English Proficiency Requirements

All international applicants must provide proof of English proficiency by submitting documentation of one of the following: 

Additional information can be found in the Undergraduate and Graduate Catalogs. 

International applicants will be exempt from providing proof of English proficiency if they meet one of the following conditions:

• Undergraduate Students

  The following applicants are exempt from English proficiency requirements: 

  1.) Applicants from the following countries where English is the official language:

  • Anguilla
  • Antigua and Barbuda
  • Australia
  • Bahamas
  • Barbados
  • Belize
  • Bermuda
  • British Virgin Islands
  • Canada
  • Cayman Islands
  • Cook Islands
  • Dominica
  • Fiji
  • Gambia
  • Ghana
  • Grenada
  • Guyana
  • Ireland
  • Jamaica
  • Jersey
  • Kenya

  • Liberia
  • Malawi
  • Micronesia
  • New Zealand
  • Nigeria
  • Papua New Guinea
  • Sierra Leone
  • Sint Maarten
  • South Africa
  • St. Kitts and Nevis
  • St. Lucia
  • St. Vincent and the Grenadines
  • Tanzania
  • Trinidad and Tobago
  • Turks and Caicos Islands
  • Uganda
  • United Kingdom
  • U.S. Virgin Islands
  • Zambia
  • Zimbabwe 

   2.) Applicants that have completed two semesters or three quarters of college-level English composition from an accredited U.S. college or university which transfers to ETSU as ENGL 1010 and 1020--with a minimum grade of "C". Official transcripts are required. 

  3.) Applicants that have a minimum of one year of attendance as an exchange student in, or graduation from, a U.S. high school. Official transcripts are required.  

  ETSU will also accept other nationally recognized, comparable standardized English proficiency examinations. For more information, please contact International Admissions at international@etsu.edu. 

• Graduate Students

  Exemptions:

  1.) Applicants who have been educated in English for a minimum of 4 years at the upper high school level or higher (e.g., 4 years of college; 2 years of high school plus 2 years of college) from a country on this list are exempt from the English proficiency test (TOEFL, IELTS, Duolingo, PTE) requirement:

  • Anguilla
  • Antigua and Barbuda
  • Australia
  • Bahamas
  • Barbados
  • Belize
  • Bermuda
  • Botswana
  • British Virgin Islands
  • Canada (except Québec)
  • Cayman Island
  • Cook Islands
  • Dominica
  • Fiji
  • Gambia
  • Ghana
  • Gibraltar
  • Grenada
  • Guyana
  • Ireland
  • Jamaica
  • Jersey
  • Kenya
  • Liberia
  • Malawi
  • Malta
  • Mauritius
  • Micronesia
  • Montserrat
  • Namibia
  • New Zealand
  • Nigeria
  • Papua New Guinea
  • Seychelles
  • Sierra Leone
  • Singapore
  • Saint Maarten
  • Solomon Islands
  • South Africa
  • St. Kitts and Nevis
  • St. Lucia
  • St. Vincent and the Grenadines
  • Swaziland
  • Tanzania
  • Tonga
  • Trinidad and Tobago
  • Turks and Caicos Islands
  • Uganda
  • United Kingdom
  • United States
  • U.S. Virgin Islands
  • Vanuatu
  • Zambia
  • Zimbabwe

  2.) Applicants who have earned a degree from an accredited U.S. institution are exempt.

  The Graduate School may waive the language proficiency test requirement in rare circumstances that include but are not limited to:

  • An applicant who is educated in a country not listed above but who has passed the USMLE Step 2 CS exam.
  • An applicant who has been employed in the United States for three years in an establishment(s) where all activities are conducted in English. The applicant must provide a letter from the Human Resources department, or an authorized official, from each establishment certifying all activities are conducted in English and specifying dates of employment.
  • An applicant who has completed at least two years of full-time study within the past five years at a recognized secondary school, or accredited college or university in the U.S. and has a minimum GPA of 3.0.

  *All students who receive a Graduate Assistantship or Tuition Scholarship are required to take an Oral Proficiency Exam (at no cost) upon arriving to campus. Applicants who submit a DuoLingo score, regardless of whether or not they have a Graduate Assistantship or Tuition Scholarship, are also required to take an Oral Proficiency Exam (at no cost) upon arriving to campus.