Written ByRituparna Nath Content Writer at Study Abroad Exams
TOEFL exam eligibility requires candidates to qualify 10+2 from a recognized Indian board and being of 18 years of age. A candidate younger than 18 can also take the test, in that case, the parents need to accompany them during the TOEFL registration. The other important TOEFL eligibility includes carrying the printout of the confirmation form that includes the registration number, a photo identification card, and a valid passport. Candidates planning to take TOEFL at home needs to follow certain TOEFL eligibility criteria in terms of equipment, environment, speaker, and camera requirements.
TOEFL Exam Eligibility Criteria
ETS has laid down very simple eligibility for TOEFL eligibility age, qualifications, documents, and also TOEFL eligibility score. There is very little GRE TOEFL exam eligibility that the aspirants need to be concerned about like – a valid passport, photo requirements, and documents required during the test.
Eligibility criteria for TOEFL exam follow:
- To appear for the TOEFL candidate must be passed in 10+2 from any recognized Indian Board or University.
- In case the candidate is in a higher class, he/she can take the TOEFL test to get their TOEFL score.
- Many universities/institutes do not ask for the TOEFL score from certain international applicants. These classifications include:
- Non-native speakers having degrees or diplomas from post-secondary institutions in English-speaking countries like the USA, Canada, England, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand.
- Candidates who have completed at least a two-year course of study English.
- Candidates having transferred from institutions in the USA or Canadian universities.
- In case the candidate is a non-native speaker then he/she has taken the TOEFL test in the past two years.
- In case the candidate is a non-native speaker who has pursued academic work at English-speaking schools.
TOEFL Exam Eligibility Educational Qualification
Eligibility for TOEFL entrance exam is only concerned about candidates successfully completing their 10+2 from a recognized Indian board to take the exam. To put it in other words, the candidate just needs to pass their grade 12 or an equivalent degree to be able to sit for the exam. You can also take the test while pursuing your high school.
TOEFL Exam Eligibility Age Limit
The age limit for GRE and TOEFL candidates is mainly the age of 18 to take the test. ETS, the conduction body administering the TOEFL exam, has not established an upper age restriction for applicants.
TOEFL Exam Eligibility Score
The TOEFL eligibility score is totally dependent on the universities the candidate is selecting. Most of the top universities have a requirement of high TOEFL score along with a strong GPA, high scores in previous academic qualifications, and also work experience sometimes. Therefore, the eligibility completely depends on the university as well as the course of study the candidate is aiming for. A humanities program will expectedly have a higher TOEFL score requirement than any other. TOEFL exam eligibility countries and their TOEFL eligibility scores of are given below:
| Top University | TOEFL eligibility score |
|---|---|
| Boston University | 90-100 |
| Brown University | 100 |
| Carleton College | 100 |
| Columbia University | 100 |
| Pennsylvania State University (Penn State) | 80 |
| Harvard University | 100 – 109 |
| University of Michigan | 100 |
| University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) | 100 |
| University of Washington | 76 |
| Yale University | 100 |
| University of Tulsa | 76 |
| University of San Francisco | 65-80 |
| University of Rochester | 100 |
| Tufts University | 100 |
| Rice University | 100 |
| Purdue University | 80-88 |
| MIT | 90 |
| Princeton University | 100 |
TOEFL Eligibility Documents Required
The TOEFL ID proof needs to contain a recent photo and signature of the candidate. Plus, the spelling of the name should with TOEFL registration documents. According to the ETS guidelines, the TOEFL eligibility for Indian students for the ID has to be a valid passport.
Candidates have to present this in original – photocopies are not accepted. The signature and the photo of the ID must match with the photo and the signature
Along with a passport, the candidate needs to carry the national ID proof as these also contain the name, signature, photo, and date of birth. Print out of the confirmation mail from ETS will also be required during the exam for verification.
Point to be noted that the following IDs are not accepted for TOEFL as valid ID proof even though all these contain name, signature, and photo.
- Any temporary ID card
- Birth certificate
- Credit/debit card of any kind
- Diplomatic, consulate, or embassy ID card
- Draft classification card
- Employee ID card
- International driver's license
- International student ID
- Notary-prepared letter or document
- School or college or Library IDs
- Social Security card
ETS is very strict in terms of ID and failing this, the candidate will not be able to take the exam.
TOEFL Eligibility for Retakes
There is also no set number of times a candidate can take the TOEFL exam. The TOEFL exam dates are available throughout the year occurring 50 times. Candidates can retake TOEFL as many times as they want but only keeping a gap of 12 days between each exam.
TOEFL Eligibility for Scholarship
The TOEFL eligibility for Indian students when it comes to scholarships are:
- They need to reside in India during the time of their application
- They need to apply to a university or college listed in the TOEFL Destination Search
- They need to hold a GPA of 80/100 or, 3.0
- They need to have a valid TOEFL Score
There are 14 different kinds of TOEFL scholarships each of which serves different purposes. The following details will provide eligibility for TOEFL of different kinds:
- TOEFL Research Grants: Students presently working on doctoral projects based on language assessment. They also need to have an approved dissertation.
- TOEFL Young Student Services(YSS): This is only applicable for candidates who are working on topics that come under YSS. Those candidates also need to have a good hold on the English language.
- Jacqueline Ross Dissertation Award: This is achieved by those who have successfully published a dissertation in the last three years.
- Samuel J. Merrick Memorial Lecture Award: This is offered to those candidates whose names have appeared in the received nominations
- TESOL Award: The TOEFL prerequisites eligibility criteria for this scholarship is, the candidates need to be a member of TESOL
Eligibility Criteria for TOEFL at-home Exam
ETS has arranged for TOEFL at-home exam due to the ongoing pandemic. This enables candidates to take the TOEFL exam from the safety of their home. But candidates need to follow certain TOEFL eligibility related to the requirements of the equipment to take the exam. Below is the TOEFL test eligibility that candidates need to have for taking the at-home exam:
Equipment Requirments:
- Desktop or computer, no tablet or mobile can be used
- PC: Windows® operating system, versions 10 or 8
- MAC®: Mac OS X® 10.5 or higher (10.13 High Sierra is recommended)
- Browser: Firefox or Chrome
- Candidates need to download and run the ETS secure test browser till they see the notification "Success! You have installed the ETS secure test browser"
- Also, run the ProctorU® Equipment Check before the test. In case of any issue, get it solved before the exam
- The computer firewalls and security applications may hamper the functions of the test software. If this happens, reconfigure or disable those applications before the test.
Speaker Requirements:
- Only internet or external speakers are allowed to listen to the Proctor
- No headphones or earphones are allowed
Microphone Requirements:
- Communicate with the proctor with the help of an internal or external microphone
Camera Requirements:
- The camera can be in-built or a separate webcam
- A 360-degree view of the room needs to be shown to the Proctor
Environment Requirements:
- TOEFL exam eligibility for at-home exam requires candidates to take the test alone
- The test cannot be taken in a public place like a cafe, park, restaurant, etc
- All the doors of the room must be closed before beginning the test
- The laptop and keyboard must be on top of the table surface
- Candidates are not supposed to cover their ears by wearing a headband or hat
- Don’t wear jewelry
Note-taking Requirements:
- Candidates are not allowed to take notes on regular paper for security issues
- According to TOEFL test eligibility, candidates can only take notes on a desktop whiteboard with an erasable marker, no pencil or pen can be used, or a sheet of paper inside a transparent sheet protector with an erasable marker
- When the test will end, candidates need to show the proctor that all notes have been erased
Important Number to Dial for Enquiry about TOEFL Eligibility
In case any candidate is concerned about their TOEFL eligibility criteria India or other TOEFL eligibility countries, they can directly contact ETS. Candidates need to contact the Office of Testing Integrity (OTI) 7 days before TOEFL registration to get the approval. In this matter, the candidates are asked to provide alternative documents. To contact OTI, dial +1-609-406-5430 (Monday – Friday, 7.30 am to 5.30 pm ET).
In case the candidates did not contact OTI and failed to submit the passport and national ID in original on the test day, their tests or TOEFL score will be canceled and there will be no chance of refund.
So, that’s all about TOEFL eligibility criteria, yet we suggest the candidates check the requirements properly at the time of registration to reduce the scopes of making mistakes. The universities generally focus on GRE TOEFL eligibility along with GPA, work experience, previous educational qualifications when considering an application.
TOEFL Exam Eligibility FAQs
Question: What are the TOEFL exam eligibility criteria for admission to universities abroad?
Answer: There are no specific criteria, but the candidate must be 10+2 level qualified from a recognized board or university in India.
Question: Is there a TOEFL qualification criteria for students?
Answer: ETS did not put any qualification criteria for students. The test focuses on examining a student’s proficiency in the English language.
Question: What is the upper age limit in the TOEFL exam eligibility?
Answer: The ETS has not specified any upper age limit.
Question: What is the maximum number of attempts allowed at the TOEFL exam?
Answer: There is no limitation on a number of attempts of the TOEFL. The test is conducted more than 60 times a year. So, candidates cannot take two successive attempts within a gap of 12 days.
*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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