English Language Proficiency Exam
The Graduate School requires that international students whose first language is not English demonstrate proficiency in speaking and writing English by taking oral and written exams upon their arrival at Duke. (This requirement is over and above the submission of a TOEFL or IELTS score.) The written exam includes summarizing a reading and writing an essay (similar to the format and rating procedure used in the TWE, Test of Written English); the oral exam is similar to the SPEAK test and is administered in the language lab at Duke. The exams are typically given in the week prior to the beginning of classes each semester, and you must schedule your arrival at Duke in time to take these tests. Students who do not meet the proficiency requirements are required to enroll in oral and/or written English graduate level credit-bearing course(s) in the first year of study.
The following Graduate School students may be exempted from the testing requirement: (1) international students who are native speakers of English; (2) non-degree and exchange students. Students who have received a bachelor's degree in an English-speaking country may be exempted pending departmental approval. More information about these tests will be available through your department.