English Language Proficiency (ELP) Verification FAQ
WHY DO I NEED ELP VERIFICATION?
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.
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.
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.
WHAT TEST SCORES ARE ACCEPTABLE TO OBTAIN ELP 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 scores for admission to their programs. Contact the program to which you are seeking admission for information.
HOW DO I SUBMIT TEST SCORES FOR ELP 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.
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.
Can I Obtain Alternative Verification?
In some cases, colleges/schools, departments, and interdisciplinary degree programs may submit requests for alternative verification to the Graduate and Professional School. Academic units must initiate Alternative Verification requests during the admissions process. Units should make such requests only when they deem ELP documentation sufficient to merit Alternative Verification.
The student should provide the college/school, department, or interdisciplinary program with documentation to support Alternative Verification. Examples of experiences and/or training that may justify alternative verification:
- Completing a training program in English oral skills or courses at a university and/or institution other than Texas A&M University. Students must provide associated transcripts.
- An international student holding a master's degree, or completing all years of a bachelor's degree or higher, from an accredited institution located in the United States. Texas A&M requires an official transcript submitted to the Office of Admissions denoted the degree conferral date.