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From New York City to California, the United States of America has always had a reputation for being one of the most popular study destinations for those looking to further their studies abroad.

From the global academic renown of its top universities, rich cultural diversity, breathtaking natural landscapes, and buffet of employment opportunities, there’s no question why students still look out to live that American dream as a student until this day.

Whether you’re looking to study abroad in the USA or work there, international students must still prove their proficiency in the English language with recognised tests such as the International English Language Testing System (IELTS).

IELTS is the most recognised high stakes English proficiency test in the world and is often a prerequisite to enter most schools in major cities overseas.

This is especially relevant in countries like the US, where English is the first language.

Minimum scores for universities in the United States

With the average minimum IELTS band score between 6.0 to 6.5 in the United States, potential students can enter most universities across the country.

However, students who have the desire to enter some of the world’s top universities need to aim for a band score that is slightly above average.

Given the international standards and reputation of these educational institutions, it can be quite competitive but certainly not impossible.

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Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings in 2024

Times Higher Education (THE) is one of the three most established organisations responsible for the publication of global university rankings each year.

The organisation boasts highly extensive and sophisticated performance indicators to provide the most balanced and objective comparisons across all eligible universities in that particular year.

There are five key performance indicators that can be categorised into five aspects: teaching, research quality, research environment, industry income, and international outlook.

In the 2024 rankings this year, nine US universities retain their spots in the global top 15. This includes powerhouse institutions such as Harvard, Princeton, Stanford and Yale, to name a few.

Here’s a more in-depth look into the minimum IELTS requirements for the top universities under the 2024 THE World University Rankings.

Rank

University

Global rank

IELTS minimum requirement (undergraduate programmes)

IELTS minimum requirement (postgraduate programmes)

1

Stanford University

2

Not available

Not available

2

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

3

7.0

7.0

3

Harvard University

4

7.0

7.0

4

Princeton University

6

8.0

8.0

5

California Institute of Technology (Caltech)

7

7.0

7.0

6

University of California, Berkeley (UCB)

9

6.5

7.0

7

Yale University

10

7.0

7.0

8

University of Chicago

13

7.0

7.0

9

Johns Hopkins University

15

7.0

7.0

10

University of Pennsylvania

16

7.0

7.0

11

Columbia University

17

7.5

7.5

12

University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)

18

7.0

7.0

13

Cornell University

20

7.5

7.0

14

University of Michigan-Ann Arbor

23

7.0

6.5

15

Carnegie Mellon University

24

7.5

7.5

16

University of Washington

25

6.0

6.5

17

Duke University

26

7.0

7.0

18

New York University

27

7.5

7.5

19

Northwestern University

28

7.5

7.5

20

University of California, San Diego

34

7.0

7.0

QS World University Rankings in 2024

Alongside Times Higher Education World University Rankings, the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings is also among the top three most established and internationally acclaimed ranking systems.

This ranking system has a different set of assessment criteria that contribute to a university’s final score in the global performance tables.

Its eight key metrics include academic reputation, employer reputation, citations per faculty, faculty-to-student ratio, international student ratio and international faculty ratio, international research network, employment outcomes and sustainability. All of these play a crucial part in determining how an institution is perceived on a global scale.

In 2024, 10 universities made it to the top 20 of QS World University Rankings including Ivy League universities such as University of Pennsylvania, Cornell, Yale and Columbia.

Here are the minimum IELTS requirements for American universities according to the QS world ranking system.

Rank

University

Global rank

IELTS minimum requirement (undergraduate programmes)

IELTS minimum requirement (postgraduate programmes)

1

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

1

7.0

7.0

2

Harvard University

4

7.0

7.0

3

Stanford University

5

Not available

Not available

4

University of California, Berkeley (UCB)

10

6.5

7.0

5

University of Chicago

11

7.0

7.0

6

University of Pennsylvania

12

7.0

7.0

7

Cornell University

13

7.5

7.0

8

California Institute of Technology (Caltech)

15

7.0

7.0

9

Yale University

16

7.0

7.0

10

Princeton University

17

8.0

8.0

11

Columbia University

23

7.5

7.5

12

Johns Hopkins University

28

7.0

7.0

13

University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)

29

7.0

7.0

14

University of Michigan-Ann Arbor

33

7.0

6.5

15

New York University

38

7.5

7.5

16

Northwestern University

47

7.5

7.5

17

Carnegie Mellon University

52

7.5

7.5

18

Duke University

57

7.0

7.0

19

University of Texas at Austin

58

6.5

6.5

20

University of California, San Diego

62

7.0

7.0

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Further your studies in the United States with IDP!

Now that you have an idea of the minimum requirements needed to enter the best universities in the United States, it’s time to start preparing for the IELTS test!

If you don’t know where to start, we’re here to guide you each step of the way.

As a joint owner of the IELTS test, IDP has decades of experience in helping students to prepare for and take the test.

Download the IELTS by IDP app to gain all the benefits at your fingertips, from a wealth of official IELTS preparation resources to convenient test locations.

Begin by booking your IELTS test today!