English score requirements & cross-test equivalence

Most UG admissions ask IELTS 6.0-6.5 / TOEFL 60-93 / PTE 50-64 / Duolingo 95-115; competitive PG and skilled-migration thresholds climb to IELTS 7.0+ / TOEFL 94+. Each university and visa stream also sets per-skill floors that bite before the overall does. Use this as a target benchmark, then verify your exact requirement.

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The figures below are indicative equivalences, not official conversions - each institution publishes its own accepted scores and per-skill minimums. Always verify against your target's requirement page before you settle on a band to chase.

How do scores convert across IELTS, TOEFL, PTE and Duolingo?

Universities publish their own equivalence tables, and they rarely match provider-issued ones perfectly. The cross-test table below collects the bands that admissions teams quote most often. Treat it as a calibration guide - good for knowing roughly what an IELTS 6.5 is worth in TOEFL or PTE terms, not as a substitute for your destination's own number.

What score do you typically need by purpose?

• UG admission: commonly IELTS 6.0-6.5 (TOEFL ~79, PTE ~50-58), with per-skill minimums of 5.5 or 6.0 depending on the institution.
• PG admission: often IELTS 6.5-7.0+ overall, higher for law, journalism, education and clinical subjects, and frequently with a higher Writing minimum.
• PhD admission:usually higher than Master's - IELTS 7.0+ with no band below 6.5, particularly for humanities and writing-heavy disciplines.
• Student visas:for example the UK requires UKVI-approved tests at set CEFR levels for degree study; check the destination's rule, not just the university's.
• Skilled migration (Australia / Canada / NZ): points scale with band - moving from IELTS 7.0 to 8.0 (or PTE 65 to 79) can shift your points materially and decide whether you qualify in a given draw.

Indicative requirements by destination

The numbers in this table are widely cited ranges - your target university or visa stream may set the bar higher or lower, and per-skill minimums almost always apply. Always cross-check on the official admissions or visa page before you book.

Overall band vs individual band - what universities really ask

Almost every university requirement has two halves: an overall band and a per-skill floor. A wording like "IELTS 6.5 overall with no individual band below 6.0" means the average must be 6.5 and the lowest skill must be 6.0 - so a 7.5 / 7.5 / 7.0 / 5.5 profile that averages to 6.5 will still be rejected. Some programmes also raise the per-skill floor on the skill most relevant to the course (Writing for law and journalism, Speaking for teaching and clinical placements). Aim for a balanced profile rather than banking on one strong section to lift a weak one.

Programme-specific bands across disciplines

• Law and journalism: often IELTS 7.0-7.5 with Writing ≥ 7.0 and Reading ≥ 6.5; reading volume and writing precision dominate.
• Teaching and education: commonly IELTS 7.0 overall with all four skills at 7.0 - regulators see spoken English as core to classroom delivery.
• Medicine and nursing: either OET (occupation-specific) or IELTS Academic 7.0+ with each band 7.0+; some councils accept PTE Academic at equivalent levels.
• Business and STEM PG: IELTS 6.5-7.0 (TOEFL 90-100, PTE 58-65) is typical for taught Master's at competitive universities.
• Foundation and pathway: IELTS 5.5-6.0 (TOEFL 60-79, PTE 42-49) opens pre-sessional or pathway programmes that lead into a degree with internal progression criteria.

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Why score requirements differ across universities at the same level

Two universities offering the same Master's often publish different English-test minimums. Three factors explain most of the gap. First, programme content - if the course is reading-heavy or has a thesis component, the Writing minimum rises. Second, the language of teaching - a fully English-taught course at a non-English-speaking university often asks for a higher band than the same course at a UK / US / Australian university because there is less day-to-day English exposure outside class. Third, the institution's admissions filter - selective programmes lift minimums beyond what content alone requires, using the band as one more quality signal. The takeaway: never assume university A's rule equals university B's for the same subject. Read each requirement page carefully and target the strictest in your shortlist.

How visa and immigration rules add their own floor

Even when a university accepts a particular score, the visa rule for the country can require its own minimum. UK student visas measure against the CEFR scale and use a UKVI-approved IELTS test at registered centres. Canada maps IELTS General to the Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) for Express Entry and student streams. Australia's skilled-migration points table rewards higher PTE/IELTS bands directly with more points. New Zealand sets minimums per visa class. The practical implication: check the visa rule separately from the university rule and target whichever is higher, with the right version of the test (Academic vs General, standard vs UKVI).

How to set a realistic target band

The clean approach is to plan one full band (or its TOEFL / PTE / Duolingo equivalent) above the published university minimum, and a half-band above any per-skill minimum that already applies. Three reasons. First, the published floor is a screening threshold, not a comfort number - the strongest applicants in any cohort sit well above it. Second, real-test performance drops slightly from mock performance for most candidates because of nerves, unfamiliar centres and unexpected interview / room conditions. Third, the buffer protects you from a sub-score dip pulling you below the visa requirement. Build the target from the strictest sub-score upward, not from the overall down.

Mock-to-real conversion: most candidates score within ±0.5 band of their consistent mock average, with a slight downward bias on the first sitting. If your last three mocks landed 6.5, 7.0, 6.5, treat your "real" band as 6.5 and book only if the university accepts 6.5; do not bank on the 7.0 outlier. Repeat-test data on test-takers who sit multiple attempts shows improvements of 0.5-1.0 bands are realistic with focused practice over a few weeks; larger jumps usually need a fundamentals rebuild rather than another test booking.

Which test will you score highest on?

Test-takers often score relatively higher on PTE/Duolingo (AI-scored, structured, fast) or IELTS (human Speaking, familiar paper format) depending on their strengths. If your target accepts multiple tests, a free mock of each is the cheapest way to find where you score highest before paying for the real one. The score equivalence table above gives you a way to compare a mock IELTS band against a mock TOEFL or PTE score on a like-for-like basis. Strong reading and writing test-takers often score relatively higher on TOEFL; candidates with steady spoken pace and clear pronunciation often score higher on PTE; candidates with conversational confidence and the ability to develop ideas verbally usually score higher on IELTS Speaking.

Ready to test where you stand? Take a free TOEFL mock and see your indicative 0-120 score in 2 hours.