TOEFL cutoff

[avatarmomo]

I'm an international student. My TOEFL score is below 100. How does it affect getting accepted and getting funded? Is there a strict rule that automatically invalidates my application for admission and scholarship due to bad TOEFL results? My GRE verbal score is 157, AW: 4.0. Thank you.

 

Just to be precise my TOEFL score is 96.

Edited September 23, 2013 by deligotu

[faculty]

Schools differ on this. I recommend looking for special sections for international students on graduate school and department webpages to find out what the policies are at the places that you're interested in. If there is a cut-off listed, I think that schools are likely to be quite strict about it. These policies are often set by the graduate school and the departments can't bypass them.

[SocGirl2013]

I think with a 157 V (70% +) you should be MORE than okay. I had 108 in TOEFL five years ago, double majored in Sociology and English at a U.S. college and yet my V practice test scores have been ranging from 153-156. Naturally, the TOEFL is only important in as much as to see if you can read and understand academic English, for which a score of 96 is ample. In addition, your verbal score demonstrates you're able to read and understand complex academic English.

 

I don't know what official "cut-offs" are (I don't have to take it since I did undergrad here) but would not re-take the test if I were you. All the best!

[avatarmomo]

Thank you for your responses. Here is an excerpt from the admission webpage of a top-30 school:

 

"A minimum overall score of 80/120 is required for admission, while a minimum sub-score of 26/30 on the Speaking component of the test is needed to qualify for financial support consideration. We cannot waive either of these minimum score requirements under any circumstances. Neither can we waive the requirement for current TOEFL or IELTS scores."

 

I have a score around 25 in Writing, Reading, and Listening sections. I can communicate quite well while speaking face to face, but speaking to a computer screen about trivial subjects is really difficult for me. I am not able to concentrate. I do not want to spend tons of money on this exam again.

 

In the case of the above mentioned school, I think I may get an acceptance, but I will not be eligible for scholarship even if I got accepted. Anyways, I contacted the graduate school, hopefully they will make a satisfactory explanation.