IELTS requirements of the world’s top 200 universities in the USA in 2019
The following rankings, organised by subject area, come from the 2019 Times Higher Education World University Rankings and QS World University Rankings.
Times Higher Education World University Rankings in 2019
Name of institution | World rank | IELTS minimum requirement (undergraduate programmes) | IELTS minimum requirement (postgraduate programmes) |
Stanford University | 3 | Contact institution | Contact institution |
Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 4 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
California Institute of Technology | 5 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
Harvard University | 6 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
Princeton University | 7 | Contact institution | 7.0 |
Yale University | 8 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
University of Chicago | 10 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
University of Pennsylvania | 12 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
Johns Hopkins University | 12 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
University of California, Berkeley | 15 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
Columbia University | 16 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
University of California, Los Angeles | 17 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
Duke University | 18 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
Cornell University | 19 | 7.0 | 7.5 |
University of Michigan | 20 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
Carnegie Mellon University | 24 | 7.5 | 7.5 |
Northwestern University | 25 | 7.5 | 7.5 |
New York University | 27 | 7.5 | 7.5 |
University of Washington | 28 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
University of California, San Diego | 30 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
Georgia Institute of Technology | 34 | Contact institution | Contact institution |
University of Texas at Austin | 39 | 6.5 | 6.5 |
University of Wisconsin-Madison | 43 | 6.5 | 7.0 |
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign | 50 | 6.5 | 6.5 |
University of California, Santa Barbara | 52 | 7 | 7 |
Brown University | 53 | 8.0 | 7.0 |
Washington University in St Louis | 54 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | 56 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
University of California, Davis | 59 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
Purdue University | 64 | 6.5 | 6.5 |
University of Southern California | 66 | 6.5 | 6.5 |
University of Minnesota | 71 | 6.5 | 6.5 |
Ohio State University | 71 | 6.5 | 7.0 |
Boston University | 74 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
Pennsylvania State University | 81 | 6.5 | 6.5 |
University of Maryland, College Park | 82 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
Emory University | 84 | Contact institution | Contact institution |
Rice University | 86 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
Michigan State University | 93 | 6.5 | 6.5 |
University of California. Irvine | 96 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
Dartmouth College | 99 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
University of Virginia | 107 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
Georgetown University | 109 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
University of Pittsburgh | 110 | 6.5 | 6.5 |
University of Colorado Boulder | 114 | Contact institution | Contact institution |
Vanderbilt University | 121 | 6.5 | 7.0 |
Arizona State University | 123 | 6.0 | 7.0 |
Case Western Reserve University | 132 | 6.5 | 6.5 |
Indiana University | 146 | 6.5 | 6.5 |
Tufts University | 152 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
University of Florida | 156 | 6.0 | 6.5 |
University of Arizona | 159 | 6.5 | 7.0 |
University of Rochester | 163 | 7.0 | Contact institution |
University of California, Santa Cruz | 167 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
Texas A&M University | 171 | 6.0 | 6.0 |
University of Notre Dame | 173 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
University of Alabama at Birmingham | 179 | 5.5 | 6.5 |
Rutgers, the state University of New Jersey | 176 | 6.0 | 6.0 |
Northeastern University | 184 | 7.5 | 7.0 |
QS World University Rankings in 2019
Name of institution | World rank | IELTS minimum requirement (undergraduate programmes) | IELTS minimum requirement (postgraduate programmes) |
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) | 1 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
Stanford University | 2 | Contact institution | Contact institution |
Harvard University | 3 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
California Institute of Technology (Caltech) | 4 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
University of Chicago | 9 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
Princeton University | 13 | Contact institution | 7.0 |
Cornell University | 14 | 7.0 | 7.5 |
Yale University | 15 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
Columbia University | 16 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
University of Pennsylvania | 19 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
University of Michigan | 20 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
John Hopkins University | 21 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
Duke University | 26 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
University of California, Berkeley (UCB) | 27 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) | 32 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
Northwestern University | 34 | 7.5 | 7.5 |
University of California, San Diego (UCSD) | 41 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
New York University (NYU) | 43 | 7.5 | 7.5 |
Carnegie Mellon University | 46 | 7.5 | 7.5 |
University of Wisconsin-Madison | 53 | 6.5 | 7.0 |
Brown University | 56 | 8.0 | 7.0 |
University of Texas at Austin | 63 | 6.5 | 6.5 |
University of Washington | 66 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
Georgia Institute of Technology | 69 | Contact institution | Contact institution |
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign | 71 | 6.5 | 6.5 |
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill | 83 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
Rice University | 87 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
The Ohio State University | 89 | 6.5 | 7.0 |
Boston University | 93 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
Pennsylvania State University | 95 | 6.5 | 6.5 |
Washington University in St Louis | 100 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
Purdue University | 100 | 6.5 | 6.5 |
University of California, Davis | 100 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
University of Southern California | 115 | 6.5 | 6.5 |
University of Maryland, College Park | 126 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) | 132 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
University of Pittsburgh | 136 | 6.5 | 6.5 |
Michigan State University | 141 | 6.5 | 6.5 |
Emory University | 148 | Contact institution | Contact institution |
University of Minnesota | 156 | 6.5 | 6.5 |
University of California, Irvine | 169 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
University of Florida | 180 | 6.0 | 6.5 |
Dartmouth College | 183 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
University of Rochester | 184 | 7.0 | Contact institution |
University of Colorado Boulder | 190 | Contact institution | Contact institution |
University of Virginia | 192 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
Texas A&M University | 203 | 6.0 | 6.0 |
Study Visa for the U.S.
If you would like to study in the U.S., you will typically need to apply for one of the following student visas from the U.S. embassy or consulate in your country.
(1) F Student Visas are intended for students who wish to study at an accredited U.S. college or university or to study English at an intensive English language institute. This is the most common type of visa.
(2) J Exchange Visas are typically granted to students for participation in a short-term exchange programme, including high school and university study.
(3) M Student Visas are for students enrolling in non-academic or vocational study or training programmes in the U.S.
Before you can apply for your student visa to study in the U.S., you must receive either an I-20 or a DS-2019 form from the college or university where you have been admitted, and obtain documented funding for your first year of study. With the I-20 or DS-2019 in hand, you can then apply for your student visa.
Education USA has a lot of detailed advice on how to prepare and apply for your visa to study in the U.S. Visit their site to find out more.
Why do an increasing number of candidates wishing to study in the U.S. choose IELTS?
(1) Pen and paper. Unlike other tests, there is no need to complete IELTS on a machine. Paper-based evaluation is better-suited to many candidates.
(2) Quiet testing environment. Candidates who move through the test at different speeds will not disturb each other.
(3) Face-to-face speaking test. This enables candidates to more authentically demonstrate their communication skills.
(4) Effective preparation. IELTS includes a combination of everyday and academic English. This empowers candidates with language skills and systems which can be used in a variety of environments.
