IELTS requirements of the world’s top 200 universities in the USA in 2018
The following rankings, organised by subject area, come from the 2018 Times Higher Education World University Rankings and QS World University Rankings.
Times Higher Education World University Rankings in 2018
| Name of institution | World rank | IELTS minimum requirement (undergraduate programmes) | IELTS minimum requirement (postgraduate programmes) |
| California Institute of Technology | 3 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
| Stanford University | 3 | Contact institution | Contact institution |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 5 | 6.0 | 6.0 |
| Harvard University | 6 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
| Princeton University | 7 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
| University of Chicago | 9 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
| University of Pennsylvania | 10 | 6.5 | 6.5 |
| Yale University | 12 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
| Johns Hopkins University | 13 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
| Columbia University | 14 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
| University of California, Los Angeles | 15 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
| Duke University | 17 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
| University of California, Berkeley | 18 | 6.5 | 6.5 |
| Cornell University | 19 | 6.5 | 6.5 |
| Northwestern University | 20 | 6.0 | 6.0 |
| University of Michigan | 21 | 6.5 | 6.5 |
| Carnegie Mellon University | 24 | 6.0 | 6.0 |
| University of Washington | 25 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
| New York University | 27 | 6.0 | 6.0 |
| University of California, San Diego | 31 | 6.5 | 6.5 |
| Georgia Institute of Technology | 33 | Contact institution | Contact institution |
| University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign | 37 | 6.5 | 6.5 |
| University of Wisconsin-Madison | 43 | 6.0 | 6.0 |
| University of Texas at Austin | 49 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
| Brown University | 50 | Contact institution | Contact institution |
| Washington University in St Louis | 50 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
| University of California, Santa Barbara | 53 | 6.5 | 6.5 |
| University of California, Davis | 54 | 6.5 | 6.5 |
| University of Minnesota | 56 | 6.5 | 6.5 |
| University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | 56 | 6.0 | 6.0 |
| Purdue University | 60 | 6.0 | 6.0 |
| University of Southern California | 66 | 6.5 | 6.5 |
| University of Maryland, College Park | 69 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
| Boston University | 70 | 6.5 | 6.5 |
| Ohio State University | 70 | 6.5 | 6.5 |
| Pennsylvania State University | 77 | 6.5 | 6.5 |
| Michigan State University | 83 | 6.5 | 6.5 |
| Rice University | 86 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
| Dartmouth College | 89 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
| Emory University | 98 | Contact institution | Contact institution |
| University of California. Irvine | 99 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
| University of Colorado Boulder | 100 | Contact institution | Contact institution |
| University of Pittsburgh | 100 | 6.5 | 6.5 |
| Vanderbilt University | 105 | 6.5 | 6.5 |
| University of Virginia | 113 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
| Indiana University | 117 | Contact institution | Contact institution |
| Georgetown University | 123 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
| Arizona State University | 126 | Contact institution | Contact institution |
| University of Florida | 143 | 6.0 | 6.0 |
| University of Notre Dame | 150 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
| University of Rochester | 153 | 6.5 | 6.5 |
| Case Western Reserve University | 158 | 6.5 | 6.5 |
| Texas A&M University | 159 | Contact institution | Contact institution |
| University of Arizona | 161 | 6.5 | 6.5 |
| University of California, Santa Cruz | 162 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
| University of Alabama at Birmingham | 168 | 5.5 | 5.5 |
| Tufts University | 169 | 6.5 | 6.5 |
| Rutgers, the state University of New Jersey | 172 | 6.0 | 6.0 |
| University of Miami | 186 | 6.5 | 6.5 |
| University of Massachusetts | 191 | 6.5 | 6.5 |
| Northeastern University | 193 | 6.5 | 6.5 |
| University of California, Riverside | 198 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
QS World University Rankings in 2018
| Name of institution | World rank | IELTS minimum requirement (undergraduate programmes) | IELTS minimum requirement (postgraduate programmes) |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) | 1 | 6.0 | 6.0 |
| Stanford University | 2 | Contact institution | Contact institution |
| Harvard University | 3 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
| California Institute of Technology (Caltech) | 4 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
| University of Chicago | 9 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
| Princeton University | 13 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
| Cornell University | 14 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
| Yale University | 16 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
| John Hopkins University | 17 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
| Columbia University | 18 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
| University of Pennsylvania | 19 | Contact institution | Contact institution |
| Duke University | 21 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
| University of Michigan | 21 | 6.5 | 6.5 |
| University of California, Berkeley (UCB) | 27 | 6.5 | 6.5 |
| Northwestern University | 28 | 6.5 | 6.5 |
| University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) | 33 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
| University of California, San Diego (UCSD) | 38 | 6.5 | 6.5 |
| Carnegie Mellon University | 47 | 6.0 | 6.0 |
| New York University (NYU) | 52 | 6.0 | 6.0 |
| Brown University | 53 | Contact institution | Contact institution |
| University of Wisconsin-Madison | 55 | 6.0 | 6.0 |
| University of Washington | 61 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
| University of Texas at Austin | 67 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
| University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign | 69 | 6.5 | 6.5 |
| Georgia Institute of Technology | 70 | Contact institution | Contact institution |
| University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill | 80 | 6.0 | 6.0 |
| Boston University | 81 | 6.5 | 6.5 |
| The Ohio State University | 86 | 6.5 | 6.5 |
| Rice University | 89 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
| Pennsylvania State University | 93 | Contact institution | Contact institution |
| Washington University in St Louis | 100 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
| Purdue University | 105 | 6.0 | 6.0 |
| University of California, Davis | 118 | 6.5 | 6.5 |
| University of Maryland, College Park | 129 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
| University of Southern California | 132 | 6.0 | 6.0 |
| University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) | 134 | 6.5 | 6.5 |
| University of Pittsburgh | 142 | 6.5 | 6.5 |
| Emory University | 147 | Contact institution | Contact institution |
| Michigan State University | 149 | 6.5 | 6.5 |
| University of Minnesota | 163 | 6.5 | 6.5 |
| University of California, Irvine | 164 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
| Dartmouth College | 169 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
| University of Virginia | 173 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
| University of Florida | 178 | 6.0 | 6.0 |
| University of Colorado Boulder | 182 | Contact institution | Contact institution |
| University of Rochester | 186 | 6.5 | 6.5 |
| Texas A&M University | 195 | 6.0 | 6.0 |
*These are the minimum IELTS score requirements applicable to all programmes, except those specified by an institution. These requirements were taken from http://takeielts.britishcouncil.org/
Study Visa for the USA
If you would like to study in the USA, you will typically need to apply for one of the following student visas from the USA embassy or consulate in your country.
(1) F Student Visas are intended for students who wish to study at an accredited USA college or university or to study English at an intensive English language institute. This is the most common type of visa.
(2) J Exchange Visas are typically granted to students for participation in a short-term exchange programme, including high school and university study.
(3) M Student Visas are for students enrolling in non-academic or vocational study or training programmes in the USA
Before you can apply for your student visa to study in the USA, you must receive either an I-20 or a DS-2019 form from the college or university where you have been admitted, and obtain documented funding for your first year of study. With the I-20 or DS-2019 in hand, you can then apply for your student visa.
Education USA has a lot of detailed advice on how to prepare and apply for your visa to study in the USA Visit their site to find out more.
Why do an increasing number of candidates wishing to study in the USA choose IELTS?
(1) Pen and paper. Unlike other tests, there is no need to complete IELTS on a machine. Paper-based evaluation is better-suited to many candidates.
(2) Quiet testing environment. Candidates who move through the test at different speeds will not disturb each other.
(3) Face-to-face speaking test. This enables candidates to more authentically demonstrate their communication skills.
(4) Effective preparation. IELTS includes a combination of everyday and academic English. This empowers candidates with language skills and systems which can be used in a variety of environments.
