September 30, 2026

McGill TOEFL Requirements 2026: Scores (1–6 and 0–120)

McGill commonly requires 90 or 4.5 for undergraduates, while some programs use 100 or 5.0 and the graduate base is 86 or 4.5.

Verified requirement

Most undergraduate programs: 90 overall or official 4.5. Programs marked with component requirements use at least 21 in each old-scale section, or Reading 4.5, Listening 4.5, Writing 4.5, and Speaking 4.0.
Management and Education TESL: 100 overall or official 5.0.
Music: 79–80 overall or official 4.0.
Graduate School base: 86 overall with at least 20 in each section, or official 4.5 with Reading, Listening, and Writing 4.5 and Speaking 4.0.
Program note: graduate departments can require more. McGill does not accept MyBest scores, and the Law program publishes a higher profile.

Last verified July 17, 2026. Always confirm on the official admissions page.

How the requirement works on the two score scales

Requirement	0–120 scale	1–6 scale
Most undergraduate programs	90	4.5
Management and TESL	100	5.0
Graduate School base	86, each section 20	4.5, R/L/W 4.5, S 4.0

McGill publishes direct revised-scale requirements for undergraduate and graduate admission. The 4.5 and 5.0 figures shown here are official McGill values for the stated programs, not approximate conversions.

During the dual-reporting transition, valid score reports display both systems. The free TOEFL score converter can help compare practice results, but applicants must use the program-specific McGill total and any component floors.

How competitive is McGill really?

The stated TOEFL number is an English-proficiency condition, not an admission forecast. Academic results, prerequisite courses, program capacity, and other application materials remain separate.

A score of 90, or an official 4.5, applies to many undergraduate programs. It is not universal because Music uses a lower requirement, Management and TESL use 100 or 5.0, and the central graduate base is 86 or 4.5.

A move from about 4.0 to a stable 4.5 normally requires several weeks of focused sectional work. Applicants targeting a 100 or 5.0 profile should expect a longer cycle if one section remains below the required component level.

How to prepare for the correct 86, 90, 100, 4.5, or 5.0 at McGill

Use Target, Gap, Route. Target means identifying the exact faculty or graduate program and recording both the total and component rules. Gap means taking a timed diagnostic and comparing all four sections.

Route most weekly practice to the weakest section. A graduate applicant with 89 overall but Speaking 18 still misses the central graduate section requirement, even though the total exceeds 86.

Use full mocks as checkpoints after targeted work. Because McGill does not accept MyBest scores, readiness should be measured from one complete test sitting.

Start with the free Essentials Edition of the Aidoss Academy Target Score Diagnostic Workbook to measure the section gap. Then use the Complete Digital Edition or the 90-Day Self-Study Planner to turn that result into a weekly route.

Classify recurring errors as comprehension, timing, response development, or language control. This creates a specific weekly route instead of increasing test volume without a correction plan.

Keep a dated copy of the official program page beside every diagnostic record. When a faculty or department publishes a higher requirement, that higher number should replace the general target.

Schedule two complete checkpoints before submission. The first tests whether targeted work is closing the gap. The second confirms repeatability and leaves time to arrange official score delivery.