TOEFL substitute

[jsasipriya]

Hi,

I understand that TOEFL/IELTS can be waived off if one has done his/her undergraduation in a university whose medium of instruction is english.

I need to obtain one such letter from my university. Can someone help me with a template that I can use? Or is it a standard letter that university will provide? Please help.

Thanks!

[penguinfoot]

I have the same problem. I have a toefl score but it is old. I am looking to get a letter from university to waive this. In case you have completed this process, can you give me pointers on how to approach for this letter and will it be considered for a waive off ?

Thanks,
Penguinfoot

[Sheriff]

How do you know you need a letter? don't the transcripts mention that the instruction was in English?
maybe you should ask the school you are applying to what kind of approval they need in order to get the waiver.

[penguinfoot]

Hello Sheriff,

The transcripts are in English. Also the University has international accreditation from ABET (Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, USA).

But my Alma matter is in India, Non-English speaking country. So i will have to provide the required letters, right ?

Regards,
Penguinfoot

[dhonu121]

Most of the schools work on their own whims and fancies and there is no general rule that applies to all. While most of the schools allow one to waive off taking TOEFL if one has graduated from a school where medium of instruction was english, there are others which strictly want non-english speaking country students to take TOEFL. One such school is UCLA-Anderson.
So, my advice would be to check each of your target school's criteria about TOEFL score and then plan taking/not taking it to avoid last minute confusion.

[penguinfoot]

Thanks man. It makes sense.

Penguinfoot.

[penpal0]

Checking directly with the school is always the best policy. Also you can read their FAQ page if they have one, maybe there is a question related to your situation.

[finmaster]

Just like many Indian students here, I too was facing a similar dilemma.

I decided to play it safe and go for TOEFL.

TOEFL is not all that difficult either. 10 days of practice was enough for me. All I did was refer extensively to the 'notefulldotcom' videos on youtube. The guy Joseph over there was mindblowing with his awesome tips. His videos for speaking and writing sections were simply too good. It worked for me, I have no reason to believe it won't work for you.

Think of TOEFL as an insurance policy. It will only give the adcom a sense of your verbal abilities and prevent them from raising an unnecessary red-flag during those precious few minutes when your case will be discussed.

[Sheriff]

It's not always an insurance policy, some schools have a score cut-off which you have to pass in order to be eligible to apply.