English Proficiency Requirements

You will be required to present evidence of English Proficiency if:

  • your primary or first language is not English, and
  • your have had less than four years of full-time secondary school or post-secondary study, demonstrating satisfactory academic progress, in an English-language school system.

The University reserves the right to deny admission to you if you do not demonstrate satisfactory facility in English, regardless of academic qualifications.

Francophone Canadian citizens educated in Canada will not be required to meet the English Language Proficiency Requirement. You will also be considered as having met the English Proficiency requirement if you completed the International Baccalaureate diploma where English was the language of instruction. 

Acceptable English Proficiency Tests

Test Competence Level
Advanced Level of the English Language Certificate Program (ELCP) Successful completion of the University of Guelph’s Open Learning Advanced Level of the English Language Certificate Program (ELCP) (levels 9 and 10) is also considered an acceptable form of testing for English proficiency.
Cambridge English: C1 Advanced and C2 Proficiency Minimum overall score of 176 with no band less than 169.
Canadian Academic English (CAEL)

Language Assessment Minimum overall band score of 70.

Duolingo English Test Minimum overall score of 110. Individual subscores may be considered.
International English Language Testing Systems (IELTS - Academic) Minimum overall score of 6.5 with no band less than 6.
Pearson Test of English (PTE) Minimum overall score of 60 with no score less than 60 in the individual components.
Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)
  • Internet-based: minimum total score of 89 with no individual scaled score less than 21
  • Computer-based: minimum score of 250
  • Paper-based: minimum score of 600
 
If you contact the Educational Testing Services (ETS), ask to have your TOEFL result sent to Admission Services. The Institution Code for the University of Guelph is 0892.