English Proficiency

Applicants seeking regular admission whose native language is not English must submit minimum satisfactory scores on one of the following standardized tests. No other measures of English proficiency are accepted by the University of Arkansas for the purpose of gaining admission.

Score for Admission

English proficiency tests must have been taken within two years immediately preceding the requested semester of admission.

English Proficiency Test Score Website
PTE-A Pearson Test of English-Academic

58

PTE Academic
TOEFL Internet-Based

79
Institutional TOEFL1

550

TOEFL ITP
IELTS Academic2

6.5

IELTS
iTEP

3.9

iTEP
C1 Advanced (Cambridge Assessment English)

176

C1 Advanced
SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing Subscore

500

SAT website
ACT English Subscore

19

ACT website
Completion of English Composition I and II with grades of A, B, or C from a regionally accredited U.S. university or country where English is the native language.
  1. Note: The Institutional TOEFL test is only accepted when taken through University of Arkansas' Testing Services.

  2. Note: The IELTS General Training exam is not accepted.

Note: The Duolingo English Test (DET) is authorized as a supplemental measure for use on a case-by-case basis under prescribed circumstances for admission and enrollment, with the understanding that additional assessments would be required upon the student's arrival to campus. Minimum score requirements must be provided if use of the DET is approved.

English Proficiency Test Exemptions

Applicants whose native language is English are exempt. Native language is defined as the primary language a person spoke while growing up in their family, community and nation. Any applicant that is not from one of the listed countries will be asked for additional proof if they are claiming English as their native language.

Applicants who have completed English Composition I and II with grades of A, B, or C from a regionally accredited U.S. university or a country where English is the native language are exempt.

Undergraduate students who are non-native speakers of English will be assessed for written English proficiency upon admission.

Students that do not meet the minimum written requirements listed in Level I below will be required to successfully complete one or more writing support courses. Assessment is made based on writing scores from the accepted tests in the table below.

English Language Writing Score Requirements for Undergraduate Students1

  • Level I students will not be required to take additional language instruction.
  • Level II students will be required to complete (with C or better) the following ELAC course.
    • ELAC 1023
    • Level III students will be required to successfully complete (with C or better) the following two ELAC courses .
      • ELAC 1023 and ELAC 0011
Accepted Test Level I Level II Level III
PTE-A Pearson Test of English (Academic Writing) 77-84 71-74 0-68
TOEFL Internet-based (Writing) 28-30 26-27 0-25
IELTS Academic (Writing) ≥6.5 6.0 5.0-5.5
iTEP (Writing) ≥4.0 3.7-3.9 0-3.6
C1 Advanced CAE (Cambridge Assessment English) 169-190 155-168 ≤154
  1. Note: Students that received a waiver of the English Language Proficiency requirement for admission also receive a waiver of the writing placement requirement