English Language Proficiency

All international graduate students must meet minimum English language proficiency standards. To achieve admission to a graduate or professional program at Texas A&M University, international applicants are required to attain English Language Proficiency (ELP) Verification. For eligibility to hold a graduate assistantship with instructional or curricular support responsibilities, international graduate students must achieve ELP Certification.

Eligibility for admission to Texas A&M University requires that international applicants must attain ELP Verification. This is attainable by achieving a minimum required score on an acceptable standardized examination, Alternative Verification (provided by the student’s admitting department), or citizenship with an English-speaking country that is exempt from the Verification requirement.

What is the Difference between Verification and Certification?

ELP Verification is required for admission to the university.

ELP Certification is required for an international graduate student to be eligible for hire in any other role classified as a teaching position.

Who Must Obtain ELP Verification?

All international applicants or international prospective students are required to submit proof of English proficiency to be eligible for admissions. For guidelines on which applicants are considered international students, visit the International Graduate page on the Office of Admissions website.

Test Scores Accepted by Texas A&M For English Language Verification

The following global standardized tests are acceptable to obtain ELP Verification:

• a TOEFL score of at least 80 on TOEFL iBT (550 paper-based) or
• 8.5 on TOEFL Essentials;
• an IELTS score of at least 6.0;
• a GRE Verbal Reasoning score of at least 146 (400 on the old scale);
• a GMAT Verbal Score of at least 22

Note: Some colleges/schools or departments may establish testing standards that exceed the University's minimum score for admission to their programs. Contact the program to which you are seeking admission for information.

How to Submit Test Scores for English Language Verification

Test scores must be sent directly from the testing agency to be considered official.

To report TOEFL scores:

• Use code 6003 for reporting TOEFL scores to the Texas A&M University (GraduateCAS).
• Use code B887 for reporting TOEFL for engineering programs (EngineeringCAS).
• Use code B888 for reporting TOEFL for business programs (BusinessCAS).

 To report IELTS scores:

• Texas A&M University only accepts scores submitted electronically by the IELTS test center. No paper Test Report Forms will be accepted. Please contact the test center where you took the IELTS test and request that your test scores be sent electronically to Texas A&M University (College Station and Galveston).

Please note: there may be multiple instances of Texas A&M University.

Tests should be taken at least eight weeks prior to the appropriate application deadline to ensure timely receipt and processing of results.

For more information about which tests Texas A&M accepts for English language verification or how to submit scores, visit the International Graduate page on the Office of Admissions website.

How Long Are My Test Scores Valid?

Scores from TOEFL and IELTS administered more than two years before submission of the admissions application are not eligible for use in attaining ELP Verification.

Alternative Verification

Alternative Verification may be acquired during the admissions process from the Graduate and Professional School via request submitted by colleges/schools departments, or interdisciplinary degree programs. Alternative Verification indicates that an international applicant meets the English Language Proficiency through means other than the acceptable testing scores.

An international graduate student holding a master’s degree or completing all years of a bachelor's degree from an accredited academic institution located in the United States qualifies for Alternative Verification. Alternative verification requests must be submitted by departments, interdisciplinary degree programs, or colleges (for college level programs). The Graduate and Professional School will determine on a case-by-case basis whether to grant alternative verification.

Which Countries' Citizens are Exempt from the English Language Proficiency Verification Requirement?

The Office of Admissions will exempt applicants who are citizens of certain English-speaking countries from the English proficiency requirement for admission and will consider these students as Verified. The Office of Admissions’  International Graduate webpage maintains a complete list of countries whose citizens are exempt.

Some funding offers from Texas A&M include graduate assistantships with teaching responsibilities. For eligibility to hold a graduate assistantship with instructional or curricular support responsibilities – such as Graduate Assistant Teaching (GAT), Graduate Assistant Lecturing (GAL), etc. – Texas State law (Education Code, Section 51-97) and Texas A&M University requires international graduate students to achieve English Language Proficiency Certification. The Division of Human Resources and Organizational Effectiveness (HROE) at Texas A&M requires prospective or current international students hired for assistantships that carry teaching responsibilities to provide proof of English Language Proficiency Eligibility (Level 1 Certification), Conditional Eligibility (Level 2) for one semester only, or Verification (Level 3) with Emergency Deferral for one semester only before the date of hire. 

What is the Difference between Certification and Verification?

ELP Certification is required for an international graduate student to be eligible for hire as a Graduate Assistant Teacher (GAT), Graduate Assistant Lecturer (GAL), or any other role classified as a teaching position.

ELP Verification is required for admission to the university. International graduate students who are Verified only are ineligible for hire in any role classified as a teaching position.

Who Must Obtain ELP Certification?

International students who want to teach in positions such as Graduate Assistant-Teaching (GAT) or Graduate Assistant-Lecturer (GAL) are required by the State of Texas to obtain ELP Certification.

When Must ELP Certification be Attained?

ELP Certification must be demonstrated prior to the date of hire.

How Can I Obtain ELP Certification before Enrollment?

Students may obtain ELP Certification by achieving requisite scores on a global standardized test or by Alternative Certification.

I Have Already Been Enrolled and Want to Hold a Graduate Assistant Teaching Position, but I Don't Have Certification. How Can I Meet ELP Certification Requirements?

International graduate students who wish to serve in graduate assistant teaching positions and did not meet the Certification requirement prior to enrollment can certify by passing a global standardized test or the English Language Proficiency Exam (ELPE) offered by Testing Services on the Texas A&M campus.

What Test Scores Do I Need to Attain ELP Certification?

Satisfaction of ELP requirements in relation to a teaching position is rated on a scale of 1-3.

A student who receives a Level 1 certifying score is Eligible for teaching assignments.

Those with a Level 2 rating are Conditionally Eligible for teaching assignments. They may teach for one semester only and must simultaneously enroll in the Texas A&M University Center for Teaching Excellence English Language Proficiency (CTE-ELP) program. The student must achieve a Level 1 certifying score on the ELPE or a global standardized test before the hiring date for the next semester.

Students at Level 3 (Verified only) are Ineligible for teaching assignments. They should participate in spoken language training (such as those offered by CTE-ELP or other independent English language instruction providers) to assist them in meeting English Language Proficiency requirements. They will remain ineligible until they achieve a certifying score on the oral skills assessment on the ELPE or a global standardized test.

Who Qualifies for ELP Alternative Certification?

Alternative Certification may be acquired from the Graduate and Professional School via request submitted by colleges/schools, departments, or interdisciplinary degree programs. Alternative Certification indicates that an international student meets the English Language Proficiency standard required to hold a teaching position through means other than the acceptable testing scores and confers Level 1 (Eligible) status.

An international graduate student completing all years of a bachelor's degree from an accredited academic institution located in the United States qualifies for Alternative Certification.

Students who are citizens of certain English-speaking countries will also be considered for Alternative Certification. The Office of Admissions’  International Graduate webpage maintains a complete list of countries whose citizens are exempt.

Alternative Certification requests must be submitted by colleges/schools, departments, or interdisciplinary degree programs. The Graduate and Professional School will determine on a case-by-case basis whether to grant Alternative Certification.

Can Level 2 (Conditionally Eligible) Students Hold Graduate Teaching Positions?

International graduate students at Level 2 are considered Conditionally Eligible and may receive employment for one semester only. During the semester of conditional eligibility, the student must participate in the CTE-ELP program. The student must achieve Level 1 Certification by the end of the semester of employment, before the hiring date for the next semester.

If the student has not achieved Level 1 Certification before the hiring date for the next semester, the employing unit will have the opportunity to move the employee to a Graduate Assistant Non-Teaching (GANT), Graduate Assistant Researcher (GAR), or another non-teaching role. For those students who do not meet the ELP requirement and are not transferred to a non-teaching position, the Graduate and Professional School will recommend termination to be processed by the Division of Human Resources and Organizational Effectiveness. The student will be ineligible for rehire until Level 1 Certification has been achieved.

Can Level 3 (Verified Only) Students Hold Graduate Teaching Positions?

International students at Level 3 (Verified only) are Ineligible for hire in a GAT, GAL, etc. position. Students who wish to be considered for future employment should participate in spoken language training (such as that provided by CTE-ELP).

Emergency Deferral of ELP Certification for Level 3 (Verified Only) Students

On rare occasions, a college/school, department, or interdisciplinary degree program may need to hire an international graduate student in a teaching-related role who has not achieved ELP Level 1 Certification or Level 2 Conditional Eligibility. In such cases, academic units may request a one-time, one-semester Emergency Deferral . The request should be submitted to the Graduate and Professional School via memorandum from the Department Head, routed through the college/school Graduate Operations Committee (GOC) Dean, and addressed to the Associate Provost and Dean of the Graduate and Professional School.

The level of justification must be very high for approval of an Emergency Deferral. The following are examples of justifiable conditions:

• The academic unit did not anticipate hiring the student as a GAT, GAL, etc. for the semester.
• The student did not have an opportunity to take the TOEFL, IELTS, or ELPE because it was not available between the time the offer of employment was made and the hiring date, but the student has registered to take one of those examinations.
• The academic unit has no other graduate students with the expertise/knowledge needed to teach or support the course.

If the Emergency Deferral is approved, the student is granted conditional eligibility (similar to Level 2) for one semester only. The academic unit must also assign a faculty member to conduct periodic reviews – including observations – of the student’s teaching performance during the first month of the semester with appropriate actions if the student’s performance is deemed unacceptable.

During the semester of emergency deferral, the student must participate in the CTE-ELP program. The student must achieve Level 1 Certification by the end of the semester of employment, before the hiring date for the next semester.

If the student has not achieved Level 1 Certification before the hiring date for the next semester, the employing unit will have the opportunity to move the employee to a Graduate Assistant Non-Teaching (GANT), Graduate Assistant Researcher (GAR), or another non-teaching role. For those students who do not meet the ELP requirement and are not transferred to a non-teaching position, the Graduate and Professional School will recommend termination to be processed by HROE. The student will be ineligible for rehire until Level 1 Certification has been achieved.

Contact:    English Language Proficiency Compliance Office, Graduate and Professional School

Email:        ELPCompliance@tamu.edu

Phone:      979-845-3631

Departments may request Alternative Verification, Alternate Certification, and Emergency Deferral of Certification with appropriate justification.