Undergraduate English Proficiency, Waivers, and Conditional Admission

Ball State University recommends all undergraduate international applicants to submit a Duolingo, TOEFL, Pearson's PTE, IELTS, SAT, or ACT score if you do not qualify for one of the waivers listed below. Your official English proficiency test must be sent by the testing agency directly to admissions@bsu.edu. English proficiency test scores are good for 24 months. Test scores older than 24 months will not be accepted.

SAT or ACT scores must be officially submitted to Ball State University (school code 1051).

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

• Duolingo — 110 or higher
• 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 — 6.5 Band
• Pearson's PTE — 53
• SAT Critical Reading Section or SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing — 500
• ACT English Section — 21
• Successful completion of the International Baccalaureate (IB)

About Conditional Admission

Conditional admission is available to students who are academically admissible to Ball State but do not demonstrate English proficiency. Please note that the undergraduate Architecture program does not offer conditional admission.

Students who are eligible for conditional admission are admitted to the Intensive English Institute program at Ball State and must meet English proficiency requirements before being offered full admission to the university. Eligible students will receive an I-20 for English Language training and may receive an updated I-20 for academic study after receiving full admission. Visit our Frequently Asked Questions About Conditional Admission for more information. 

IEI Academic Bridge Program

If you receive conditional admission you will be offered admission to Ball State's Intensive English Institute (IEI). Any student admitted conditionally will take an English proficiency exam upon arrival at Ball State, unless you qualify for admission into the IEI Academic Bridge Program. The English placement exam will determine how many IEI courses you will need to take before beginning a full academic semester of standard classes.

The IEI Academic Bridge Program allows international students who have English proficiency scores slightly lower than the minimum requirement to begin taking academic classes while studying part time in the final level of the IEI. Students must be applying for conditional admission to an academic program in order to qualify for admission into the IEI Academic Bridge Program. To qualify for admission to the IEI Academic Bridge Program, students must meet the following English proficiency requirements:

• Duolingo score of 100 - 109
• A TOEFL score of 75 - 78
  
  • Ball State University accepts MyBest™ scores for the TOEFL iBT® test, in addition to TOEFL iBT scores from a single test date.
• An IELTS score of 6.0
• A Pearson PTE score of 51-52

Proof of English Proficiency

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

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

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