Academic Pathway to Towson University
If you do not meet our English Proficiency Standards but would like the opportunity to earn college credit, the APTU program could be an option for you.
English Proficiency
Any student that has attended school outside of the U.S. must provide proof of English proficiency.
English Proficiency Options
An applicant must earn the minimum required score or grade indicated on the table below to satisfy the English proficiency requirement.
| TEST | UNDERGRADUATE | GRADUATE |
|---|---|---|
| TOEFL (Code 5404) |
70 IBT with subscores of 17 | 80 with subscores of 20 |
| TOEFL Essentials | 8.0 overall with subscores of 8.0 | 9.0 with subscores of 8.5 |
| IELTS | 6.0 with band scores of 5.5 | 6.5 with band scores of 6.0 |
| PTE | 49 | 57 |
| Duolingo (DET) | 105 | 115 |
| iTEP | 3.9 | 4.4 |
| SAT (Code 5404) |
540 evidence-based reading and writing | NA |
| ACT (Code 1718) |
21 English | NA |
| IB | 5 SL English | NA |
| GCSE/IGCSE | C on O, AS, A level English | NA |
| U.S. university coursework | C in college-level composition course from accredited U.S. institution. | Baccalaureate degree holders or higher may be eligible for a waiver. |
| TU English Language Center (ELC) | TU ELC Level 5 completion | TU ELC Level 6 with a grade of B or better. |
Undergraduate students may be exempt from this requirement if they have completed a minimum of 3 years of education in one of the countries listed below. Graduate students must have obtained a baccalaureate degree or higher with a minimum GPA of 3.0 from any of the countries mentioned. Students may be required to provide additional information after application review.
- Anguilla
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Australia
- Bahamas
- Barbados
- Belize
- Bermuda
- Botswana*
- British Virgin Islands
- Canada (except Quebec province)
- Cayman Islands
- Dominica
- Eswatini (Swaziland)
- Falkland Islands*
- Fiji*
- Gambia*
- Ghana
- Gibraltar*
- Grenada
- Guernsey*
- Guyana
- Ireland
- Isle of Man*
- Jamaica
- Jersey*
- Kenya*
- Lesotho*
- Liberia
- Montserrat*
- Namibia*
- New Zealand
- Nigeria
- Sierra Leone*
- Singapore
- South Africa*
- St. Helena
- St. Kitts and Nevis
- St. Lucia
- Tanzania*
- Trinidad and Tobago
- Turks and Caicos Islands
- Uganda*
- United Kingdom
- United States Territories (except Puerto Rico)
- Vincent and the Grenadines
- Zambia*
- Zimbabwe*
*English language proficiency test only waived for applicants from English language educational systems.
Students may be required to take an English Placement Exam upon arrival at TU even if the English language proficiency requirement is waived or has been met.