For international students:

A grade of B or better in a course equivalent to Iowa State University’s English 1500 or English 2500 from an accredited US two-year or four-year college or university (note: grade must be earned prior to enrollment at Iowa State)

For US and Puerto Rico students:

A grade of C- or better in a course equivalent to Iowa State University’s English 1500 or English 2500 from an accredited US two-year or four-year college or university (note: grade must be earned prior to enrollment at Iowa State)

English Proficiency Requirement

For the purpose of applying for admission to Iowa State University, English may be considered your primary language only if you have been raised in an environment where English is the ONLY official language of your locality and nation, and English has been the primary language used in your home. 

Applicants whose primary language is not English must meet the English proficiency requirement by any one of the options listed below. 

Scores from any of the exams below must be sent to Iowa State University directly from the testing agency. Scanned copies, photocopies, and web results are not accepted. Below is the Iowa State University reporting code used by each testing agency:

Testing Agency - Iowa State University Code

• TOEFL - 6306
  • Minimum Score or Grade Required: Internet-Based TOEFL (IBT) score of 71 with a minimum score of 17 in both the Writing and Speaking sections
• SAT - 6306
  • Minimum Score or Grade Required: If test was taken prior to March 2016, Critical Reading (CR) score of 420.
  • If test was taken in March 2016 or later, Evidence-Based Writing and Reading (EWR) score of 460.
• ACT - 1320
  • Minimum Score or Grade Required: English sub score of 19
• IELTS - IELTS does not utilize institutional codes
  • Minimum Score or Grade Required: Overall band score of 6.0 with no sub score below 5.5
• PTE - PTE does not utilize institutional codes
  • Minimum Score or Grade Required: Score of 48