Our current language requirements are quite high compared to peer institutions.
There are often high-quality students who are near the current requirements, as well as potentially others who don’t apply at all.
We* reached out to the OEPP team to discuss the possible riska and benefits of lowering our language requirements. They were very helpful
*We: Stacey, Seungyoon, Ilwoo, Hyesun, and Jeremy
Following our last department meeting, we talked to OEPP again about Duolingo specifically. They explained that they consider Duolingo to be a high quality test and recommended using the new Speaking subscore with a cutoff of 145.
TOEFL Speaking: 27 -> 25
IELTS Speaking: 8.0 -> 7.5
New TOEFL Speaking: 5.0
Adding:
Duolingo Speaking: 145
TOEFL Essentials Speaking: 12 -> 11
These changes should be provided to the OEPP and grad admissions for their websites, as well as on our own site.
Lamb School English Language Speaking Requirements
To be considered for admission into the graduate program, non-native English-speaking applicants must demonstrate proficiency in English, through taking an English proficiency exam. Scores must be documented by an official report and must be no more than two years old at the time of application. In addition to meeting the university-wide requirements for graduate students, applicants must also meet a higher requirement for the English speaking section. Minimum scores for each test are given below.
Speaking Portion Minimum Score Requirements
TOEFL iBT (pre-2026) - 25
TOEFL iBT (2026 or later) - 5.0
IELTS - 7.5
TOEFL Essentials - 11
Duolingo English Test - 145
Students whose speaking scores are at or above the cutoffs in the table below will be automatically certified as proficient enough to teach classes. Students with lower scores will be required to take Purdue’s Oral English Proficiency Test (OEPT) upon arrival. Most students who meet our minimum score requirements should pass the test, but those who do not will be required to enroll in an English language course during their first semester.
Automatic Certification Cutoffs
TOEFL iBT (pre-2026) - 27
TOEFL iBT (2026 or later) - 5.5
IELTS - 8.0
TOEFL Essentials - All students must take the OEPT
Duolingo English Test - All students must take the OEPT