Johns Hopkins University requires graduate students to have adequate English proficiency for their course of study. Graduate students must be able to read, speak, and write English fluently upon their arrival at the university. Applicants whose native language is not English must submit proof of their proficiency in English (either through successful completion of a recognized proficiency test or the receipt of a waiver) before they can be offered admissions and before a visa certificate can be issued. Note: even if an applicant receives a waiver from the Whiting School, it does not necessarily mean they will pass an English proficiency verification in a visa interview.

Accepted English Proficiency Tests for Admission

  • Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)
  • International English Language Testing System (IELTS); recommended minimum score of Band 7
    • IELTS Indicator, an online English language test for students not able to attend an IELTS test center.
  • International Test of English Proficiency (iTEP); through the J-Check System (AY 2020-2021 due to COVID-19; open to all)

English Proficiency Test Waiver Eligibility

The Engineering Graduate Admissions Office will waive the TOEFL/IELTS application requirement for:

1. Any applicant whose citizenship is from the below list of countries with English as their official language:

Anguilla Fiji Mauritius Solomon Islands
Antigua and Barbuda Gambia Montserrat South Africa
Australia Ghana Namibia Swaziland
Bahamas Gibraltar New Zealand Tanzania
Barbados Grenada Nigeria Tonga
Belize Guyana Papua New Guinea Trinidad and Tobago
Bermuda Ireland, Northern St. Kitts and Nevis Turks and Caicos Islands
Botswana Ireland, Republic of St. Lucia Uganda
British Virgin Islands Jamaica St. Vincent and the Grenadines United Kingdom
Cameroon Kenya Scotland United States
Canada (except Quebec) Lesotho Seychelles Vanuatu
Cayman Islands Liberia Sierra Leone Wales
Dominica Malawi Singapore Zambia
England Malta Zimbabwe

 

2. Any applicant who has completed or is about to complete a bachelor’s and/or graduate degree at an institution in a country for which English is the official language (see above list).

3. Any applicant who has completed or is about to complete a bachelor’s and/or graduate degree at an institution of higher education in which the sole/primary language of instruction, writing, and testing is English. Applicants will be asked to provide documentation from their previous/current institution(s) confirming the language of instruction.