Undergraduate Students

Students taking a test

International undergraduate students can be exempt from the written EPT if they meet any of the following criteria based on test scores.

  Overall Subscores
TOEFL (iBT) 103 or above* Writing: 27, Speaking: 23 or above
IELTS 7.5 or above Writing: 7, Speaking 6.5 or above
DET** 135 or above Production: 135, Literacy: 115

*MyBest scores are not considered

**Students with only a DET score must also take the Oral EPT

NOTE: For incoming students, you do not have to take the written EPT if you have transferred credit for RHET 105, completed a full four years of U.S. high school, or if you have fulfilled your Composition I requirement via any of the following criteria:

  1. Transferred course credit from another post-secondary institution that fulfills the ‘Composition I' requirement 
  2. ACT English score of 34 or higher
  3. SAT EBRW score of 720 or higher
  4. AP English Language and Composition score of 4 or 5
  5. AP English Literature and Composition score of 4 or 5
  6. IB English A: Literature, Higher Level score of 6 or 7
  7. IB English A: Literature, Standard Level score of 6 or 7
  8. IB English A: Language and Literature, Higher Level score of 6 or 7
  9. IB English A: Language and Literature, Standard Level score of 6 or 7
  10. IB English A: Literature and Performance, Standard Level score of 6 or 7

(Please note, if you meet any of these criteria above, the scores must have been received by UIUC and processed into RHET 105 credit so that it is reflected in your academic record before you may be exempt from the written EPT)

Oral English Placement Test

If you are an international undergraduate student and have not submitted any TOEFL or IELTS scores you are required to also take the Oral EPT.  Students who meet exemption criteria for the Written EPT or have submitted DET scores only, but have not submitted TOEFL or IELTS scores, MUST take the Oral EPT.

Updating Scores 

If you need to update your TOEFL or IELTS scores to fulfill any part of the English proficiency requirement, please have official scores sent by the testing agencies to UIUC before your are expected to need an EPT score.

TOEFL: https://www.ets.org/toefl/test-takers/ibt/scores/send-scores.html

IELTS: https://www.ielts.org/for-test-takers/results

Note: EPT scores are final. We do not use updated scores to remove EPT scores. Updated scores are only used to provide exemption for incoming students. 

Graduate Students

Written English Placement Test

International graduate students whose total TOEFL scores are below 103 (TOEFL iBT), total IELTS scores are below 7.5, or Duolingo English Test (DET) total scores are below 135, are required to take the written EPT. (NOTE: TOEFL My Best scores are NOT considered.)

Further details about TOEFL / IELTS / DET (temporarily acceptable) requirements are given at the following websites: English Proficiency Requirements for Graduate Admissions

If you are a visiting scholar, faculty or staff, you should contact the ESL program (eslprogram@illinois.edu) for ESL 592/3 (formerly ESL502/3) and should not register for the EPT.

Graduate courses have been renumbered. Please check the changes in Interpreting EPT scores.

Oral English Placement Test

If you are a graduate student and you have submitted TOEFL scores with a speaking score of 18 or lower, or IELTS scores with a speaking score of 6.0 or lower, (or you have submitted only Duolingo test result) then you will be required to take the oral EPT. 

Note: The EPT does not assess or in any way affect the qualification of graduate student International Teaching Assistants (ITAs). For information about English language assessment requirements of ITAs, please visit the Oral English Assessment Interview.

Updating Scores 

If you need to update your TOEFL or IELTS scores to fulfill any part of the English proficiency requirement, please have official scores sent by the testing agencies to UIUC before your are expected to need an EPT score.

TOEFL: https://www.ets.org/toefl/test-takers/ibt/scores/send-scores.html

IELTS: https://www.ielts.org/for-test-takers/results

Note: EPT scores are final. We do not use updated scores to remove EPT scores. Updated scores are only used to provide exemption for incoming students.