TOEFL Waiver for Grad School: Country List or MOI?

TOEFL Waiver for Grad School: Country List or MOI?

It depends on which system the school runs. Berkeley and Illinois go by the country your degree came from. Stanford and Georgia Tech accept a degree taught in English. MIT exempts only degrees from six named countries and refuses medium-of-instruction claims from anywhere else. One degree can pass one system and fail another.

So "my degree was taught in English" is not one answer. A Nigerian degree needs no test at Berkeley, Illinois and Georgia Tech, and does need one at MIT unless a department grants a waiver. An English-medium degree from India or Pakistan is exempt at Stanford and, with the right document, at Georgia Tech, but not at Berkeley, Illinois or MIT. This page sets out the systems side by side, the teaching-assistant trap, how to ask for a waiver, and a check you can run on your own list. It is part of our graduate school essays hub.

Every university page quoted below was checked on October 30, 2026. Berkeley's and Georgia Tech's pages state Fall 2027 rules; the others state no cycle year. Programs can set stricter rules than the university, so check your program's page too.

Two systems: where your degree was earned vs how it was taught

Country-list system. The school keeps a list of countries it treats as English-speaking. If your degree-granting institution is in a listed country, you are exempt. If it is not, the language your classes were taught in does not matter. Berkeley says exemption requires "a basic degree from a recognized institution in a country where the primary language used in both daily life and academic instruction is English."

Medium-of-instruction (MOI) system. The school asks whether your degree was taught in English, wherever it was earned. Stanford exempts applicants who "earned a U.S. bachelor's, master's or doctoral degree, or international equivalent from a university where all instruction was conducted in English."

MIT is a narrower version of the first system with no list beyond six countries, and UCLA is a hybrid that relies on an outside database. The table shows each.

Six schools side by side

The details behind each row:

• Berkeley decides by "the location of the institution that awarded your bachelor's degree (or equivalent)." Its table also carves out institutions: Turkey is "Yes, except for graduates of Bilkent University, Bosphorus (Bogaziçi) University, Koç University, Middle East Technical University, and Sabanci University," and Egypt is "Yes, except for students from the American University of Cairo." A degree from a regionally accredited US institution, or a year of full-time US coursework with grades of B or better, also exempts you.
• Illinois exempts a "post-secondary degree from a U.S. institution (or an institution within an approved country) within five years of the proposed admission term," or two years of study or professional work in the US or an approved country within five years. Its approved list includes Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, the Philippines, Singapore, South Africa and Uganda, among others. India and Pakistan are not on it.
• MIT exempts you if English is your primary language, or if "Within the last 5 years, you attended an English-speaking university for 3-4 years and attained an undergraduate (or equivalent) degree from that university in" Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the United Kingdom or the United States. Its page lists as not eligible: "You received an undergraduate degree from an institution where the Medium of Instruction was in English in a country that is not listed above." Graduate degrees in English do not count either.
• Stanford asks you to self-certify. Its page says you will not need scores "if your responses on the Personal Background page reflect that you meet the above criteria; no additional documentation is required at the time of application." If admitted and you accept, "you may be required to submit supporting documentation as a condition of admission." A third route is "two or more consecutive years of full-time professional or educational experience in English, in the past 10 years."
• Georgia Tech changes its rule for Fall 2027: "citizenship alone will no longer be sufficient to satisfy Georgia Tech's English language proficiency requirement." For MOI, its FAQ asks for a transcript or "a Medium of Instruction certificate or other official university document stating that English is the sole official language of instruction," and warns that if "English is not the sole official language of instruction, you must meet this requirement through one of the approved methods." The approved country list includes Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe, among others.
• UCLA exempts a bachelor's degree or higher from an accredited university "located in the United States or in another country where English is the sole language of instruction according to the World Higher Education Database (WHED)." We did not check WHED entries country by country, so the table leaves those cells open. UCLA also says "Citizenship, U.S. residence and/or work experience are not substitutes for meeting the requirement."

Our view: if even one school on your list runs a country list or the MIT rule and your degree's country is not covered, book the test. The basis is the table: a waiver at one school never carries over, and MIT says its department waivers "are non-transferable." One test score then serves every school, including those that would have waived it.

The countercase: if every school on your list runs an MOI system, or lists your country, and your university can issue the document each one asks for, skipping the test is reasonable. Get the document before the deadline, not after.

Admission waiver is not a TA clearance

An exemption for admission can still leave you unable to teach. If a teaching assistantship is part of your funding plan, this matters more than the admission rule.

• Berkeley: "the oral English proficiency level required for GSI positions is higher than for admissions."
• Illinois: "not all exemptions apply for those holding a teaching assistantship," and the Duolingo English Test "cannot be used to satisfy the English proficiency requirement for teaching assistants."
• UCLA: a teaching-assistant exemption by prior education requires an undergraduate degree from an institution "at which English is the sole language of instruction and which is located in a country where English is the primary spoken language of daily life"; otherwise a speaking score or UCLA's own oral test.
• MIT: "All incoming international students who were not automatically exempted from the ELP test requirement ––including students who received a department ELP waiver during the application period–– are required to take the English Evaluation Test (EET) at MIT in the week before the fall semester begins."

Our page on TA English certification and admission waivers covers how to plan for the teaching rule. If you are writing a TA sentence in your statement, the assistantship sentence in your SOP guide shows how.

Asking for a waiver: form, not email

Where a school takes waiver requests at all, use its channel. MIT's rules are explicit: applicants "can only request an English language proficiency test waiver after starting an application"; request forms "will be available directly in the application on the Test Scores Instructions page unless otherwise specified"; "Department ELP test waivers are not granted via email unless specified"; and "Departments set their own deadlines for requesting ELP test waivers." Stanford says it does "not have sufficient bandwidth to assess specific requests from applicants" about its experience criterion, and advises: "When in doubt, we advise you to select 'No' to the experience question and submit TOEFL/IELTS scores with your application."

Where a program does invite a request, keep it short and evidence-led. Constructed example, written by us, not a real request:

"I am applying to the MS in [program] for Fall 2027. My B.Sc. in [field] from [university], [country], awarded [month year], was taught entirely in English; my transcript states this, and I have attached the university's medium-of-instruction certificate. I request a waiver of the English proficiency test under [the program's stated criterion]."

The document matters more than the wording. Our sibling guide to the medium-of-instruction letter for US grad school covers what it should say and who signs it.

Decision aid: should you just take the test?

Run this on your final list.

1. Write down each school's system from its graduate English page: country list, MOI, MIT-style, or database.
2. Country-list or MIT-style school, and your degree's country is not listed? You need a test for that school. Stop here and book one.
3. MOI school? Check that your transcript or university letter uses the school's wording. Georgia Tech wants English as the "sole official language of instruction"; Stanford wants "all instruction" in English.
4. Database school (UCLA)? Check your country's entry in WHED yourself before relying on it.
5. Planning to be a TA? Check the teaching rule separately (section above). It may require a speaking score even where admission does not.
6. Choosing a test? Berkeley and Georgia Tech do not accept Duolingo, and Stanford names only TOEFL iBT and IELTS Academic. If any such school is on your list, a Duolingo-only plan fails there. Our sibling page on the Duolingo English Test at US grad schools compares acceptance.
7. Check the score dates against each school's validity window; see TOEFL expiry and enrollment dates.

Questions about TOEFL waivers for grad school

Can I get a TOEFL waiver if my degree was taught in English?

At Stanford and Georgia Tech, yes, under each school's stated wording and documents. At MIT, no, unless the degree is from one of its six countries or a department grants a waiver. At Berkeley and Illinois, the country decides, not the medium.

I have a degree from Nigeria or Ghana. Which schools waive the test?

Of the six above, Berkeley, Illinois and Georgia Tech, from the country rule; Stanford, if all instruction was in English. MIT does not, unless a department waives it. UCLA depends on the WHED entry. Our SOP for masters in USA from Nigeria guide covers the statement itself.

Does an English-taught master's degree count?

At MIT, no: "Only undergraduate degrees are considered for the ELP exemption." Stanford's wording includes a master's or doctoral degree where all instruction was in English. For MBA programs, see English test waivers after an English-taught master's.

Can I email the admissions office to ask for a waiver?

At MIT, not unless the department says so; use the form in the application. Elsewhere, follow the program page's stated process. A waiver for admission may not cover teaching; if you apply for a TA position, the TA statement of interest guide shows how to state your speaking score.

If your score falls short, some universities offer conditional admission for English through a pre-master's term.

Get a free review of your statement of purpose

Get a free Quick Review of your statement of purpose against GradPilot's general MS statement of purpose rubric. It reads whether your statement explains your academic interests, preparation, goals and reasons for applying, and whether it is organized and precise. Start from the SOP review page.

Sources

Retrieved October 30, 2026, except where noted.

• UC Berkeley Graduate Division, Requirements (Fall 2027 application): country table, exemption options, tests not accepted, GSI oral English rule.
• University of Illinois Graduate College, International Applicants (no cycle stated): exemptions, approved countries, accepted tests, TA English rules.
• MIT Office of Graduate Education, English Language Proficiency test exemptions (no cycle stated): six-country rule; MOI not eligible.
• MIT Office of Graduate Education, Department English Language Proficiency test waivers (no cycle stated): waiver forms, not email, non-transferable.
• MIT Office of Graduate Education, International applicants (no cycle stated): accepted tests; English Evaluation Test.
• Stanford Graduate Admissions, Test Scores and FAQ (no cycle stated): exemption criteria, self-certification, accepted tests, experience-criterion advice.
• Georgia Tech Graduate Education, English Proficiency, approved country list and MOI FAQ (Fall 2027 admission): rule change, MOI documents, approved countries, tests not accepted.
• UCLA Graduate Education, English Requirements (no cycle stated): WHED criterion, accepted tests, TA oral proficiency.