Uchicago English Proficiency
Emmanuelle Thaller
Students in the College are required to possess understanding of more than one culture and to demonstrate competence in a language other than English. The diverse, multilingual, international student body at UChicago can satisfy the Language Competency Requirement in a variety of ways, among them language study, study abroad, and proficiency testing. But completing the requirement is just the beginning. Language learning and language proficiency represent functional, real-world skills that broaden and deepen all student learning at the University. These skills not only enhance engagement and performance across all disciplines, they also promise heightened opportunities as students pursue academic and professional careers beyond campus.
Earn these certificates in multiple foreign languages taught in the College by passing the Practical or Advanced Language Proficiency Assessment. Language proficiency tells you and others what you can do with language in the real world, how your language ability meets real-life objectives, not a textbook or syllabus, and how your language ability can serve you in your professional or academic career.
Starting a new language? Eager to gain high proficiency in a language you know? Studying a language in the Summer can accelerate your learning, making it possible to skip over courses or course sequences when the academic year begins.
All students must demonstrate at least a beginning-level competency in a language other than English. That means you either need to complete the beginning year of a language OR demonstrate that you already have proficiency at the intermediate level or above. There are several ways to do this, which you can see outlined below. Learn more about your options for satisfying the language competency requirement in the College Catalog.
Some majors require language proficiency beyond the beginning level, and many students want to increase their competency further for personal, professional, or academic reasons. It's also good to note that even though there is no additional language requirement for pre-health students, it would be fair to say that higher-level language fluency can open many doors both in the US and abroad. The same is true of many other fields.
The University of Chicago teaches over 50 languages on the Hyde Park Campus and abroad. Check out what Cathy Baumann, Director of the UChicago Language Center, has to say about opportunities to learn or expand your language knowledge in the College.
The University of Chicago only admits students who have demonstrated a superior level of English language competence. Students are invited to submit scores from any English proficiency examination they believe represents their English language ability. If you feel as though mastery of the English language is already represented throughout your application, you are not required to submit formal exam scores.
Students who choose to submit English proficiency scores may share either official or self-reported scores. Students sharing self-reported scores will not be required to submit official score reports unless they are admitted and choose to enroll.
Applicants to the graduate schools and divisions of the University of Chicago, regardless of citizenship, must either meet one of our waiver criteria (below) or submit proof of English language proficiency. This policy applies to all* graduate programs; the score level required for admission varies by program. Only the TOEFL iBT or IELTS Academic tests are accepted as proof of proficiency.
TOEFL or IELTS score reports are valid for two years and scores will be considered expired if the test was taken more than two years prior to the application deadline. If you send us a score and it expires prior to the deadline you are applying under, you will need to send a more recent score. Photocopies or PDFs of TOEFL or IELTS Score Reports will not be considered valid or accepted in lieu of an official score report.
University of Chicago downloads IELTS scores that have been transmitted to our e-download account. Please contact your test center and request that your scores be sent to the following IELTS e-download account:
*Note: This policy does not apply to the Chicago Booth School of Business, the Law School, or the Pritzker School of Medicine. Please consult with the relevant admissions websites for more information on the policies of each of these schools.
Applicants to the Division of the Social Sciences and the University of Chicago who do not meet the criteria below must submit proof of English language proficiency. The score level required for admission varies by program as listed below. Only the TOEFL iBT or IELTS Academic tests are accepted as proof of proficiency. Home administrations of those exams are accepted.
Please do not contact departments or Admissions regarding a waiver. If you meet the criteria the application system will automatically apply the waiver, and will not require you to report a TOEFL/IELTS score.
Applicants can meet our score requirements with multiple test administrations. However, we do not currently accept TOEFL MyBest scores; all official reports must be sent to us for scores to be combined.
Once scores are received in the central UChicago score database you will receive an email from gradadm...@uchicago.edu confirming receipt. Please allow 72 hours after receipt of that email for your scores to attach to your Social Sciences application. If your scores do not appear in your online account after 72 hours, please contact gradadm...@uchicago.edu. Please note that if your first name, last name, date of birth, and email address on your GRE, TOEFL, or IELTS account do not exactly match your online application, your scores will not automatically match to your application. If that is the case, please contact gradadm...@uchicago.edu for assistance.
Applicants who have not yet met our English proficiency requirements are still welcome to apply to our programs; however, such applicants may be at a disadvantage in the review process. Should an offer of admission be extended to an applicant with TOEFL/IELTS scores below our minimums, it will be conditional upon submission of scores meeting our requirements. Conditionally admitted students cannot begin the visa process or complete other required pre-matriculation tasks until the requisite scores are received by the University.
The Germanic Studies Department at the University of Chicago is committed to a communicative approach to language learning, which will prepare you to use German both in academic and professional contexts. Working closely with the University of Chicago Language Center, we help our students learn to verbalize their thoughts, support and defend their opinions on abstract and concrete topics, and create with German in a meaningful way.
The German Placement Test is offered online to students registered at the University. Students may only take the Placement Test once. A score on the test does not confer credit, rather, it provides students with an entry point into the German language program. For questions or issues regarding placement, please contact the Director of the Language Program, Maeve Hooper, hoo...@uchicago.edu.
All applicants for whom English is not a primary language may be required to submit current scores from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). Current scores are no more than two years old at the time of application submission. Required minimum scores can be found here, and a complete description of the English proficiency policy may be found at this website. Questions about the English proficiency requirement should be directed to humanities...@uchicago.edu.
UChicago College students are deeply engaged in activities that require the use of foreign languages and that connect them with individuals and cultures on or beyond our campus. Those activities range from taking courses to gaining certification of proficiency, to studying or interning abroad, to engaging with different cultural groups in the US and abroad, and completing language majors and minors.
As students demonstrate completion of each component, they earn points toward Global Honors. Once they qualify, they will receive the Global Honors designation on their transcript and be recognized during Convocation ceremonies at graduation. Click the link below for a comprehensive list of components.
Interested in applying for Global Honors? For the 2022 academic year, you must be a current third- or fourth-year student in the College. These students can self-enroll in the Canvas course by following these instructions. Contact global...@uchicago.edu with any questions.
You may receive a waiver to avoid submitting TOEFL or IELTS scores if English has been a primary language of communication and schooling for you since childhood or if you were enrolled for at least one academic year in full-time status in a course of study at an accredited English-medium post-secondary institution in one of the following countries or territories within the past ten years: Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Canada, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Hong Kong, Ireland, Jamaica, New Zealand, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Singapore, South Africa, Trinidad and Tobago, the United Kingdom, the United States.
The Division of the Humanities provides a resource page with additional information for international students about University of Chicago programs and offices, housing resources, and general assistance. Please feel free to contact the Divisional staff by email at humanities...@uchicago.edu with any further questions.
Boasting a campus community where 24% of the student population is international, the University of Chicago embraces diversity of thought, opinion, and perspective in its pursuit of rigorous intellectual inquiry and discourse. Join fellow academically curious and talented students from across the globe. Choose from a wide variety of courses for high school and undergraduate students that blend interdisciplinary discourse, fearless inquiry, and a splash of fun!
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