Proficiency Requirements and Conditional Admission Information

Ball State University requires all applicants with an education history outside of the U.S. to submit a TOEFL, IELTS Academic, SAT, ACT, Duolingo, or PTE score if they do not qualify for one of the waivers listed below.  

• Official test scores must be sent electronically to Ball State University Admissions by the testing agency. Our school code is 1051 and the email is admissions@bsu.edu. 

• English proficiency test scores are good for 24 months. Test scores older than 24 months will not be accepted. 

Please note that English proficiency requirements are based on educational history alone, and not on immigration status or status as an international or domestic applicant. Domestic applicants may also be subject to English proficiency standards and admission practices if they do not meet English proficiency requirements or qualify for a waiver as listed on this page. 

Required Scores for English Proficiency 

• TOEFL-79
  • Ball State University accepts MyBest™ scores for the TOEFL iBT® test, in addition to TOEFL iBT scores from a single test date.
• IELTS Academic-6.5
• SAT Critical Reading Section or SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing-500
• ACT English Section-21
• Duolingo-110
• Pearson's PTE-53

Please note that your academic program/department may have different English proficiency requirements. For more information, contact your program/department directly.

Academic Bridge Program 

The Academic Bridge Program allows international students who have English proficiency scores slightly lower than the minimum requirement to begin taking degree classes while studying part-time in the final level of the Intensive English Institute. To qualify for admission to the Academic Bridge Program, students must meet the following English proficiency requirements: 

• A Duolingo score of 100 or 105
• A TOEFL score of 75-78
• An IELTS Academic score of 6.0
• A Pearson PTE score of 51-52

English Proficiency Waivers 

You can meet the English proficiency requirements of Ball State if you have done any of the following in the U.S.: 

• earned a high school diploma; OR
• earned a college degree at an accredited university in the U.S.; OR
• have a 24 credit hours credit-bearing academic study at an accredited university in the U.S.

Applicants can also meet English proficiency requirements if they have earned a high school diploma, an earned university degree, or have completed 24 credit hours of credit-bearing academic study at an accredited institution from the following countries: