What IELTS score do you need for UMBC?

The Graduate School accepts TOEFL, Duolingo (most programs), IELTS and PTE Academic. Minimums are TOEFL 80 for tests before 21 January 2026 or 4 after, TOEFL Essentials 8.5, IELTS 6.5 total, PTE 53 and Duolingo 115; MyBest and single-date TOEFL scores are both accepted. Certain programs require higher scores, so check your program page. See international applicants.

The Data Science MPS is one example: TOEFL 90 with no section below 22 (4.5 on the new TOEFL), IELTS section scores adding up to at least 27.5 with no section below 6.5, PTE 61 or Duolingo 120, all less than two years old. In practice that IELTS rule means four 7s, or a mix such as 7, 7, 7, 6.5. The page also says applicants with a three-year degree have their transcript reviewed for prerequisites.

The exceptions document exempts applicants primarily educated in listed countries such as Australia, Canada (except Quebec), Ghana, Ireland, New Zealand, Nigeria, South Africa and the UK; for Kenya, Singapore and a few others only English-system education counts. India, Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh are not listed.

Graduate applicants can also be exempted after review if they hold a US bachelor's or master's, completed two years of full-time study in the US or a listed country, completed related master's-level coursework there with a B or better, have lived and worked in the US for at least five years, or finished Level 6 at UMBC's English Language Institute. Waiver requests go to the Graduate School in writing.

UMBC's recommended levels for first-year admission are Duolingo 115, TOEFL 4.5 (80 before 21 January 2026), IELTS 6.5, SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing 500, Cambridge 176, PTE 53, ACT English 21, or a C or better in English composition at a US college. See first-year international admission.

The US F-1 student visa sets no English test score of its own. What counts is the requirement UMBC sets for admission, which leads to your Form I-20. For the wider picture of studying in the US with each test, see IELTS for the USA and PTE for the USA.

Requirements change between admission cycles. Check the UMBC Graduate School international applicants page again before you book a test, and check your own program page, which can set a higher bar.