Test Requirements

Graduate applicants to SJSU may be required to submit standardized test scores as part of their application process. Required exams may include: Graduate Record Examination (GRE), Graduate Management Examination (GMAT) and an English Langaguge Proficiency Exam (ELP).

Test Submissions 

Test scores must be sent directly from the testing agency to SJSU.
Test scores must be received by SJSU by the document deadline for the applicant's program. 


NOTE: If your name or birthdate is different on your standardized test from what you listed on your university application, please notify our offices by emailing admissions@sjsu.edu and include an explanation.

Department Required Exam- GRE/GMAT 


Many of our graduate programs require that applicants submit standardized test (GRE or GMAT) results in order to be considered for admission.  Check the Degree Program Requirements table as to whether the program you are applying to requires a standardized exam.

 

University Required English Language Proficiency (ELP) Exams

An English Language Proficiency Exam (TOEFL, Academic IELTS, IELTS Indicator, Academic PTE) is required for all graduate and post-baccalaureate applicants

  • Who come from a country where English is not the primary language and,
  • Who do not possess a baccalaureate degree from a post-secondary institution where English is the principal language of instruction.

SJSU interprets “where English is the principal language of instruction” to mean that the higher education institution is located in a country in which English is the official language (the daily medium of communication of the majority of residents) and that the students receive academic instruction in all subjects (except foreign language courses) at all levels of education in English.

Minimum proficiency score Internet Paper CBT
  TOEFL*   80   550   213
  IELTS Academic   6.5   6.5   N/A
  PTE Academic   53   N/A   N/A

*Starting Spring 2023, SJSU Graduate Admissions Office will accept MyBest TOEFL Scores. However, TOEFL Essentials Scores are not accepted at this time. 

Some programs will require a higher ELP score than the university minimum.  For a complete list, see below.

English Language Proficiency Exam Waivers

Waivers will be considered for applicants who meet one of the following criteria:

  • Studied full-time at a U.S. college or university for at least three years (completed 72 semester/108 quarter academic units at a regionally accredited institution within the U.S.)
  • Completed three years of full-time study at a high school in the U.S.
  • Completed (or in progress of being completed) Bachelor's or Master's degree from a regionally accredited institution within the U.S. or from one of the following countries/territories outside of the U.S.
Australia
Bermuda
Botswana
Commonwealth Caribbean (Antigua and Barbuda, Belize, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, The Bahamas, Trinidad and Tobago)
Canada – excluding Quebec
Cayman Islands
Fiji
Ghana
Lesotho
Liberia
New Zealand
Nigeria
Philippines
Sierra Leone
Swaziland
The Gambia
Uganda
United Kingdom (England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales)
U.S. Territories
Zambia

*Countries not listed will not meet the English Language Proficiency requirement.

Note: SJSU does not accept “English-medium of instruction” as a substitute for an English-language proficiency exam such as TOEFL, IELTS, or the Pearson’s Test of English. Letters from applicants or institutions will NOT be accepted.

  

Programs Requiring a Higher ELP Test Score