IELTS now accepted at more than 2,500 US institutions
US-bound test takers are on the rise
In 2009, the number of US institutions including undergraduate, graduate and professional school programs recognising IELTS surpassed 2,500. IELTS is now accepted at elite Ivy League schools. IELTS is the International English Language Testing System, the world’s leading English language test designed to evaluate ability to communicate in English for education, immigration and professional accreditation worldwide, including the UK, US, Australia and New Zealand.
In addition to being accepted at US Ivy League schools, almost all “Top schools”, as ranked by US News & World Report, now accept IELTS. The number of US institutions and programs accepting IELTS each year has risen from 500 in 2003 to 2,000 in 2008, and to more than 2,500 in 2009.
Some of the premier institutions, such as Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Yale School of Divinity, and Concordia College, are making IELTS their preferred language proficiency test.
“We’ve gone past the tipping point,” said Beryl Meiron, Executive Director of IELTS International, which manages IELTS in the US, “Many of the top schools recognize the effectiveness of IELTS, in particular its face to face speaking module, rigorous security processes and comprehensive assessment of all four language skills. The old idea that TOEFL is the test for the US and IELTS for the UK, Australia and New Zealand, just doesn’t apply anymore.”
Along with the rise in the number of US institutions accepting IELTS, the number of IELTS test takers increased to over 1.4 million in 2009 with a 10% increase in Japan. US-bound IELTS test takers are also on the rise with a 10% increase in Japan, a 15% increase in Korea, a 90% increase in Taiwan and strong double-digit growth in China.
Jason James, Country Director of British Council in Japan said “In Japan, we are increasing the number of test takers of IELTS—the most accurate measure of English proficiency. In 2010, we expect the number of test takers in Japan to continue to rise in line with global trends through our alliance with STEP, which will make IELTS more accessible to test-takers in Japan.
IELTS is the world’s best test for evaluating English proficiency and is accepted by over 6,000 institutions in 125 countries worldwide. Please find the latest US recognition list here.
IELTS US Recognition List 2013 (ADOBE PDF 644KB)
About IELTS
IELTS is the International English Language Testing System, an English language test designed to evaluate ability to communicate in English for education, immigration and professional accreditation. About 6,000 educational organisations in 120 countries including the UK, USA, Australia and New Zealand recognise IELTS as a reliable indicator of true-to-life ability to communicate in English. IELTS is the world’s leading English language test with the largest number of test-takers. In 2009 the number of candidates exceeded 1.4 million. IELTS is jointly managed by British Council, IDP: IELTS Australia and the University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations (Cambridge ESOL) in more than 125 countries. In November 2009 British Council and STEP (the Society for Testing English Proficiency) announced an alliance to jointly administer and significantly improve the availability of the IELTS test in Japan.