Exemption from the English Proficiency Test Requirement
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology requires all international applicants to demonstrate a minimum English language proficiency needed to succeed in graduate school. Nearly all international applicants will be required to submit English Proficiency Test scores in order to complete their MIT graduate application(s).
The central Office of Graduate Education is pleased to automatically exempt the English Language Proficiency (ELP) test requirement for international applicants who meet one or both of the following criteria:
1. Your primary language is English
- Primary language is defined as your first language learned and spoken in your family home.
2. Within the last 5 years, you attended an English-speaking university for 3-4 years and attained an undergraduate (or equivalent) degree from that university in one of the following countries:
- Australia
- Canada
- Ireland
- New Zealand
- United Kingdom
- United States
If you meet one or both of the above criteria, you will be automatically exempted from providing English proficiency test scores. Please be advised, a test score page may still show up in your application if the department to which you are applying requires or allows GRE scores to be submitted.
MIT graduate departments reserve the right to request test scores as supplemental material at any point during the review process.
MIT Graduate Admissions is not accepting appeals to this policy.
Exemption requests
MIT Graduate Admissions does not accept requests for ELP test exemptions. If you do not meet the specific criteria listed above, you are not eligible to be automatically exempted from the English Language Proficiency test requirement.
Graduate Admissions does not consider the following to be circumstances eligible for an exemption:
- You received an undergraduate degree from an institution where the Medium of Instruction was in English in a country that is not listed above.
- In order to be exempted, you must have earned an undergraduate degree from an English-speaking institution in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, or the United States.
- You received a graduate degree from an English-speaking institution.
- Only undergraduate degrees are considered for the ELP exemption. We do not consider graduate degrees in English.
- You received an undergraduate degree from a U.S. or U.K. institution based in a country other than Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, or the United States.
- Your English-speaking institution must be in one of the above countries in order to qualify for an exemption, regardless of institutional affiliation.
Waiver Requests
Some departments will consider requests for waivers for the English language proficiency test Requirement if an applicant can demonstrate fluency in the English language. Each department has their own set of eligibility criteria and required documentation applicants will need to provide to be considered for a waiver. For more information about the general procedure and policies regarding department ELP waivers, please visit our Department English Language Proficiency test waivers site.
Check for the specific requirements of the graduate program that interests you by navigating to their information page from the Degree Programs directory.
