TOEFL score requirements for top universities abroad in 2026 vary widely by country, university, and program level, but most leading institutions continue to expect competitive English proficiency scores for international admissions.
For 2026 admissions, universities in the US, UK, Canada, Europe, and Australia are generally accepting TOEFL iBT scores between 80 and 110. Highly selective universities such as MIT, Columbia, and Yale often expect scores above 100. ETS has also introduced a new TOEFL 1-6 score scale from January 2026 alongside the existing 0-120 format, which universities are gradually integrating into their admission policies.
The required TOEFL score also depends on whether applicants are applying for undergraduate, postgraduate, MBA, or research programs. Some universities specify only an overall score, while others set minimum sectional requirements in Reading, Listening, Speaking, and Writing. In addition, several institutions now waive TOEFL requirements for students who have completed prior education in English-medium institutions, though policies differ across universities and departments.
TOEFL Score for Top Universities in the US 2026
Check the TOEFL score requirements for some of the top US universities in 2026:
| University | QS World University Ranking 2026 | Minimum TOEFL Score Requirement (Old Scale of 0-120) | Minimum TOEFL Score Requirement (New Scale of 1-6) |
|---|---|---|---|
| MIT | #=1 | 100 overall | 5.5 overall |
| Harvard University | #=5 | Most PG courses: 80 overall MBA: 109 | Most PG courses: 4.5 overall MBA: 5 |
| Stanford University | #=3 | 90 overall (below 109 will have to take the Stanford English Placement Test) | 4.5 overall (below 5.5 will have to take the Stanford English Placement Test) |
| Columbia University | #=38 | PG: 100 for the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences; English tests not required for MBA UG: 105 overall | UG/PG: 5.5 overall |
| University of Pennsylvania | #=15 | Engineering, MBA: 100 overall | Engineering, MBA: 5 overall |
| Yale University | #=21 | 100, with a minimum of 25 in Speaking | 5.5 overall with Speaking 5 |
| Princeton University | #=25 | Speaking 27 for most graduate programs, 28 for CS | 5.5 in Speaking |
| University of Chicago | #=13 | MS, CS: 100 overall MBA: 104 overall | MS CS, MBA: 5 overall |
| Cornell University | #=16 | PG: Speaking 27, Reading 20, Listening 15, Writing 20 UG: 100 overall | PG: Speaking 5.5, Reading 4, Listening 3.5, Writing 4 UG: 5.5 overall |
| Johns Hopkins University | #=24 | S CS: 100 overall UG: 100 overall, Listening 26, Reading 26, Writing 22, Speaking 25 | MS CS: 5.5 overall UG: 5.5 overall, Listening 5.5, Reading 5.5, Writing 5, Speaking 5 |
Note: Universities like MIT, Yale, John Hopkins, and Harvard Kenneth Garduate School of Arts & Science, do not mention the requirement on the new TOEFL band scale (1-6); the scores mentioned on the table are from the official concordance table.
TOEFL Score for Top Universities in the UK 2026
Check the TOEFL score requirements for some of the top UK universities in 2026:
| University | QS World University Ranking 2026 | Minimum TOEFL Score Requirement (Old Scale of 0-120) | Minimum TOEFL Score Requirement (New Scale of 1-6) |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Oxford | #=4 | UG/PG (CS): 110 overall with Reading 24, Writing 24, Listening 22, Speaking 25 | TOEFL iBT tests from Jan 21, 2026, onwards are not accepted until the review is complete. |
| University of Cambridge | #=6 | UG: 110 overall with 25 in each section MS Computer Science: 107 overall with 25 in each section for CS MBA: 110 | Not accepted |
| Imperial College London | #=2 | Standard: 92 overall with 20 in each section (MS Applied Computational Science) Higher: 100 overall with 22 in each section (B. Engg. CS, MS Management) | Standard: 4.5 overall and in each section Higher: 5 overall and in each section |
| UCL | #=9 | 96 overall with Reading 24, Writing 24, Speaking 22, Listening 22 (MS Software Engineering, MS Finance) | 5 overall with 5 in each section |
| LSE | #=56 | UG: 100 overall, Writing 27, Reading 25, Listening 24, Speaking 24 PG: 100 overall, Reading 25, Listening 22, Writing 24, Speaking 22 | UG: 5.5 overall with 5 in each section PG: 5.5 overall, Reading 5, Listening 5, Writing 5, Speaking 4.5 |
| University of Edinburgh | #=34 | UG: 92 overall with 20 in each section PG: 100 overall with 23 in each section | UG: 4.5 overall with 4 in each section PG: 5 overall with 4.5 in each section |
| University of Manchester | #=35 | UG: 100 overall with 22 in each section PG: 100 overall with 22 in each section | UG: 5 overall PG: 5 overall |
| King's College London | #=31 | 92 overall with 23 in Writing and 20 in each of the other sections for Engineering | 4.5 overall with 4 in each section |
| University of Bristol | #=51 | 103 overall with Reading 24, Writing 24, Listening 22, Speaking 25 | 5.5 overall with 5 in each section |
| University of Warwick | #=74 | 100 overall with Listening 21, Writing 21, Reading 22, Speaking 23 | 5 overall with 4.5 in each section |
Note:
- Oxford and Cambridge are NOT accepting TOEFL iBT taken after January 21, 2026; the scores mentioned in the table are for earlier tests.
- The University of Manchester does not mention the score on the new TOEFL scale for some courses (MS Finance). For that, the score mentioned in the table are taken from the official concordance table.
TOEFL Score for Top Universities in Canada 2026
Check the TOEFL score requirements for some of the top Canadian universities in 2026:
| University | QS World University Ranking 2026 | Minimum TOEFL Score Requirement (Old Scale of 0-120) | Minimum TOEFL Score Requirement (New Scale of 1-6) |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Toronto | #=29 | 89 overall, Speaking 22, Writing 22 | 4.5 overall, Writing 4.5, Speaking 4 |
| McGill University | #=27 | UG: 90 overall, 21 in each section PG: 86 overall, 20 in each section | UG: 4.5 overall, Reading 4.5, Listening 4.5, Writing 4.5, Speaking 4 PG: 4.5 overall, Reading 4.5, Listening 4.5, Writing 4.5, Speaking 4 |
| University of British Columbia | #=40 | UG: 90 overall, Reading 22, Listening 22, Writing 21, Speaking 21 PG: 90 overall, Reading 22, Listening 22, Writing 21, Speaking 21 | UG: 4.5 overall, Reading 4.5, Listening 5, Writing 4.5, Speaking 4 PG: 4.5 overall, Reading 4.5, Listening 5, Writing 4.5, Speaking 4 |
| University of Alberta | #=94 | UG: 90 overall, 21 in each section PG: 90 overall, 21 in each section | UG: 4.5 overall and in each section PG: 4.5 overall and in each section |
| University of Waterloo | #=119 | UG: 90 overall, Writing 25, Speaking 25 PG: 90 overall, Writing 25, Speaking 25 | UG: 4.5 overall, Writing 5, Speaking 5 PG: 4.5 overall, Writing 5, Speaking 5 |
| McMaster University | #=173 | UG: 86 overall, 20 in each section PG: 92 overall (CS), 100 overall (MBA) | UG: 4.5 overall, Reading 4, Writing 4, Speaking 4, Listening 4.5 PG: 5 overall (CS), 5.5 overall (MBA) |
| Western University | #=151 | UG: 83 overall, 20 in each section PG: 86 overall, 20 in each section | UG: 4.5 overall, Reading 4, Speaking 4, Writing 4, Listening 4.5 PG: 4.5 overall, 4 in each section |
| Queen's University | #=191 | UG: Not published PG: 88 overall, Writing 24, Speaking 22, Reading 22, Listening 20 | UG: 4.5 overall, 4 in each section PG: 4.5 overall, Writing 5, Speaking 4, Reading 4.5, Listening 4.5 |
| University of Ottawa | #=219 | UG: 86 overall, Writing 22 PG: 84 overall, Writing 24, Speaking 20, Reading 20, Listening 20 | UG: 4.5 overall and in Writing PG: 4.5 overall, Writing 4.5, Speaking 4, Reading 4.5, Listening 4.5 |
| Dalhousie University | #=283 | UG: 90 overall, 20 in each section PG: 92 overall | UG: 4.5 overall, Writing 4, Speaking 4, Reading 4, Listening 4.5 PG: 4.5 overall |
Note: McMaster University and Queen’s University have not published the official score requirement on the new band scale; the score mentioned in the table are taken from the official concordance table.
TOEFL Score for Top Universities in Australia 2026
Check the TOEFL score requirements for some of the top Australian universities in 2026:
| University | QS World University Ranking 2026 | Minimum TOEFL Score Requirement (Old Scale of 0-120) | Minimum TOEFL Score Requirement (New Scale of 1-6) |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Melbourne * | #=19 | UG: 81 overall, Writing 19, Speaking 19, Reading 16, Listening 16 PG: 81 overall, Writing 24, Speaking 20, Reading 20, Listening 20 | UG: 4 overall, Writing 4, Speaking 3.5, Reading 3.5, Listening 3.5 PG: 4 overall, Writing 5, Speaking 4, Reading 4, Listening 4.5 |
| University of Sydney * | #=25 | UG: 85 overall, Writing 19, Speaking 17, Reading 17, Listening 17 PG: 85 overall, Writing 19, Speaking 17, Reading 17, Listening 17 | UG: 4 overall, Writing 4, Speaking 3, Reading 3.5, Listening 4 PG: 4 overall, Writing 4, Speaking 3, Reading 3.5, Listening 4 |
| UNSW Sydney | #=20 | UG: 94 overall, Writing 25, Speaking 23, Reading 23, Listening 23 PG: 94 overall, Writing 25, Speaking 23, Reading 23, Listening 23 | Not accepted currently. |
| Australian National University (ANU) | #=32 | UG: 80 overall, Writing 20, Speaking 18, Reading 20, Listening 18 PG: 80 overall, Writing 20, Speaking 18, Reading 20, Listening 18 | TOEFL iBT Australia is accepted. |
| Monash University | #=37 | UG: 79 overall, Writing 21, Speaking 18, Reading 13, Listening 12 PG: 79 overall, Writing 21, Speaking 18, Reading 13, Listening 12 | UG: 4 overall, Writing 4.5, Speaking 3.5, Reading 3.5, Listening 3 PG: 4 overall, Writing 4.5, Speaking 3.5, Reading 3.5, Listening 3 |
| University of Queensland * | #=42 | 87 overall, Writing 21, Speaking 19, Reading 19, Listening 19 | 4.5 overall, Writing 4.5, Speaking 3.5, Reading 4, Listening 4 |
| University of Western Australia * | #=77 | 82 overall, Writing 20, Speaking 20, Reading 17, Listening 17 | 4 overall, Writing 4, Speaking 4, Reading 3.5, Listening 4 |
| University of Adelaide * | #=82 | UG: 79 overall, 18 in each section PG: 79 overall, 18 in each section | UG: 4 overall, Writing 4, Speaking 3.5, Reading 4, Listening 4 PG: 79 overall, Writing 4, Speaking 3.5, Reading 4, Listening 4 |
| University of Technology Sydney | #=96 | UG: 102 overall, Writing 27, Speaking 26, Reading 24, Listening 28 PG: 79 overall, Writing 21 (Engineering) | UG (not published): 5 overall, Writing 5.5, Speaking 5, Reading 5, Listening 5.5 PG: 4 overall, 4.5 in Writing |
| Macquarie University * | #=138 | UG: 86 overall, Writing 20, Speaking 20, Reading 18, Listening 17 PG: 86 overall, Writing 20, Speaking 20, Reading 18, Listening 17 | UG: 4.5 overall, 4 in each section PG: 4.5 overall, 4 in each section |
*These universities have not published the score requirements on the new band scale; the scores mentioned in the table are taken from the official concordance table.
TOEFL requirements range from 79 at some Australian universities to 110 at Oxford and Cambridge. With the new 1-6 scale now active, Indian students must verify both old and new score requirements on each university's official admissions page, especially for Oxford, Cambridge, UNSW, and UQ, where the new scale is not yet accepted.
FAQs
Ques. Oxford and Cambridge don't accept the new TOEFL. What should Indian students do?
Ans. Take IELTS Academic instead. Oxford requires IELTS 7 (standard) or 7.5 (higher). Cambridge requirements are listed on individual course pages. Both universities are reviewing the new TOEFL format — check their official pages for updates.
Ques. Can Indian students get a TOEFL waiver at any of these universities?
Ans. Cornell officially lists India as an exempt country — Indian students who speak English as a first language may qualify for a standing exemption. Some other universities also offer waivers if your undergraduate degree was taught entirely in English. Check each university's official exemption policy.
Ques. Is TOEFL MyBest Score accepted anywhere?
Ans. Most top universities do not accept it — including Harvard GSAS, UBC, University of Toronto, UNSW, Oxford, and Edinburgh. You must meet the required scores in a single test sitting.
Ques. Do all programs within a university have the same TOEFL requirement?
Ans. No. Requirements vary by faculty and program. At UCL, scores range from 92 to 110 depending on the course. Always check the specific course page on the university's official website before applying.
*The article might have information for the previous academic years, which will be updated soon subject to the notification issued by the University/College.
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