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English Language Proficiency (ELP)

All Cornell students—including high school, undergraduate, graduate, and adult students—must have a strong command of the English language to be successful in their engagement in university studies. This is a requirement for enrollment at Cornell.

Who needs to demonstrate ELP?

If you meet one of the following conditions, you likely do not need to demonstrate English language proficiency, but there may be some exceptions*:

  • English is your native language.
  • English has been the primary language of instruction throughout your secondary school career.

If you do not meet one of those conditions, you are required to submit an English proficiency exam score from the TOEFL, IELTS, or Duolingo English Test.

*There may be instances where a student who does meet the above criteria will still be required to submit an English proficiency exam score at the discretion of the Precollege admissions team. Situations could include, but are not limited to, a student’s recommender indicating that the student’s English language ability may not be sufficient, and/or the student’s submitted statement does not demonstrate a sufficient level of English language ability, despite having met the above criteria.

Score requirements

For admission to Cornell SCE programs, you must score

  • TOEFL exams taken prior to January 2026: minimum score of 100
    TOEFL exams taken January 2026 or later: minimum score of 5.0, recommended score of 5.5
  • 7.5 and above on the IELTS
  • 130 and above on the Duolingo English Test

Note: Cornell SCE follows the language proficiency requirements set forth by Cornell’s Undergraduate Admissions Office (UAO). To view the UAO guidelines, visit the UAO international student page and look under the “English Language Proficiency (ELP)” tab.

What if I haven’t taken any English language exams?

If you haven’t taken any English language exams, you can schedule one today with TOEFL, IELTS, or Duolingo.

How do I submit my scores?

You must ask your test provider to submit your official test scores directly to us at the School of Continuing Education (Cornell SCE).

Learn about each test service’s score-submission process:

See our contact page for Cornell SCE address information.

What if my scores don’t meet the requirements?

If your scores don’t meet the requirements above, we suggest that you work on strengthening your English language skills this year and apply in the following year.