Proficiency Exams
Most applicants whose native language is not English are required to take an English Language Proficiency test. We currently accept TOEFL iBT (including TOEFL iBT Home Edition),TOEFL Essentials, IELTS Academic (including IELTS Online), Duolingo English Test, and select Cambridge English Scale tests (C1 Advanced, C2 Proficiency). Applicants may submit unofficial scores while applying for admission. However, admitted students are required to submit official scores in order to enroll at UHM. Official scores should be sent directly to Graduate Division Student Services. The Educational Testing Service (ETS) code for UHM is 4867. Test scores cannot be more than two years old.
| Test | Required Minimum Scores | Minimum scores required for Graduate Teaching Assistantship applicants |
| TOEFL iBT (Test of English as a Foreign Language) | Overall score of 61 TOEFL iBT (scores may vary for each graduate program). | Overall score is 100 with subtest scores of 25 for Listening and 25 for Speaking |
| TOEFL Essentials | Overall score is 7.0 | Overall score of 10.5 with subtest scores of 11 for Listening and 10 for Speaking |
| IELTS Academic (International English Language Testing System) | Overall score of 6.00 | Overall score of 7.0 with subtest scores of 7.0 for Listening and 7.5 for Speaking |
| Duolingo English Test | Overall score of 95 | Overall score of 135 with a Conversation score of 125 |
| Cambridge English Scale (C1 Advanced and C2 Proficiency exams only) | Overall Cambridge English Scale (CES) score is 161 | Overall CES score of 185 with a Listening score of 180 and Speaking score of 180 |
Scores from tests taken at home/online, when administered by the test provider following standard procedures, are accepted. Scores based on multiple test administrations (sometimes called “superscores”), such as TOEFL MyBest scores and the IELTS One Score Retake, are also accepted.