Graduate College English Language Requirements

English Placement Test (EPT)

If you are a nonnative speaker of English, you must take or be exempted from the English Placement Test (EPT)as a graduate student before your first semester unless you qualify for one of the EPT exemptions below.

The following groups of students are exempt from taking the EPT:

• Students who have received a bachelor’s, master’s or Ph.D. degree from an English-speaking university in the U.S.A., Canada, Great Britain, New Zealand, or Australia do not have to take the EPT.
• Students with a TOEFL score of 640 or above (paper-based TOEFL), 270 or above (computer-based TOEFL), or 105 and above (internet-based TOEFL) are exempt from taking the EPT. 
• Any student with a score of 8.0 or above on the IELTS is also exempt from taking the EPT.

Students who meet the first category of exemptions above will need to submit a form of Graduate English Requirement Approval. The form can be downloaded at http://www.grad-college.iastate.edu/forms/forms.html. Students meeting one of the other categories need not take any action in regard to the exemption.

For more information on the English Placement Test, consult the EPT Office, 226 Ross Hall, (515) 294-6398, ept@iastate.edu or http://apling.public.iastate.edu/ept.html.

Oral English Certification Test (OECT) 

If English is not your first language and if you are a new teaching assistant, you must take the Oral English Certification Test (OECT) before beginning any teaching responsibilities. For more information, consult the International TA Program Office, 1137L Pearson, (515) 294-1958, speakteach@iastate.edu or http://www.grad-college.iastate.edu/speakteach/testing_information/testing_home.php.