English Language Proficiency Test Scores (for international applicants)
Much of your success in graduate study in the United States will rest on your ability to understand, read, write, and speak English. If English is not your first language, evidence of proficiency in its use will be decisive in the review of your application for admission.
The Duke University Graduate School requires that any applicant whose first language is not English submit scores from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). The institution code for Duke is 5156 and a departmental code is required by ETS. See the TOEFL website for a list of codes; since all scores come to the Admissions Office regardless of the department code, the code you choose is not important. Your score must not be more than two years old, and an official copy must be sent to the Graduate School directly from the Educational Testing Service (ETS). Personal copies are not acceptable, nor are "attested" or notarized copies.
The Graduate School seeks to admit only those students with a minimum TOEFL score of 83 (internet-based test). In many departments, a higher score may be required.
In lieu of the TOEFL, applicants may submit their scores for another English language proficiency test, the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) test. Official IELTS scores should be mailed to: Office of Admissions, Duke University Graduate School, 2127 Campus Drive, Box 90065, Durham, NC 27708.
NOTE: All international students whose first language is not English are required to take oral and written English placement exams administered by the Duke English for International Students (EIS) program when students arrive on campus for orientation. These exams are independent of the TOEFL score submission requirement. Further information about the EIS exam requirements can be found at http://www.duke.edu/web/eis/info/faq.html. Depending on their Duke placement exam results, students are either exempt from, or placed into, one or more EIS courses. Students with EIS requirements must make satisfactory progress toward completing these requirements in their first year of study.