Test Scores for English Proficiency Requirement (for Bachelor’s Degree Programs)

Full AdmissionFull Admission
Foundation 1
Full Admission
Foundation 2
Full Admission
Foundation 3
TOEFL IBT (not Home Edition)79 or higher74-7869-7365-68
TOEFL PBT548 or higher536-546523-534513-520
IELTS6.56.05.55.0
Duolingo120-160105-11595-10085-90
PTEA56 or higher46-5536-4529-35
SAT*591-800461-590301-460200-300
ACT25-3617-2410-161-9
IB5 in HL EnglishNANANA
British A-levelC or BetterNANANA
*This is the required SAT subscore for Evidence-Based Reading and Writing

Reporting Scores

  • Applicants must send TOEFL scores from ETS electronically to school code 1473.
  • Applicants can upload a copy of their official IELTS or Duolingo score report into the application portal online.
  • English proficiency test scores cannot be more than two years old.

Admission Type Descriptions

All new students are required to be placed into the appropriate English course upon arrival at UWM. Based on your scores used for admission, you’ll be placed in one of the following options, each of which may adjust your path to graduation.

Full Admission

Students who have full admission will need to take a placement test in English. All students are required to successfully complete English 102 to graduate from UW-Milwaukee.

Full Admission Foundation 1

Students placing into this category will require successful completion of three credits/one semester of English for Academic Purposes (EAP) coursework before taking English 102, the university’s requirement to graduate from UW-Milwaukee.

Full Admission Foundation 2 – up to two semesters

Students placing into this category will require successful completion of up to 10 credits/two semesters of English for Academic Purposes (EAP) coursework before taking English 102, the university’s requirement to graduate from UW-Milwaukee.

Full Admission Foundation 3 – up to three semesters

Students placing into this category will require successful completion of up to 17 credits/three semesters of English for Academic Purposes (EAP) coursework before taking English 102, the university’s requirement to graduate from UW-Milwaukee.