Quick answer
On the new 2026 TOEFL 1–6 band scale (introduced January 21, 2026), most US universities require a minimum of 4.0–4.5 for undergraduate admission. Highly selective universities including Ivy League schools typically require 5.0–5.5+. These correspond to approximately 72–94 and 95–113+ on the old 0–120 scale respectively. During the 2026–2028 transition period, score reports include both the new 1–6 band score and the old 0–120 equivalent.
If you are applying to a US university and English is not your first language, TOEFL is likely a required part of your application. In January 2026, ETS made significant changes to the TOEFL iBT — introducing a new 1–6 band scoring scale and shortening the test to approximately 90 minutes. This has created confusion about what scores are needed, because many universities have not yet updated their published requirements to reflect the new scale. This guide gives you the current picture for 2026, including how to interpret requirements stated in the old 0–120 format.
What changed on January 21, 2026
On January 21, 2026, ETS introduced the most significant update to the TOEFL iBT in years:
New scoring scale: The previous 0–120 point scale has been replaced by a new 1–6 band scale, aligned with the CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages). Each of the four sections (Reading, Listening, Speaking, Writing) is scored on a 1–6 scale, and the total score is the average of all four section scores rounded to the nearest half band.
Shorter test duration: The test now takes approximately 90 minutes — significantly shorter than the previous 3-hour format.
Adaptive testing: Reading and Listening sections now use adaptive testing, meaning the difficulty of questions adjusts based on your performance on earlier questions.
New task types: Speaking and Writing sections include new task types, including Listen and Repeat tasks and an email writing task.
Transition period (2026–2028): During this period, ETS provides both the new 1–6 band score and a comparable 0–120 score on all score reports. This allows universities that have not yet updated their requirements to evaluate scores using either scale. From 2028, only the 1–6 band score will be reported.
What TOEFL score you need — by institution type
Ivy League and highly selective universities (Harvard, MIT, Stanford, Princeton, Yale, Columbia, and similar)
These institutions typically require a TOEFL band of 5.0–5.5 or above on the new scale (equivalent to approximately 100–113 on the old 0–120 scale). Competitive applicants to programmes at these institutions typically have scores of 5.5 or higher. Note that TOEFL is just one factor in a holistic admissions process — meeting the TOEFL minimum does not guarantee admission.
Top 50 US universities (including large public research universities such as UC Berkeley, University of Michigan, Georgia Tech, University of Texas at Austin)
Most require a minimum of 4.5–5.0 on the new scale (approximately 90–100 on the old scale). UC Berkeley and University of Michigan typically require 90+ on the old scale (approximately 4.5+ new scale) for most undergraduate programmes.
General state universities and mid-tier institutions
Most US universities in this tier require 4.0–4.5 on the new scale (approximately 72–90 on the old scale). Many also offer conditional admission or English language programme routes for students who score just below the minimum.
Community colleges and open-admission institutions
Many accept TOEFL scores from 3.0 on the new scale (42+ on the old scale) or do not require TOEFL at all for some programmes.
New 1–6 scale vs old 0–120 scale
| New TOEFL scale (2026) | Old TOEFL iBT scale (0–120) | Typical requirement for: |
|---|---|---|
| 5.5+ | 105+ | Ivy League, highly selective programmes |
| 5.0 | 95–104 | Top 20 universities, competitive programmes |
| 4.5 | 83–94 | Top 50 universities, flagship state universities |
| 4.0 | 72–82 | Most state universities, general undergraduate |
| 3.5 | 57–71 | Community colleges, some open-admission |
These conversions are approximate and based on ETS concordance data. Individual universities may use different conversion tables.
What to do when a university still lists old-scale requirements
Because many universities have not yet updated their published TOEFL requirements to reflect the new 1–6 scale, you will frequently encounter requirements stated in the old 0–120 format. Here is how to navigate this:
Use the ETS concordance table to convert between scales. A requirement of “TOEFL 90” in old scale corresponds to approximately 4.5 on the new scale. A requirement of “TOEFL 100” corresponds to approximately 5.0.
Your score report includes both the new band score and the old equivalent during the transition period, so universities can evaluate using whichever scale they are currently using.
If you are within 3–5 points of a published minimum on the old scale (or within 0.5 bands on the new scale), contact the admissions office directly before applying to confirm how they are interpreting the new format. Some universities are applying stricter or more lenient conversions than the ETS standard.
Why the university minimum is not always the programme minimum
Many US universities set English language requirements at the programme or department level that differ from the university-wide minimum. Medical schools, law schools, MBA programmes, and engineering faculties at competitive institutions frequently require higher TOEFL scores than the general university minimum.
Always check the admissions page of your specific programme — not just the university's general admissions requirements — before calculating your target score.
Planning your preparation given the 2026 format
Students preparing for TOEFL in 2026 should use ETS's updated preparation materials, released in July 2025 specifically for the new format. Older preparation materials (pre-2026) are still useful for the underlying skills — Reading, Listening, Writing, Speaking — but do not reflect the new task types in Speaking and Writing, or the adaptive nature of the updated Reading and Listening sections.
The new format rewards authentic language use and spontaneous communication over memorised templates — particularly in Speaking, where the new task types are designed to assess natural spoken English rather than practised responses.
Nexus Academy offers structured TOEFL preparation from £25 per hour, starting with a free diagnostic session. Book a free TOEFL diagnostic →
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