TOEFL score requirements vary meaningfully by country — not just by university — because two separate systems are usually in play: your university's own academic English requirement, and (in some countries) a separate government visa or immigration requirement that doesn't always accept TOEFL at all. Missing this distinction is one of the most common and costly mistakes international applicants make.
This guide breaks down what to expect in the four most common TOEFL destinations — the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia — and explains exactly where academic and visa requirements overlap and where they don't. For the band-by-tier breakdown of what counts as a strong score generally, see our guide to what counts as a good TOEFL score in 2026.
Take the free TOEFL Benchmark Test and get your estimated band score in about 45 minutes.
These are typical ranges across each country's higher education sector — always confirm the exact figure on your specific program's admissions page, since requirements vary by institution and degree level.
| Country | Typical Undergrad Minimum | Typical Graduate Minimum | TOEFL Accepted for Student Visa? |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | Band 4.0 (87–94) | Band 4.5 (95–102) | Yes — TOEFL is broadly accepted for the F-1 visa process |
| United Kingdom | Band 4.0–4.5 (87–102) | Band 4.5–5.0 (95–109) | Only for university admission — not on UKVI's Secure English Language Test list for the visa itself |
| Canada | Band 4.0 (87–94) | Band 4.5 (95–102) | Accepted by most universities, but some immigration pathways require IELTS General Training or CELPIP instead |
| Australia | Band 4.0–4.5 (87–102) | Band 4.5 (95–102) | Yes — TOEFL iBT is an approved test for most Australian student visa subclasses |
The US is TOEFL's home market — it was originally developed by ETS, a US-based organization, and remains the most widely accepted English test at American universities. Nearly every US institution that requires English proficiency evidence accepts TOEFL.
Most four-year US undergraduate programs set their minimum around band 4.0 (87–94 on the legacy scale). State flagship universities and mid-tier private colleges commonly sit in this range.
Graduate admissions minimums typically start around band 4.5, with competitive and highly selective programs — particularly at research universities — requiring 5.0 or higher. Programs offering teaching assistantship funding often set a separate, higher Speaking band minimum, since TAs need to be comfortable leading discussion sections or labs.
For the F-1 student visa itself, there's no separate TOEFL score threshold set by US immigration authorities — the visa process relies on your university's I-20 form confirming admission, which already reflects that you met their English proficiency bar. In practice, this means your university's requirement is the only TOEFL number that matters for a US application.
UK universities widely accept TOEFL for academic admission, but the picture is more complex than in the US because of a separate visa-specific requirement.
UK undergraduate programs commonly require band 4.0–4.5, and graduate programs 4.5–5.0, broadly similar to US benchmarks. Russell Group universities (the UK's more research-intensive tier) often sit at the higher end of these ranges.
This is the single most important thing to understand about TOEFL in the UK: TOEFL iBT is not on UK Visas and Immigration's approved Secure English Language Test (SELT) list, which is required for certain visa categories. If your visa route specifically requires a SELT, TOEFL alone will not satisfy it, even if your university's own English requirement accepts it.
Many students discover this gap late. Before committing to TOEFL for a UK application, check both your specific university's academic requirement and the current UK Home Office SELT list for your visa category — they are evaluated completely separately, and passing one does not automatically satisfy the other.
Take the free TOEFL Benchmark Test and get your estimated band score in about 45 minutes.
Canadian universities generally accept TOEFL on similar footing to IELTS for academic admission.
Undergraduate minimums typically sit around band 4.0, with graduate programs at leading schools like the University of Toronto and McGill closer to 4.5–5.0.
Some Canadian immigration pathways — including certain post-graduation work permit and permanent residency routes — specifically require IELTS General Training or the Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program (CELPIP) rather than TOEFL. If your plans in Canada extend beyond just completing your degree, into a post-study work permit or permanent residency application, confirm which test that specific pathway accepts well before you register for TOEFL, since a strong TOEFL score alone may not satisfy every downstream requirement tied to your stay.
Australia's Group of Eight universities and their broader higher education sector generally accept TOEFL comfortably, and — unlike the UK — TOEFL iBT is an approved English test for most Australian student visa subclasses.
Group of Eight universities typically set graduate minimums around band 4.0–4.5, broadly similar to the UK pattern. Undergraduate requirements commonly sit at band 4.0.
The Australian Department of Home Affairs accepts TOEFL iBT results for the Student visa (subclass 500) English language requirement, alongside IELTS, PTE Academic, and a small number of other approved tests. Always confirm the specific score threshold for your visa subclass on the current Department of Home Affairs guidance, since it can differ slightly from your university's own academic minimum.
Beyond the four largest destinations, TOEFL is broadly accepted across most English-medium higher education systems worldwide, though the specifics vary.
New Zealand universities generally follow a similar pattern to Australia and the UK — undergraduate minimums around band 4.0, graduate programs 4.5. TOEFL iBT is accepted for New Zealand student visas alongside IELTS and a small number of other approved tests, but confirm the current list on Immigration New Zealand's official site before relying on it.
English-medium programs across Continental Europe — a growing sector, particularly at the graduate level — broadly accept TOEFL, with requirements typically in the band 4.0–4.5 range. Because there's no single continent-wide policy, always check the specific country and institution rather than assuming a uniform EU-wide standard.
Universities in Singapore, Hong Kong, and similar English-medium academic hubs generally accept TOEFL on comparable terms to the destinations above, with minimums typically in the band 4.0–5.0 range depending on program competitiveness. These destinations don't typically layer on a separate visa-specific English test requirement the way the UK does, but always verify current policy directly.
Start structured TOEFL preparation built around the current 2026 format.
Regional preference between TOEFL and IELTS is real, even though both are technically accepted almost everywhere English-medium education exists. The US leans TOEFL, given ETS's American roots and TOEFL's dominant position there. The UK, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand have historically leaned IELTS, partly due to longer institutional track records and — in the UK's case specifically — IELTS's inclusion on the UKVI Secure English Language Test list where TOEFL is absent.
This doesn't mean TOEFL is a weak choice outside the US — it means the practical, country-specific factors covered in this guide (particularly visa test lists) should weigh into your decision alongside your own format preference. If you're still deciding between the two tests generally, our TOEFL vs IELTS comparison covers the full format, cost, and scoring differences.
If your current band falls short of your target country's requirement, you have several realistic paths forward, and the right one depends on how large the gap is and how much time you have before your application deadline.
The single most common mistake in this whole process is assuming that meeting your university's TOEFL requirement automatically satisfies whatever visa or immigration process comes next. These are two separate systems, run by two separate organizations, with no guarantee of alignment:
Always check both, independently, for your specific destination country and visa category — and don't assume the answer for one automatically applies to the other.
Take the free TOEFL Benchmark Test and get your estimated band score in about 45 minutes.
Two often-overlooked categories carry their own TOEFL requirements, separate from your baseline admission minimum, in every country covered in this guide.
Merit-based and country-specific scholarships — including many government-funded scholarship programs aimed at international students — frequently set their own TOEFL threshold, often higher than the host university's general admission minimum. A student who clears the admissions bar but not the scholarship-specific bar can still be admitted without the funding they were counting on, so check scholarship requirements as a completely separate line item from general admission.
Conditional-admission tracks and foundation-year programs — common in the UK, Australia, and Canada particularly — typically accept lower TOEFL scores than direct entry, often starting around band 3.0, in exchange for an additional preparatory year focused on academic English and study skills. These programs are worth investigating if your score is meaningfully below your target country's direct-entry requirement but you don't want to delay your overall timeline by retaking TOEFL repeatedly.
Yes, consistently, across every country covered in this guide — and understanding the general pattern helps you set a realistic target even before you've found your specific program's published number.
This pattern holds directionally across the US, UK, Canada, and Australia, even though the exact numbers shift slightly by country as covered above. If you're applying to programs across more than one of these degree levels simultaneously — for example, a master's program with a possible pathway to a PhD — plan your target score around the higher of the two requirements rather than the minimum, so a single valid score covers your full application window without needing an early retake.
Start structured TOEFL preparation built around the current 2026 format.
Use the free score calculator to see your current band, then build a study plan around the specific requirement your program lists.