Students entering Northwest are required to have a reading, writing, and conversational knowledge of the English language.
If a student is not a citizen of a country where the native language is English, then he or she is required to meet minimum score requirements on one of the following tests:
| Standard Testing |
Graduate |
Undergrad |
NIAS |
| C1 Advanced (formerly CAE) |
169/176 |
162 |
169 |
| Duolingo |
105/110 |
95 |
100 |
| EIKEN |
Level 1
(2630/2700) |
Pre-1
(2304) |
Level 1
(2630) |
| GTEC |
1190 |
1100 |
1119 |
| IELTS |
6.0/6.5 |
5.5 |
6 |
| iTEP |
3.7/3.9 |
3.5 |
3.7 |
| MET |
50/59 |
46 |
50 |
| PTE |
53 |
44 |
50 |
| SAKAE |
N/A |
11-12 |
13-15 |
| TOEFL |
71/79 |
61 |
65 |
| TOEIC |
668/730 |
586 |
624 |
* If two scores are listed, the first score is for the MS-ACS program and the second is for all other Graduate programs.
Other conditions that fulfill the English proficiency requirement include:
- If an applicant has taken the ACT and received a composite score of 21.
- If an applicant has taken the SAT and received a composite score of 1060.
- If an applicant has graduated and received a high school diploma from an accredited school in the United States. The transcript will be reviewed and if the student has low grades and/or a low ACT/SAT, additional scores may be required.
- If an applicant has received an undergraduate (bachelor’s or associate) or graduate degree from an accredited institution in the United States or a country where the native language is English.
- If an applicant is transferring to Northwest from another accredited, United States institution and has completed the equivalent of Eng 10-111 Composition and Eng 10-112 Composition with a grade C or better.
- If an applicant has completed the International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) English exam (first language) with a grade of B or higher.
- If an applicant has scored a 5 or higher on the International Baccalaureate (IB) English: Language & Literature HL exam.
