English Language Requirements

English Language Requirements

If you are an international applicant to the Exchange, Hoakipa, or Independent visiting student program and your first language is not English, you may need to provide evidence of your English proficiency. Students who do not meet minimum requirements may be required to enroll in English Language Institute (ELI) courses alongside regular university courses.

Undergraduate Applicants

Test Submissions

  • Your test must be taken within the last 2 years at the time of your application
  • For TOEFL scores sent via ETS, use Institution Code: 4867 and using the “Undergraduate” category

Exchange & Hoakipa Visiting Students

  • Your home university’s exchange coordinator can email your score directly to us at inbound@hawaii.edu or upload through the Dropbox link sent via email
  • We may still ask for an additional official score report if the document appears unofficial

Independent Visiting Students

  • You can submit unofficial scores with your application
  • If you’re accepted, you must send an official score before enrolling. Check with your testing center to determine how to send an official test score.

Accepted Test Scores and Formats

We accept official English test scores taken at home or online, as long as the testing organization follows standard rules. We also accept scores that combine results from multiple test attempts (like TOEFL MyBest and IELTS One Skill Retake).

Eligible tests Minimum total score for admission, English Language Placement Test (ELIPT) required Minimum total score to waive the English Language Placement Test (ELIPT)
TOEFL iBT

MyBest Scores accepted

 61 100
TOEFL Essentials 7.0 10.5
TOEFL ITP

Administered by partner institution

 500 600
IELTS Academic 6.0 (overall band score) 7.0 (overall band score)
Duolingo English Test 95 135
PTE Academic 44 68
Cambridge English Scale

C1 Advanced & C2 Proficiency only

 161 185
EIKEN Pass: Grade 2A, Grade Pre-1, Grade 1 (GSE 2150 or higher) Not eligible
GEPT

High Intermediate or Advanced test

 Pass for both “Listening & Speaking” and “Speaking & Writing” Not eligible

Exemptions for Undergraduate Applicants

You don’t need to submit a test score if you meet any of the following:

  • Your native language is English.
  • You completed your last 6 years of school in: the U.S., U.K., Canada (except Quebec), Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Singapore, American Samoa, Guam, or Saipan.
  • You completed 60 college-level credits with a GPA of 2.0+ from a U.S. college or university.
  • You earned an Associate of Arts degree from a University of Hawaiʻi Community College.
  • You earned a Bachelor’s degree (or higher) from a recognized college or university in: the U.S., U.K., Canada (except Quebec), Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Singapore, American Samoa, Guam, or Saipan.
  • You are an in an active undergraduate program at one of the following partner universities:
Partial Exemption: Not required to provide proof of English proficiency but must take the ELIPT Full Exemption: Not required to provide proof of English proficiency or take the ELIPT
Austria: 

  • MCI Management Center Innsbruck

Finland: 

  • University of Helsinki

Fiji:

  • University of the South Pacific

Netherlands:

  • Leiden University

Philippines:

  • Ateneo de Manila University

Sweden: Any university

 Germany: 

  • WHU Otto Beisheim University

Hong Kong: 

  • City University of Hong Kong
  • Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
  • Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Norway: 

  • University of Bergen
  • Norwegian University of Science and Technology
  • University of Oslo

Singapore:

  • National University of Singapore
  • Nanyang Technological University

Postgraduate Applicants

Test Submissions

  • You must send official test scores directly to the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.
  • Use ETS code: 4867 (“University of Hawaii at Manoa – Graduate Division“) for official TOEFL submissions
  • Your test must be less than 2 years old at the time of your application

Accepted Test Scores and Formats

We accept online/at-home tests if they follow official rules. We also accept combined-score reports, like TOEFL MyBest and IELTS One Skill Retake.

Eligible tests Minimum total score for admission Minimum total score to waive the English Language Placement Test (ELIPT)
TOEFL iBT

MyBest Scores accepted

 61 100
TOEFL Essentials 7.0 10.5
IELTS Academic 6.0 (overall band score) 7.0 (overall band score)
Duolingo English Test 95 135
Cambridge English Scale

C1 Advanced & C2 Proficiency only

 161 185

Exceptions for Postgraduate Applicants

You don’t need to submit an English proficiency test with your application if you earned a bachelor’s or higher degree in the last 5 years from a recognized university from an exempted country. Click here to see the list of exempted countries recorded on the UH Mānoa Graduate Division website.

Undergraduate and Postgraduates: English Language Institute (ELI) Placement Test & Course Requirement

If your English test score is below the level required to waive the ELI Placement Test—and you do not qualify for an exemption—you must take the ELI Placement test before the semester starts. This is mandatory.

The test includes:

  • 2 listening sections
  • 2 reading sections
  • 1 writing section

Depending on your results, you may be placed into 1 to 3 ELI classes (intermediate or advanced). These classes will be taken with your other university courses.
If you have questions, please contact the ELI Office team or check their website.

Contact Information & Mailing Address

Mānoa International Exchange (MIX)
University of Hawai’i at Mānoa
2600 Campus Road, QLC 206
Honolulu, HI 96822, USA

Phone: +1-808-956-4728

Email: inbound@hawaii.edu

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