International applicants must provide proof of English proficiency. Applicants may submit either official or unofficial copies of English proficiency scores for initial application evaluation. Applicants should send official scores to UNLV through the testing agency or email your unofficial score reports to: ugdocuments@unlv.edu. If you are admitted based on unofficial scores, your admission will be conditional upon receiving official exam scores early in the semester of admission.

Test scores must be less than two years old at the time of application.

Acceptable scores that evidence sufficient English proficiency for each test are as follows:

English Proficiency Test UNLV Minimum Score - All Colleges
NEW TOEFL iBT Test
*Beginning January 2026		 Overall score of 4.0 (Scale: 1.0 - 6.0)
No band below 3.5
TOEFL iBT Test (Legacy) Overall score of 72 (Scale: 0 - 120)
No band below 17
IELTS Academic Overall band of 6.0
No band below 5.5
PTE Academic Overall Overall score of 59
No band below 50
Duolingo A minimum score of 95
No band below 90
ELS Level 109
CEFR Level B2
MET A minimum score of 53
SAT Minimum of 480 on Evidence-Based Reading and Writing.
ACT Minimum of 18 on English

The Department of Communication Studies accepts the following minimum scores for as proof of English proficiency: TOEFL IBT 31; IELTS 4.0 with no band below 4.0; PTE Academic 22, DET 55; ELS 104.

The proof of English proficiency requirement can also be satisfied through completion of ENG 113 (Composition I for International Students) at UNLV, which is strongly recommended, or any course articulated as equivalent to ENG 101 (Composition I) with a grade of C or better, taken at any regionally accredited institution.

English Proficiency Exemptions

  • Applicants who have earned/will earn a degree, high school or otherwise, from a US institution.
  • Applicants who are from one of the following nations or who have earned/will earn a degree, high school or otherwise, from an institution in one of the following nations:
    • Anguilla, American Samoa, Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Bahamas, Belize, Bermuda, Barbados, Botswana, British Indian Ocean Territory, British Virgin Islands, Canada (all provinces except Quebec), Cook Islands, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Fiji, Falkland Islands (Malvinas), Micronesia, Federated States, Ghana, Gambia, Grenada, Guam, Guyana, Ireland, Jamaica, Kenya, Liberia, Lesotho, Montserrat, Mauritius, Malawi, Namibia, Norfolk Island, Northern Mariana Islands, Nigeria, New Zealand, Pitcairn Islands, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Saint Helena, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent & the Grenadines, Sierra Leone, Singapore, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Tokelau, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands, Tuvalu, Uganda, United Kingdom, Virgin Islands, Zambia, Zimbabwe
  • Applicants who will earn/have earned a degree, high school, or otherwise, outside of the US, where English was the primary language of instruction.

UNLV Intensive English Program

English Language Study for All

The UNLV Intensive English Program offers non-credit-bearing English content to international and domestic students interested in learning English or improving their written or spoken English language skills.

This UNLV Intensive English Program provides customizable, dynamic, student-centered content for high school and university-level students. For example, overseas high schools looking to send a group of students to the U.S. for English language study, as well as university students requiring a semester of English language preparation, can be accommodated through this program.

Please reach out to internationaladmissions@unlv.edu or call 702-774-8658 if you would like to discuss admission options.

English Language Fast Track

The ELC Fast Track is for students who have met all the admission requirements except for English language proficiency. They will receive a letter from the Office of Admissions inviting them to enroll in the non-credit bearing Intensive English Program (IEP) full-time (on a language studies I-20) to complete their English proficiency requirement. All incoming students will be tested pre-arrival for their English proficiency and placed into a level to match their skills. Upon completion of Level 4 (minimum one semester, maximum two years) with a grade of C or higher in every course, they will not be required to submit a new language test score but will automatically be considered to have met the language proficiency requirements for admission to the undergraduate degree program that they applied for. At that time, their application will be resubmitted with the help of the Office of Admissions and the English Language Center, and no additional application fee will be required. Their application will receive priority processing time, and then, UNLV will assist the student with a change of level for their I-20.

Scores that show acceptable English proficiency for the ELC Fast Track program at UNLV

English Proficiency Test UNLV Minimum Score - ELC Fast Track
NEW TOEFL iBT Test
*Beginning January 2026		 Overall score of 3.0 - 3.5
No band below 2.5
TOEFL iBT Test (Legacy) Overall score of 59 - 71 (Scale: 0 - 120)
No band below 10
IELTS Academic Overall band of 5.0 -5.5
No band below 4.5
PTE Academic Overall Overall score of 43 - 58
No band below 40
Duolingo A score of 85 - 90
No band below 80
ELS Level 107 -108
CEFR Level B2
MET A score of 38 - 52