes.

Sending us your results: Results must be sent to us electronically from ETS - TOEFL. The institution code is 0982-00.

For information and registration, contact www.ets.org/toefl
Email: toefl@ets.org

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 and registration, contact

English Language Program
School of Continuing Studies, University of Toronto
158 St. George Street
Toronto, ON, M5S 2V8
Telephone: 416-978-5104; Fax: 416-971- 2839
Email: learn.english@utoronto.ca
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 Enrolment Services. Enrolment Services does not accept paper results or results submitted by students.

University studies

One full year of full-time degree study at a recognized English-medium university located in a country where English is the dominant language
The minimum requirement is four full transferable degree courses completed with grades of 'C' (or in progress). If courses are in progress, you must submit an up-to-date transcript showing enrolment in all courses.
Sending us your transcripts: Official final transcripts should be sent to us directly by the university, or through the OUAC if you attended university in Ontario.

Additional Details

We accept only official test scores sent directly to Enrolment Services by the testing agency. We recommend that you request that your result be sent to us as soon as it is available. Note that you will not be penalized for an unacceptable result if we receive an acceptable result by the deadline.

Your results need to be sent to us as soon as possible and no later than your deadline for submitting supporting documentation – find the appropriate deadline on the Important Application Dates page.

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 Enrolment Services on your behalf. We also reserve the right to require recent, government-issued photo identification for verification purposes.

Note About English Course Requirements For Canadian Secondary School Applicants Required to Present Proof of English Facility

Normally, a senior level English course (equivalent to Ontario ENG4U/EAE4U) is required for admission to all undergraduate programs. However, if you are required to present proof of English facility based on the above criteria, you are exempted from this requirement and you may present a different academic Grade 12 course in place of English. You must still present the total number of credits as required for your province or territory and satisfy the graduation requirements.

You are still strongly encouraged to include English in your preparation for university. If you are required to present proof of English facility and are also completing Grade 12 English, we would include your English mark in the admission average only if it improves your average or if you have no other acceptable academic courses. Please see the requirements for Canadian high school students for information on which courses are acceptable.

*New for 2020: all applicants, including those who must present proof of English facility, will be required to present a senior level English (equivalent to Ontario ENG4U/EAE4U) for admission to all undergraduate programs, and the English grade will be included in the applicant’s calculated average.

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You may qualify for an exemption if you have studied in English (for at least four years) in any of the countries/territories listed below. 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 (i.e: transcripts). Countries/territories: Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, Botswana, British Virgin Islands, Cameroon, Cayman Islands, Dominica, 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, eSwatini (Swaziland), Tanzania, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands, Uganda, United Kingdom (England, Northern Ireland, Wales), United States of America, Vanuatu, Zambia and Zimbabwe.