September 30, 2026

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

MSU undergraduates need 79 with no section below 17, or official 4.0 with revised section floors; graduate admission starts at 80 or 4.5.

Verified requirement

Undergraduate before January 21, 2026: 79 overall with no section below 17.
Undergraduate from January 21, 2026: official 4.0 overall, with Reading, Listening, and Writing at 4.0 or higher and Speaking at 3.5 or higher.
Graduate before January 21, 2026: 80 overall, with Reading, Listening, and Speaking at 19 or higher and Writing at 22 or higher.
Graduate from January 21, 2026: official 4.5 overall, with Reading and Speaking at 4.0 and Listening and Writing at 4.5.
Program note: graduate departments can require more. Undergraduate provisional admission begins below the regular-admission profile.

Last verified July 18, 2026. Always confirm on the official admissions page.

How the requirement works on the two score scales

Requirement	0–120 scale	1–6 scale
Undergraduate	79, no section below 17	Official 4.0; S 3.5, others 4.0
Graduate central minimum	80, R/L/S19, W22	Official 4.5; R/S 4.0, L/W 4.5

MSU publishes direct requirements on both score systems. The revised 4.0 undergraduate and 4.5 graduate totals are official university values, not estimates from a general conversion chart.

During the 2026–2028 transition, reports carry both scales, so valid old-scale scores remain usable under the rule for the test date. The free TOEFL score converter can help compare practice results, but the degree level and section profile control.

How competitive is MSU really?

The published TOEFL profile is an English-proficiency condition, not a prediction of admission. Academic preparation, prerequisites, program capacity, and other application materials remain separate.

The undergraduate total is 79, and 4.0 on the new scale is official rather than approximate. The graduate central rule is higher at 80 or 4.5 and includes a Writing floor of 22 on the previous scale.

A student at 82 overall with Writing 20 would meet the undergraduate total but miss the graduate Writing floor by two points. Closing a sectional gap of that size usually requires several weeks of targeted work and repeated timed responses.

How to prepare for a 79, 80, 4.0, or 4.5 at MSU

Use Target, Gap, Route. Target means choosing undergraduate or graduate admission first and writing down the exact total and every section floor.

Gap means taking a timed diagnostic and comparing all four sections. An undergraduate applicant with 81 overall and Speaking 16 still has a one-point Speaking gap.

Route most weekly practice to the weakest required section while maintaining the other three. Keep one complete mock in the cycle to confirm that the total and section conditions are met together.

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 each major loss as comprehension, timing, response development, or language control. The classification should determine the next exercise rather than simply adding another full test.

Graduate applicants should check the intended department after confirming the central minimum. A higher departmental profile should replace the central target in the study plan.

Use two complete checkpoints before the deadline. The first measures whether targeted practice is closing the largest gap. The second checks repeatability and leaves time for official score reporting.

Build the testing calendar backward from the application deadline so there is time to receive the result, inspect every section, and arrange official delivery.

Track each diagnostic in one record with the date, total, four section scores, and main error category. Compare the newest result with the target after each weekly cycle, and change the route only when another section has become the largest verified gap.