English Language Proficiency
1.7. English Language Proficiency
All graduate applicants, regardless of citizenship or residency, must demonstrate proficiency with the English language before they will be considered for admission to a graduate program.*
This requirement may be met by applicants who have:
- Been raised in a recognized country where English is the only official language
- Earned a bachelor's degree or higher from a recognized institution in a recognized country where English is the only official language (Some programs may require a language score even if an applicant meets this requirement)
- Achieved a satisfactory TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language), IELTS (International English Language Testing System), Duolingo score (see details below) or PTE (Academic) – Pearson Test of English (Academic)
*Applicants meeting either of the first two criteria listed above may need to contact the Graduate School (at ndsu.grad.schooL@ndsu.edu) to ensure that the test of English proficiency requirement is waived.
English Language Proficiency Tests
Minimum score requirements:
TOEFL: 4 (internet based); 71 on tests taken prior to January 21, 2026
IELTS: 6.0 (academic version)
Duolingo: 105 (internet-based)
PTE Academic: 50 (academic version)
Some programs require higher minimum scores. Refer to the table at the bottom of the page for more information.
Countries Exempt from the English Proficiency Examination Requirement
| Antigua and Barbuda | Mauritius |
| Australia | Micronesia (Federated States of) |
| Bahamas | New Zealand |
| Barbados | Nigeria |
| Bermuda | Saint Lucia |
| Canada (except Quebec) | Saint Kitts and Nevis |
| Dominica | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines |
| Gambia | Sierra Leone |
| Ghana | Solomon Islands |
| Grenada | Trinidad and Tobago |
| Guyana | United Kingdom (England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland) |
| Ireland | Zambia |
| Jamaica | Zimbabwe |
| Liberia |
Programs that Require Higher Test Score Minimums for Admission
| Graduate Program | Minimum Required Scores |
|---|---|
| Accountancy | TOEFL ibt 79/4.5; IELTS 6.5; Duolingo 115 |
| Agribusiness and Applied Economics | TOEFL ibt 79/4.5; IELTS 6.5; Duolingo 115 |
| Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering | TOEFL ibt 79/4.5; IELTS 6.5; Duolingo 115 |
| Applied Statistics | TOEFL ibt 79/4.5; IELTS 6.5; Duolingo 115 |
| Architecture | TOEFL ibt 79/4.5; IELTS 6.5; Duolingo 115 |
| Athletic Training | TOEFL ibt 100/5; IELTS 7; Duolingo 125 |
| Biology and Biological Sciences | TOEFL ibt 79/4.5; IELTS 6.5; Duolingo 115 |
| Cellular and Molecular Biology | TOEFL ibt 79/4.5; IELTS 6.5; Duolingo 115 |
| Coatings and Polymeric Materials | TOEFL ibt 79/4.5; IELTS 6.5; Duolingo 115 |
| Communication | TOEFL ibt 100/5; IELTS 7; Duolingo 130 |
| Computer Science | TOEFL ibt 79/4.5; IELTS 6.5; Duolingo 115 |
| Construction Management - M.S. | TOEFL ibT: 81/4, IELTS: 7, Duolingo 120 |
| Construction Management - M.C.M. | TOEFL ibt 79/4.5; IELTS 6.5; Duolingo 115 |
| Criminal Justice | TOEFL ibT 100/5, IELTS 7, Duolingo 130; to qualify for assistantship TOEFL ibT 114/6, IELTS 8, Duolingo 135 |
| Data Science | TOEFL ibt 79/4.5; IELTS 6.5; Duolingo 115 |
| Developmental Science | TOEFL ibT 100/5 (subscores of at least 24 for speaking and 21 for writing); IELTS 7; Duolingo 125 |
| Education | TOEFL iBT 88/4.5, IELTS 6.5; Duolingo 120 |
| Educational Leadership | TOEFL iBT 88/4.5, IELTS 6.5; Duolingo 120 |
| English | TOEFL iBT 100/5 IELTS 7; Duolingo 130 |
| Environmental and Conservation Sciences | TOEFL ibt 79/4.5; IELTS 6.5; Duolingo 115 |
| Exercise and Nutrition Science | TOEFL ibt 79/4.5; IELTS 6.5; Duolingo 115 |
| Family Nurse Practitioner (DNP) | TOEFL ibt 79/4.5; IELTS 6.5; Duolingo 115 |
| History | TOEFL iBT 100/5 IELTS 7; Duolingo 130 |
| Human Development and Family Science | TOEFL ibT 100/5; IELTS 7; Duolingo 125 |
| International Agribusiness | TOEFL ibt 79/4.5; IELTS 6.5; Duolingo 115 |
| Landscape Architecture | TOEFL ibt 79/4.5; IELTS 6.5; Duolingo 115 |
| Microbiology | TOEFL iBT 81/4.5 (Speaking 23, Writing 21); IELTS 7 (Speaking 6, Writing 6); Duolingo 115 |
| Music | TOEFL ibt 79/4.5; IELTS 6.5; Duolingo 115 |
| Pharmaceutical Sciences | TOEFL ibT 90/4.5; IELTS 6.5; Duolingo 120 |
| Plant Pathology | TOEFL ibt 79/4.5; IELTS 6.5; Duolingo 115 |
| Psychology | TOEFL ibt 79/4.5; IELTS 6.5; Duolingo 115 |
| Rhetoric, Theory and Culture | TOEFL iBT 100/5 IELTS 7; Duolingo 130 |
| Software Engineering | TOEFL ibt 79/4.5; IELTS 6.5; Duolingo 115 |
| Software and Security Engineering | TOEFL ibt 79/4.5; IELTS 6.5; Duolingo 115 |
| Statistics | TOEFL ibt 79/4.5; IELTS 6.5; Duolingo 115 |