English Language Proficiency Requirement (TOEFL or IELTS)
All graduate study applicants, regardless of citizenship, whose native language is not English must demonstrate English language proficiency. If you earned a U.S. Bachelor's or Master's degree, the TOEFL requirement will be waived. To demonstrate your English language ability, you should submit an official TOEFL or IELTS score report to the Division of Graduate Studies. The Division of Graduate Studies minimum TOEFL and IELTS scores are:
TOEFL www.toefl.org
- 550 Total score on the paper based test OR
- 80 Overall score on the internet based test (iBT TOEFL) OR
IELTS www.ielts.org
- Overall band score of 7.0
TOEFL or IELTS scores should be sent to San Francisco State University directly by the testing service. Please note that TOEFL and IELTS scores are only valid for two years after the test date. Expired scores will not be considered. TOEFL score reports should be sent to SFSU directly by ETS (Institution Code: 4683). IELTS score reports should be mailed by the exam center to:
International Graduate Admissions
San Francisco State University
1600 Holloway Avenue, ADM 250
San Francisco, CA 94132
USA
Note: Some graduate programs require higher TOEFL scores than the Division of Graduate Studies. Some graduate programs do not accept the IELTS test in place of the TOEFL test. We recommend that you review your intended program's website for additional admission criteria.
The Division of Graduate Studies does not offer conditional admission to students who do not meet the minimum English language proficiency requirement. For students who do not meet the English language requirement at this time, we recommend you enroll in the American Language Institute right here on campus and apply to graduate study when you do meet the English language requirement. Check out the ALI website: www.sfsu.edu/~ali.
