MIT TOEFL requirements: current and older scores

5.0 minimum; 5.5 recommended

Scope: First-year English proficiency guidance; minimum and recommendation are separate.

The old column records the university’s historical requirement. It is not a conversion of the current column. Read the date conditions below before using either.

Section scores, test dates and policy scope

MIT strongly recommends an English proficiency exam for non-native speakers with fewer than five years of English use or who do not use English at home or school. This does not replace its separate SAT/ACT requirement. The recommended score is not the minimum.

Sending your result

Self-report actual full test sittings, including all exams taken. MIT considers highest section scores but asks applicants not to enter a self-calculated superscore as a single sitting. Official results are verified upon enrollment; check the testing deadline for your application round.

Confirm the current instructions and deadline on the official MIT admissions page.

What to practice for this requirement

If your aim is MIT’s recommended benchmark, set 5.5 as the target. Converting the former recommendation of 100 to 5.0 would miss the currently published recommendation.

Choose a TOEFL practice task or review the task guides. Meeting a test threshold does not guarantee admission.

Compare policies without converting the requirement

The TOEFL score converter explains the general relationship between current bands and old overall scores. Use MIT’s published policy above for your application.

If you are considering another accepted test, read the separate MIT Duolingo English Test profile. The DET requirement is independently set, not calculated from TOEFL.

Official source and review date

Massachusetts Institute of Technology — admissions requirements, reviewed by PrepEx on November 7, 2026. Confirm exemptions, test-date limits, program and intake details with the university.

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