TOEFL or IELTS?
What Universities Actually Want.
Read this before you register for any English proficiency test
You need an English proficiency test. You have heard of TOEFL and IELTS. You might have heard of PTE Academic. Before you register for anything, spend six minutes reading this. The wrong choice can mean sitting an exam that your target university does not fully accept, or one that does not suit the way you perform under pressure.
“The right English test is not the most popular one. It is the one that gets you into the specific university you are applying to.”
They are not interchangeable everywhere
IELTS Academic is the standard across UK and Australian universities. TOEFL iBT is widely accepted at US universities and at most major UK institutions too. PTE Academic is accepted at over 99 percent of UK universities including Oxford, Cambridge, and Imperial, and is approved by UKVI for student visa applications. The PTE format changed significantly in August 2025.
The important word is most. Not all. And the requirements vary by course, not just by university. A medical programme at a UK university may require IELTS 7.5 with no component below 7.0, even if the university's general minimum is 6.5.
Oxford and TOEFL from January 2026
Oxford has confirmed it will not accept TOEFL tests taken from 21 January 2026 onward while it reviews the revised test format. If Oxford is on your list and you are sitting TOEFL after that date, your score will not be valid for admission. Check Oxford's official admissions page before registering.
What the top universities actually require
Oxford University
IELTS Academic 7.5 overall with no component below 7.0. PTE Academic is accepted. Oxford is not currently accepting TOEFL iBT tests taken after 21 January 2026 while it reviews the new format. If TOEFL is your preferred test and Oxford is on your list, check their official admissions page before registering.
Cambridge University
IELTS Academic 7.5 overall with no component below 7.0. TOEFL iBT is accepted with all components at a minimum of 25 on the legacy scale. Requirements vary slightly by college. Always check the specific college page.
UCL (University College London)
Requirements vary significantly by programme. Some demand IELTS 8.0 across all components. The university-wide minimum is a floor, not a target. Check the specific course page.
Harvard (graduate)
Minimum TOEFL iBT 100 on the legacy 0–120 scale. During the 2026–2028 transition, both the legacy score and the new 1–6 band appear on score reports, so universities can interpret either. Each Harvard school publishes its own threshold. Always check the specific school, not the university homepage.
Stanford (graduate)
Minimum TOEFL iBT 90 on the legacy scale. The Graduate School of Business requires 100 for MBA and PhD programmes. During the 2026–2028 transition period, score reports show both the legacy and new band scores side by side.
How the two tests are different in practice
IELTS and TOEFL test the same four skills. They test them very differently. That difference matters for how you prepare and how you perform on the day.
Key structural differences
- IELTS Speaking is a live conversation with a trained human examiner, eleven to fourteen minutes. For candidates who warm up in real dialogue, this format plays to their strengths
- TOEFL Speaking is entirely computer-based. Since January 2026, it has two tasks with zero preparation time. Responses must be immediate. No human present, no warm-up conversation
- IELTS tests each skill independently. TOEFL has some integration between sections, particularly in Writing
- Both IELTS and TOEFL are now fully digital. IELTS moved to computer-only delivery in June 2026. A hybrid option allowing handwritten Writing exists in select locations
- PTE Academic is fully computer-marked across all four skills. No human examiner is involved at any stage. For better or worse, every mark comes from the same machine
How to choose the right test for you
Start with your university list, not your preference
Before anything else, list every university you are applying to and check their official English language requirements page. Some will accept all three tests. Some will not. One university requiring IELTS is enough reason to sit IELTS, even if you would prefer TOEFL.
If your universities accept all three, your strengths matter more than convention. Comfortable in unscripted conversation? IELTS Speaking rewards that. Prefer consistency and a machine-marked environment? PTE removes examiner variation entirely. Do well under structured digital conditions? TOEFL suits you.
The mistake that costs candidates an entire cycle
Every year, students prepare for months, score well, and then discover their result is not accepted for the visa they need, or falls short of a component minimum buried in the course requirements, or comes from a test format a specific university quietly stopped accepting. Fifteen minutes of research before registration prevents all of it.
Before you register for any English proficiency test
- List all universities you are applying to and check their official requirements page for each course, not just the university homepage
- Confirm your score will be valid for the country's student visa requirements, not just university admissions
- Take one official practice test for both TOEFL and IELTS before deciding. Your performance may surprise you
- If Oxford is on your list and you plan to sit TOEFL after January 2026, check their current policy first
Go deeper
Nine Tests. One Is Right for You. Here Is the Full Scorecard.
Still weighing your options? Our full scorecard compares all nine English tests side by side so you can pick the right one with confidence.
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About the author
The WizardTeacher Team
Research based on official exam board documentation
WizardTeacher articles are researched from official exam board materials, publicly available marking criteria, and student performance data. Every article is reviewed before publishing.