Students must demonstrate or gain English proficiency in order to study at Fresno Pacific University. The university reserves the right to require English testing and/or support classes if application materials and/or interviews indicate that the student’s level of English proficiency may not be sufficient for university studies. The ways to demonstrate and fulfill the English Proficiency Requirement are:
English Testing
Students may demonstrate English proficiency by providing official test results demonstrating the minimum scores on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or International English Language Testing System (IELTS). Information and test registration can be found online www.ets.org/toefl for TOEFL and www.ielts.org for IELTS.
Minimum Score Requirements
| Exam | Paper-Based Test (PBT) | Internet-Based Test (iBT) |
|---|---|---|
| TOEFL Overall exam | 550 | 79-80 |
| IELTS Overall exam | 6.5 |
Students who have received a passing score of 530 pBT (or iBT equivalent) may be admitted to a graduate or seminary program. Students may not complete the degree program without passing test scores. All students who are enrolled in a graduate or seminary degree program must enroll in required LANG and ESL courses and take the TOEFL test each time it is offered at Fresno Pacific University until they have earned passing exam scores.
Students who take iBT TOEFL or IELTS must submit a valid test score with their application prior to admission. Official test scores must be sent by ETS or the British Council directly to Fresno Pacific. Photocopies or score reports from other institutions are not acceptable.
Applicants who are already in Fresno may take pBT at Fresno Pacific. Fresno Pacific offers paper-based TOEFL at its main Fresno campus 4 times a year in August, December, January, and April. Applicants must confirm this option with the International Admissions Office.
Prior Studies in English
Students may demonstrate English proficiency by verifying that prior post-secondary studies were conducted in English. Students must verify all of the following with official transcripts:
- Completed a four-year baccalaureate-level degree
- Completed at least two years of full-time study without ESL support/classes.
FPU reserves the right to verify that the language of instruction was English.
Applicants should assume that they will need to submit English proficiency test results if their baccalaureate degree was not completed in the United States, Canada (excluding Quebec), Australia, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, or Ireland. For other country specific information please contact the International Admissions Office.
If, while in graduate classes, it is determined that the student’s ability to communicate and participate in English is below the necessary institutional standard, the student may be referred to the Intensive English Language Program (IELP) director who may require the student to enroll in IELP courses.