Language Policy

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The language of instruction for most courses and programs at McGill is English. Students may submit any written work that is to be graded in English or French, except in cases where knowledge of the language is one of the objectives of the course.

Admission to undergraduate and graduate certificate programs at the School of Continuing Studies requires proficiency in English, except for certificates of proficiency, where knowledge of the language is the objective of the course and the Graduate Diploma in Legal Translation, where applicants must write an entrance examination to test their preparedness for studies in both English and French.

Applicants must demonstrate an adequate level of proficiency in English prior to admission, regardless of citizenship status or country of origin. McGill reserves the right to require proof of English proficiency if it is deemed necessary. Below you will find information about when proof of proficiency is required.

If you answer “yes” to any of the following seven questions, you do NOT necessarily need to provide proof of proficiency in English. However, you must provide documentation to the School to support your answer.

  • Have you lived and attended school for at least four years in a country where English is the acknowledged primary language?
  • Have you completed both Secondary V (Quebec High School transcript issued by the Ministère de l'Éducation) and a Diploma of Collegial Studies (DEC) at a French CEGEP in Quebec?
  • Have you completed a DEC at an English CEGEP in Quebec, during or later than 2003?
  • Have you completed a French Baccalaureate – Option “Internationale” (British or American section)?
  • Have you completed an International Baccalaureate English A with a final result of 5 or better?
  • Have you completed the British Curriculum A-Level English with a final grade of ‘C’ or better?
  • Have you completed the British Curriculum GCSE/IGCSE/GCE O-Level English, English Language, English First Language, or English as a Second Language with a final grade of ‘B’ or better?

 

If you answered “no” to all of the above, but answered “yes” to any of the following questions, you will be asked to provide supporting documentation. You may still be asked to provide proof of English language proficiency.

  • Do you consider English to be your mother tongue?
  • Have you been attending school for at least four consecutive years in a non-English speaking country at an accredited educational institution where English is the primary language of instruction?
  • Have you obtained an undergraduate degree from an accredited educational institution where the language of instruction in your program of study was English (minimum three years)?
  • Have you obtained a graduate degree from an accredited educational institution where the language of instruction in your program of study was English (minimum two years)?

Applicants who do not meet any of the above-listed conditions must demonstrate proficiency in English.

How to Demonstrate Proficiency in English:

Students can demonstrate their proficiency in English by taking the McGill SCS Test of English Language Proficiency (TELP) and receiving a Category A result. For more information on taking this test and scheduled test dates and times, see McGill SCS Test of English Language Proficiency.

Learn more about McGill SCS TELP »

Alternatively, students can provide proof of English proficiency with one of the following:

TEST

RESULT

TOEFL iBT (Test of English as a Foreign Language – Internet-based Test)

Minimum acceptable scores are: 90 overall (a minimum individual component score of 21 in each of the four components –  reading, writing, listening and speaking)

IELTS (International English Language Testing System) Academic Versions

A band score of 6.5 or better; individual component scores must be 6.0 or better. Regular Academic and UKVI Academic versions are both accepted.

APIEL (Advanced Placement International English Language)

A minimum score of 4

McGill Certificate of Proficiency in English or McGill Certificate of Proficiency – English for Professional Communication

Certificate of Proficiency awarded

Cambridge C1 Advanced (formerly Certificate in Advanced English (CAE))

A grade of B (Good) or higher

Cambridge C2 Proficiency (formerly Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE))

A grade of C (Pass) or higher

Edexcel London Test of English – Level 4

An overall grade of at least “Merit Pass”

Edexcel London Test of English – Level 5

An overall grade of at least “Pass”

Duolingo English Test (DET) englishtest.duolingo.com

Score of 115 or better 

NOTE:

Your test results for any of the above must be reported directly to McGill by the testing service. Student copies of results will not be accepted as proof of English language proficiency.

It is your responsibility to ensure that the official test results in an official format are forwarded directly by the testing service to Client Services. McGill’s strong preference is to receive results electronically, directly from the issuing organization, when possible.

For TOEFL and APIEL, the institutional code at McGill University is 0935-00.

Note that for IELTS (academic version) tests, McGill accepts only scores submitted electronically by an IELTS test center, and no longer accepts paper TRFs (Test Report Forms) directly from test centers and candidates. Please contact the test center where you took the IELTS test and request that your test scores be sent electronically to McGill.

For any of the tests sent electronically, you can verify receipt of your results directly in Minerva;  please allow an appropriate delay as McGill receives results on an ongoing basis.

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