English Proficiency

Applicants to College Programs - College Bridge, College Transfer, High School Completion, Workforce Education Programs and the Short Term Certificate Programs - must show proof of English Proficiency at the time of application, or can choose to start their studies in the Seattle Central Institute of English without it.

Please note: Applicants whose native language is English may be exempt from providing proof of English proficiency. Contact the IEP Office for more details.

College Transfer, Workforce Education and
High School Completion

Proficiency Requirement for Direct Placement

Students with the following proof of English proficiency will be placed directly in classes,
(and will be eligible for the English composition course noted below) without
any additional English placement testing:

• Tests:
  TOEFL 520 (190 CBT),Writing Score of 4.0: Placement in ENG096
  TOEFL 520 (190 CBT),Writing Score of 5.0: Placement in ENG101
  iBT 68, Writing Score 18 or higher: placement in ENG 101
  IELTS Overall 5.5, Writing Band 5.0: Placement in ENG 096
  IELTS Overall 5.5, Writing Band 5.5: Placement in ENG 101
  

• Other:
  Completion of English Composition at an accredited US college or university.
  Applicants must submit official transcript for evaluation
  

Minimum Proficiency to Take the College English Placement Test, or For Placement in College Bridge

Students with the following proof of English proficiency will be allowed to take the College English placement test. They will be placed in the College Bridge Program, or in full- time college classes, depending on their test results.

• Tests:
  TOEFL 470 (150 CBT) or higher
  iBT 52
  IELTS 5
  Michigan English Language Assessment Battery(MELAB) 75 or higher
  Canadian Academic English Language(CAEL) 40 or higher
  First Certificate English(FCE) Passing
  STEP Eiken 2A Grade
  Global Test of English Communication(GTEC) 570
  
  
• Completion of an approved ESL program
  
  
• Other:
  -- Completion of at least one year of study at a US High School
  -- Completion of at least one year of college study at a university in the United States, without completion of English Composition.
  
  

Short-Term Certificate Program

Students applying to the Short-Term Certificate Program must show proof of English proficiency in one of the following ways:

• TOEFL 520 (190CBT)
• iBT 68
• IELTS Overall 5.5
• Eligibility for College Bridge 5 and Intermediate Academic Writing
  (see information on the College Bridge Program)

Please note: some classes in the Short-Term Certificate Program may have special
pre-requisites that require English and Math testing. Please see information on the
Short-Term Certificate Program.

No TOEFL? No Problem!

Students without proof of English proficiency can start their studies in the Seattle Central Institute of English. By applying to both the Intensive English Program and the college program of their choice, students will be granted admission to the Institute of English and conditional admission to the college program. To see your path through the English program to full-time college classes, visit our College Bridge Program page.