International Student and Scholar Services
English Proficiency Requirements
The Department of State (DOS) established regulations effective January 2015 which require sponsors to identify English language proficiency for exchange visitors coming to U.S. universities on a J-1 visa. Sponsors must have evidence by an objective measurement that proves that the exchange visitor has sufficient English language proficiency to perform their jobs and navigate daily life in the United States. ISSSO must receive documentation demonstrating a prospective J-1 scholar’s English proficiency before we can issue the requisite DS-2019 form.
To comply with this requirement, scholars have the following options.
- Evidence of citizenship or lawful permanent residency holder in a country that has English as an official language - Applicants must provide a passport or legal permanent residence card that attests to their citizenship in an English-speaking country.
- Evidence of a degree (B.A., B.S., MA, or Ph.D.) earned from an English-medium institution
of higher education within the past 10 years
- For U.S. degrees, a diploma or transcript indicating a degree conferred
- For non-U.S. institutions, a transcript in English showing the degree conferred. If a transcript does not note English as the language of instruction, an official letter must be submitted as well from the institution’s registrar confirming the visitor attended the institution and the medium of instruction was English.
- Evidence of minimum acceptable scores on an internationally-recognized English Language
Test - Test scores must be less than 2 years old when submitted to the ISSSO.
ENGLISH TEST MINIMUM SCORE TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) 79 IBT or 550 PBT IELTS (International English Language Testing System) 6.5 MELAB (Michigan English Language Assessment Battery) 77 Any Cambridge assessment measuring the proficiency of non-native English speakers A score evidencing a proficiency level of B2 or higher Pearson PTE Academic 58