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Minimum IELTS score to study in a USA university in 2023

From New York City to California, the United States of America has always had a reputation for being one of the most popular study destinations for those looking to further their studies abroad.

From having global academic excellence, rich cultural diversity, breathtaking natural landscapes, and plenty of opportunities for employment, it’s no question why students still look out to live that American dream as a student until this day.

But just like everyone looking to study abroad, international students would still need to prove their proficiency in the English language through the IELTS test.

This language test is one of the most recognised English proficiency tests anywhere in the world and is often needed as a prerequisite to enter most schools in major cities overseas.

This is especially relevant in countries where English is the first language like the US.

Minimum scores for universities in the United States

With the average minimum IELTS band score between 6.0 to 6.5 in the United States, potential students can enter most universities across the country.

However, students who have the desire to enter some of the world’s top universities need to aim for a band score that is slightly above average.

Given the international standards and reputation of these educational institutions, it can be quite competitive but certainly not impossible.

Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings in 2023

Times Higher Education (THE) is one of the three most established organisations responsible for the publication of global university rankings each and every year.

The organisation boasts highly extensive and sophisticated performance indicators to provide the most balanced and objective comparisons across all eligible universities in that particular year.

There are five key performance indicators that can be categorised into five aspects: teaching, citations, research, industry income, and international outlook.

In the 2023 rankings this year, over 10 US universities made it to the top 15 of the world university rank. This includes powerhouse institutions such as Harvard, Princeton, Stanford and Yale, to name a few.

Here’s a more in-depth look into the minimum IELTS requirements for the top universities under the 2023 THE World University Rankings.

Rank	University	Global rank	IELTS minimum requirement (undergraduate programmes)	IELTS minimum requirement (postgraduate programmes)
1	California Institute of Technology (Caltech)	2	6.5	7.0
2	Harvard University	2	7.0	7.5
3	Stanford University	4	7.0	7.0
4	Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)	5	7.0	7.5
5	Princeton University	7	7.0	7.0
6	University of California, Berkeley (UCB)	8	6.5	7.0
7	Yale University	9	7.0	7.5
8	University of Chicago	10	6.5	7.5
9	Columbia University	11	7.5	7.5
10	Johns Hopkins University	13	7.0	7.0
11	University of Pennsylvania	13	7.0	7.5
12	University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)	20	7.0	7.0
13	Cornell University	22	7.5	7.0
14	Duke University	23	6.5	7.0
15	University of Michigan-Ann Arbor	24	7.0	7.0

QS World University Rankings in 2023

Alongside Times Higher Education World University Rankings, the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings is also among the top three most established and internationally acclaimed ranking systems.

This ranking system has slightly different assessment criteria that contribute to a university’s final score in the world rankings.

The 6 key metrics include academic reputation, employer reputation, citations per faculty, faculty-to-student ratio, international-student ratio, and international-faculty ratio. All of these play a crucial part in determining how an institution is perceived on a global scale.

In 2023, 9 universities made it to the top 20 of QS World University Rankings including Ivy League universities such as Yale, Columbia, University of Pennsylvania, and Cornell.

Here are the minimum IELTS requirements for American universities according to the QS world ranking system.

Rank	University	Global rank	IELTS minimum requirement (undergraduate programmes)	IELTS minimum requirement (postgraduate programmes)
1	Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)	1	7.0	7.5
2	Stanford University	3	7.0	7.0
3	Harvard University	5	7.0	7.5
4	California Institute of Technology (Caltech)	6	6.5	7.0
5	University of Chicago	10	6.5	7.5
6	University of Pennsylvania	13	7.0	7.5
7	Yale University	14	7.0	7.5
8	Columbia University	19	7.5	7.5
9	Princeton University	20	7.0	7.0
10	Cornell University	21	7.5	7.0
11	University of Michigan-Ann Arbor	23	7.0	7.0
12	Johns Hopkins University	25	7.0	7.0
13	Northwestern University	30	7.0	7.0
14	University of California, Berkeley (UCB)	32	6.5	7.0
15	University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)	40	7.0	7.0

Further your studies in the United States with IDP!

Now that you have an idea of the minimum requirements needed to enter the best universities in the United States, it’s time to start preparing for the IELTS test!

If you don’t know where to start, we’re here to guide you each step of the way.

At IDP, our team of education counsellors can provide students with resources and practice IELTS tests to better prepare themselves, as well as assistance when you’re finally ready to book your test.

What are you waiting for? Book your IELTS test with IDP today.

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