English Proficiency Requirements

Why English Proficiency Matters

ENSIGN COLLEGE

English proficiency is essential for academic readiness at Ensign College. Students must demonstrate sufficient reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills to succeed in college-level coursework. For international applicants, verified English proficiency is also required to meet U.S. federal regulations for F-1 visa issuance.

Who Must Provide Proof of English Proficiency?

• Applicants whose first/native language is not English
• Applicants who are citizens of a non-English-speaking country (see list of English-speaking countries).
• Applicants who completed secondary and/or post-secondary education in a language other than English

Ways to Meet the Requirement

Applicants must satisfy one of the following:

1. Completing an approved English language test. Please review our minimum test score requirements and instructions to submit your official test scores here.
2. Graduation from a regionally accredited U.S. high school with a grade of “C” or higher in at least three years of non-ESL coursework completed during grades 9–12. If you have met this requirement, please complete the Exception to Admission Policy form.
3. Completion of a college-level English writing or composition course at a regionally accredited U.S. college (see below) or university with a grade of “C-” or better. The course must be equivalent to Ensign College’s ENG 101: Introduction to College Writing. If you have met this requirement, please complete the Exception to Admission Policy form.

U.S. Regionally Accredited Colleges
Ensign College recognizes colleges and universities accredited by the U.S. regional accrediting agencies listed below. To verify an institution’s accreditation, please search here.

• Higher Learning Commission (HLC)
• Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE)
• New England Commission on Higher Education (NECHE)
• Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU)
• Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC)
• WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC)
• Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC)

These test score ranges reflect the level of English proficiency needed to succeed in college-level coursework. Test dates must fall within two years of submitting your application to be valid. Your admission decision will be based on your most recent test scores.

* TOEFL MyBest scores are accepted, allowing applicants to combine their highest section scores from multiple test dates to meet the English Proficiency requirement.

** LAT (Language Assessment Test): The LAT is only administered by the BYU English Language Center . Ensign College will accept a score of 4 in any area except writing to meet the English proficiency requirement.

Applicants who submit a complete application for the Spring or Fall 2026 semesters by March 1, 2026, may be evaluated under the  previous English Proficiency requirements. Official test scores must be received by this deadline to be considered.

Applicants who apply on or after March 2, 2026, must meet the current English Proficiency requirements listed above.

Sending Your Official Test Scores

Please ensure that the name on your test score report matches the name on your Ensign College application. If your test results display a different name than the one on your application, please email our office at admissions@ensign.edu with both names so we can correctly match your scores to your file.

Refer to the following steps to submit your official test scores:

• ACT: Please submit your test scores by completing the Exception to Admissions form.
• Cambridge: An institutional code is not required. When sharing your results, simply search for Ensign College in the Cambridge results portal.
• Duolingo: Please submit your test scores by completing the Exception to Admissions form.
• IELTS: Request that your official IELTS results be sent directly from the test center via IELTS E-Delivery to Ensign College.
• TOEFL: Use code 4414 to send your official TOEFL scores to Ensign College.
• Pearson's PTE: An institutional code is not required. When sharing your results, simply search for Ensign College in the Pearson's results portal.
• LAT: This test is available only to students of the Brigham Young University English Language Center (BYU ELC). Applicants must complete the  Exception to Admission Policy form and request form  and request that official LAT scores be sent directly to Ensign College through the BYU ELC. For more information, please contact the BYU ELC at 801-422-2691 or elc_admissions@byu.edu