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The California State University system currently requires undergraduate applicants whose schooling was in a language other than English to take the Test of English as a Foreign Language to prove their proficiency in the language. This may soon change.
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At the CSU Board of Trustees meeting Tuesday, Vice Chancellor Dilcie Perez proposed an amendment to the university’s admissions policy that would replace TOEFL with “multiple approved measures” to demonstrate English proficiency. This, she said, would modernize the requirement and reduce barriers like test availability and related costs.
“The amendment would neither eliminate nor lower the English language proficiency requirement,” Perez said. “Applicants would still need to demonstrate proficiency sufficient to participate successfully in and benefit from university-level study.”
The proposal, which mostly affects international applicants, will be voted on by 25-member board at its next meeting in November.
About 2.5% of the CSU’s more than 470,000 students come from outside the U.S. — which has steadily declined over the last decade. The CSU, like the University of California, maintains an English proficiency requirement because most classes are taught in English. Applicants whose native language is not English or who have not had at least three years of secondary education taught in English must demonstrate their ability to read, write and speak the language.
At the CSU, the only present option to prove proficiency is to provide a TOEFL score. For undergraduate programs, applicants require a minimum score of 500 on the paper-based exam or a score of 61 on the internet version. Per policy, individual campuses can create exceptions for applicants who are able to provide other “convincing evidence” of English competence. They also have the authority to prescribe higher minimum TOEFL scores based on local factors like the availability of instruction in English as a second language and student enrollment demand.
The TOEFL can be taken year-round at centers around the world. It is administered by ETS, a New Jersey-based educational testing organization. According to ETS, the TOEFL is recognized by more than 13,500 institutions across 160 countries. The registration fee depends on the testing location. It can cost anywhere from $170 in Ukraine and Nigeria to $475 in Switzerland.
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CSU officials say the TOEFL requirement is outdated and no longer reflects the range of assessments and methods currently used to evaluate English proficiency. In the UC system, for example, international applicants can demonstrate English proficiency by meeting a minimum score in an Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate exam in high school. Applicants can also take the International English Language Testing System exam, TOEFL, Duolingo English Test, ACT or SAT, among other options.
If the proposal goes through, undergraduate applicants to the CSU will be able to choose from many of the same options, officials said.
CSU officials supporting the amendment said the TOEFL creates “unnecessary regulatory limitations” and barriers for applicants. Individual campuses will still have the discretion, per the proposed change, to prescribe higher minimum scores than the university system.
The CSU’s TOEFL move comes as the UC system debates whether to reinstate a standardized testing requirement in its undergraduate admissions policy for all applicants.
The issue first surfaced when a group of professors drew attention to what they called a widening gap in mathematics ability in their classrooms a few months ago. They blamed the problem on the removal of the SAT/ACT requirement from the admissions process in 2020. Others, however, argued that the issue had larger roots and bringing back standardized testing would disadvantage students from marginalized communities. Now, the university is expected to make a decision by June.
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