At most top MBA programs, international candidates are required to take the TOEFL® (Test of English as a Foreign Language™) or IELTS (International English Language Testing System) or the PTE Academic (Pearson Test of English Academic) to demonstrate English proficiency. We recently conducted a research among top MBA programs in the USA to find out what are the TOEFL requirements for international candidates, and specifically if the TOEFL is required for Indian students to study in business schools and top MBA programs in the USA.

Most MBA programs will waive the TOEFL requirement for international candidates who attended an undergraduate institution and earned a bachelor’s degree where the sole language of instruction is English, and/or earned a graduate degree that was taught in English.

However, there are a few exceptions:

Berkeley-Haas, if your degree is from an institution in India, you are required to take the TOEFL or IELTS.

USC-Marshall does not waive the English-proficiency requirement based on any other consideration such as work experience, ESL enrollment, etc. It also cannot be waived for undergraduate programs taught in English in non-Anglophone countries, or for graduate degrees earned in the U.S. or other qualifying countries.

UCLA-Anderson requires all international applicants (with the exception of those from Australia, Barbados, Canada, Ireland, Jamaica, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom or who hold a bachelor’s or higher degree from universities in those countries) to provide TOEFL/IELTS scores, regardless of being educated in English during your undergraduate years.

Cornell-Johnson and Cornell-Tech MBA the TOEFL requirement may be waived if you are a native citizen of the United States, Australia, Canada (except Quebec), Ireland, New Zealand or the United Kingdom, or if you studied in full-time status for at least two academic years within the last five years in the United States, Australia, Ireland, New Zealand or the United Kingdom, or with English language instruction in Canada or South Africa. You must submit a transcript that shows you have attended college in one of these approved locations.

These MBA programs don’t require the TOEFL at all:
MIT Sloan
Columbia Business School
Duke Fuqua
Yale SOM

For more info on TOEFL requirements at top MBA programs, minimum scores and the option of studying MBA without TOEFL, please visit: https://aringo.com/mba-programs-that-dont-require-toefl/