September 30, 2026

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

WashU recommends 100 or 5.0 for competitive undergraduate applicants, while graduate requirements are school and program specific.

Verified requirement

Undergraduate: English proficiency testing is required for specified international applicants unless an exemption applies.
Competitive undergraduate guidance: 100 for tests before January 21, 2026, or official 5.0 for later tests. WashU calls these recommended competitive scores rather than formal admission minimums.
Graduate note: requirements are decentralized. McKelvey Engineering publishes 90, while other schools and programs may use different rules.
Section minimums: no central undergraduate section floor is stated on the page reviewed.

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

How the requirement works on the two score scales

Policy	0–120 scale	1–6 scale
Competitive undergraduate guidance	100	5.0 official
McKelvey graduate minimum	90	about 4.5
Formal university-wide undergraduate minimum	None stated	None stated

WashU directly publishes 100 and 5.0 as competitive undergraduate guidance. The new-scale figure is official, but neither number should be rewritten as a universal admission cutoff.

Graduate applicants must use the exact school page. The free TOEFL score converter helps interpret practice results, but an approximate band cannot replace a program-specific requirement.

How competitive is WashU really?

WashU distinguishes between eligibility to apply and the score range common among competitive applicants. A score below 100 is not automatically described as disqualifying on the undergraduate page.

A score of 90 matches a common graduate engineering minimum, not the undergraduate competitive recommendation. A single universal WashU number would therefore be misleading.

Moving from 4.5 to a stable 5.0 usually requires several weeks of timed work. Applicants should seek balanced performance rather than one isolated total.

How to prepare for a 100 or 5.0 at WashU

Use Target, Gap, Route. Undergraduates should set 100 or 5.0 as competitive guidance. Graduate applicants should copy the exact school or program minimum.

Take a timed diagnostic and measure the four sections separately. Route most practice to the section producing the largest shortfall.

Use full mocks as checkpoints after targeted work. Two recent results near or above the target provide better planning evidence than one borderline score.

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

Keep the official admissions wording in the study log and label the undergraduate number as recommended competitive guidance. This avoids turning guidance into a false guarantee or cutoff.

After each timed set, classify the largest error by cause. A timing problem needs paced repetition, while weak response development needs better planning and support.

Recheck exemption rules and test dates before submission because WashU’s testing policies are tied to applicant background and admission cycle.

Undergraduate applicants should label 100 or 5.0 as recommended competitive guidance rather than a guaranteed cutoff. Graduate applicants should open the exact school and program page before choosing a target. The McKelvey figure of 90 is useful for that school, but it should not be copied into an application plan for every WashU graduate degree.

Use two full timed checkpoints before the deadline. After each one, classify the main losses as comprehension, timing, response development, or language control. This makes the next practice block specific. A student with a balanced 96 needs a different route from a student at 96 whose Speaking score causes most of the gap.