IELTS Requirement for United States Universities: Minimum Score

Typical minimum: 6.5 overall, commonly with a minimum of 6.0 in each section, verified 7 September 2026.

US universities set their own English test thresholds rather than following a national minimum. 6.5 overall is the figure most commonly published among the large public universities researched for this project's own university dataset, though individual institutions range from about 6.0 to 7.0 depending on the university and program.

Verified universities in United States and their minimum

University at Buffalo

Buffalo, United States, public

$35,536
IELTS 6
Arizona State University

Tempe, United States, public

$42,809
IELTS 6 · 89.89% admitted
University of Washington

Seattle, United States, public

$61,052
IELTS 6 · 41.75% admitted
Texas A&M University

College Station, United States, public

$39,346
IELTS 6
Georgia Institute of Technology

Atlanta, United States, public

$37,326
IELTS 6 · 12.82% admitted
Indiana University Bloomington

Bloomington, United States, public

$44,339
IELTS 6.5
University of Texas at Austin

Austin, United States, public

$42,554 to $51,106
IELTS 6.5
University of California, Davis

Davis, United States, public

$57,348
IELTS 6.5 · 45.8% admitted
The Ohio State University

Columbus, United States, public

$47,374
IELTS 6.5
University of Colorado Boulder

Boulder, United States, public

$46,058 to $50,166
IELTS 6.5
University of California, Berkeley

Berkeley, United States, public

$57,484
IELTS 6.5 · 10.5% admitted
Stony Brook University

Stony Brook, United States, public

$37,258
IELTS 6.5
Michigan State University

East Lansing, United States, public

$45,040
IELTS 6.5
North Carolina State University

Raleigh, United States, public

$34,961
IELTS 6.5
Purdue University

West Lafayette, United States, public

$32,104
IELTS 6.5 · 43.4% admitted
University of California, Irvine

Irvine, United States, public

$59,375
IELTS 6.5 · 30.3% admitted
University of California, Los Angeles

Los Angeles, United States, public

$55,700
IELTS 6.5 · 10.8% admitted
Pennsylvania State University

University Park, United States, public

$44,574
IELTS 6.5
University of Wisconsin-Madison

Madison, United States, public

$44,190.86
IELTS 6.5
Rutgers University-New Brunswick

New Brunswick, United States, public

$40,839
IELTS 6.5
Virginia Tech

Blacksburg, United States, public

$40,180
IELTS 6.5
University of California, San Diego

San Diego, United States, public

$60,901
IELTS 7 · 27.2% admitted
University of Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh, United States, public

$45,480
IELTS 7
Boston University

Boston, United States, private nonprofit

$74,594
IELTS 7 · 12.84% admitted
University of Maryland

College Park, United States, public

$44,086
IELTS 7

Sources, checked 7 September 2026

https://admissions.purdue.edu/become-student/english-proficiency/