English Language Proficiency

Undergraduate Direct Admission Requirements

Strong English language skills are important to academic success at CSU. To support student success, we require all students whose first language is not English to demonstrate a high level of English proficiency regardless of their citizenship. Applicants from Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom whose first language is English are exempt from this requirement.

TOEFL, IELTS Academic, or Duolingo English Test (DET) results are the preferred indicators of English proficiency for undergraduate applicants. For applicants seeking direct admission, the requirements are as follows:

Clear Admission
TOEFL IBT*72
IELTS Academic6.0
Duolingo (undergraduate only)110

*Consideration of paper-based TOEFL (PBT) results requires an interview. Contact a member of our international admissions team for details.

Undergraduate Conditional Admission

You will be considered for conditional admission if you meet our academic admission standards but have not submitted a qualifying TOEFL, IELTS, or Duolingo score.

Students who are awarded conditional admission enroll in the Intensive English Program (IEP) at CSU until the Academic English Program is completed or the required TOEFL, Duolingo, or IELTS score is achieved.

Graduate School Requirements

CSU Graduate School requires that proficiency in the English language be demonstrated either by the TOEFL, IELTS, Duolingo, or and PTE Academic tests prior to admission.

  • TOEFL minimum score – 550 (paper based), 80 (Internet based)
  • IELTS minimum score – 6.5
  • Duolingo minimum score – 120
  • PTE minimum score – 58

Note: Your department may have higher TOEFL/IELTS/Duolingo/PTE score requirements.

More info on Graduate Requirements: Graduate English Proficiency Requirements

English Testing Resources

TOEFL scores must be submitted directly from the testing agency. Pearson and IELTS official score printouts should be sent to the Admissions office: 1062 Campus Delivery, Fort Collins, CO  80523-1062 or email: admissions@colostate.edu.

TOEFL test dates, locations, and costs:

Educational Testing Service Rosedale Road, Princeton, NJ 08541 USA Telephone: (609) 921-9000; FAX: (609) 734-5410 E-Mail: etsinfo@ets.org Website: www.ets.org/toefl/ Institution Code: 4075

TOEFL promo code for students applying to Colorado State University

IELTS test dates, locations, and costs:

IELTS International 825 Colorado Blvd., Suite 112 Los Angeles, CA 90041 USA Telephone: (323) 255-2771 FAX: (323) 255-1261 E-Mail: sianovskaia@ieltsintl.org Website: www.ielts.org/usa

Alternative measures of English proficiency

  • Successful completion of the Intensive English Program (IEP) at CSU (Conditional admission may be offered to IEP students studying at the advanced level.)
  • SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing score of 520 or higher
    ACT English/Reading score of 20 or higher
  • A grade of 5 or better in the International Baccalaureate (IB) HL English course
  • An IGCSE or A-level result of C or better on the English/First Language exam. Test results must be official and not predicted to be considered for direct admission.
  • Completion of a U.S. diploma and/or two or more years of secondary transcripts reflecting progress towards a U.S. diploma from a regionally-accredited organization as defined by the U.S. Department of Education
  • Completion of at least two semesters of U.S. post-secondary/university course work in English, including college composition and speech with grades of C or better. Courses must have been taken at a regionally-accredited college/university to be considered for direct admission
  • Gaokao/NCEE English score of 105 or higher AND an online interview with an international admissions counselor
  • WAEC/WASSCE grade of B3 or better on English language
  • AP Language & Composition exam or Literature & Composition exam with a score of 4 or better

Alternative measures of proficiency not listed above may be considered on a case-by-case basis; contact a member of the international admissions team for details.