Language Requirements
Students entering Northwest are required to have a reading, writing, and conversational knowledge of the English language.
If the student's native language is not English, then he or she is required to meet minimum score requirements on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or International English Language Testing System (IELTS):
| Graduate | Undergrad | |
| Paper-based TOEFL | 550 | 500 |
| Computer-based TOEFL | 213 | 173 |
| Internet-based TOEFL | 79 | 61 |
| Academic IELTS | 6.5 | 5.5* |
*Effective Summer 2010; Spring 2010 applicants must meet a 5.0 requirement’
Students who satisfy other admission requirements but not the language requirement can apply for admission to the English as a Second Language (ESL) Program and tentative acceptance to the university. They can enter the regular program after they finish in ESL and receive a score on the Paper-based TOEFL consistent with the admissions requirement above.
