English Language Proficiency Requirements
Like most universities in the United States as well as many universities in other English-speaking countries, the TOEFL and IELTS exams are used by admissions officers to assess the English language ability of non-native English speaking applicants. Institutional policy as well as federal regulations require proof that students admitted to the University of Missouri - St. Louis have the English language ability demanded by university study. Undergraduate students must receive a score of 500 or better on the paper-based TOEFL exam (173 computer-based, 61 internet-based). Graduate students who have spent less than two of the last three years in an English-speaking country are required to submit scores from an internationally accepted standardized examination (typically TOEFL or IELTS) before a decision is made on admission.
Exceptions
In general, students cannot be exempted from the English language proficiency requirement. The requirement may be waived for applicants who:
- Are Citizens or Permanent Residents (green card holders) of the United States.
- Are Citizens of a Native English-Speaking Country Listed Below.
- Are Nonresident Aliens in the US on a Work Visa (H-1B or L1).
- Completed Secondary Education in the US or a Country Below.
- Earned a Bachelor's Degree from an Institution in the US or a Country Below.
- Have Completed 30 (thirty) or More Credit Hours in an Officially Accredited Institution in the US or a Country Below.
- Recognized Native English-Speaking Countries:
- Anguilla
- Antigua
- Australia
- Bahamas
- Barbados
- Barbuda
- Belize
- British Virgin Islands
- Canada (except Quebec)
- Dominica
- Grand Cayman Islands
- Grenada
- Guyana
- Irish Republic
- Jamaica
- Montserrat
- New Zealand
- St. Kitts & Nevis
- St. Lucia
- St. Vincent & the Grenadines
- Trinidad & Tobago
- Turks & Caicos Islands
- United Kingdom: England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, & Wales