Who has to prove English proficiency?
The requirement is usually waived by years of schooling in English rather than by citizenship, and the number of years is the detail that varies between universities.
Every answer below is what the university tells Ontario guidance counsellors, quoted from the OUAC guide for September 2026 entry. It isn’t published on their student pages. Rules like this change rarely; dates don’t — check any date here with the university. Where this comes from.
What each of the 23 universities says
International students who have not completed their last 3 years of full-time studies in English in a country where English is an official language must provide an English-language proficiency test score. www.algomau.ca/english-language-requirements
Accepted test scores: o CAEL score of 60+ o IELTS score of 6.0+ (overall and each band) o TOEFL score of: 550+ (paper based) or 83+ (computer or home edition) o Duolingo score of 110: No band below 95 for Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, Bachelor of Science in Biology and Bachelor of Science in Psychology. No band below 90 for all other undergraduate or graduate programs.
Students without proof of English-language proficiency or who do not meet minimum requirements can complete an English-language program with one of our many English-language Pathway partners. https://algomau.ca/students/international-students/ international-partnerships/language-pathway-partners
www.brocku.ca/admissions/english-proficiency
Students whose first language is not English must demonstrate that they can cope with the language demands of an English-language university. | https://admissions.carleton.ca/esl
We offer multiple ways to meet our English-language proficiency requirements: www.lakeheadu.ca/studentcentral/applying/ english-language-proficiency-requirements .
To satisfy English-language proficiency requirements, applicants can complete one of the recognized language tests with the required minimum score. We also accept certain senior-level English courses at the high school level.
Applicants who do not meet the English-language proficiency requirements but meet academic admission requirements will be automatically considered for admission through the Academic English Program (AEP). Once they complete the AEP, they may proceed into an academic program.
International students require 3 years of full-time, senior-level studies in an English-language high school or postsecondary institution, or a qualifying score on an accepted English exam. https://laurentian.ca/international/undergraduate-admissions #english-program-language-requirements.
We will now accept the IELTS 1-skill retake examination.
At our discretion, students may be exempt from submitting an English-language proficiency test if they have: a) resided in an English-speaking country for at least 4 years immediately prior to September 2026 or b) attended an English-medium educational institution in a full-time academic program for at least 4 years immediately prior to September 2026.
Information about acceptable proof of English proficiency is available at: www.nipissingu.ca/applyinternational.
In general, applicants with a first language other than English are required to submit English-language proficiency test results in addition to satisfying minimum academic entrance requirements.
We accept results from the following tests: o CAEL o Duolingo o IELTS o PTE o TOEFL
We encourage applicants to complete English-language proficiency tests by March 2, 2026 (past).
Applicants who attended a high school where English is the primary language of instruction for 4 consecutive years of full-time studies immediately prior to their attendance at OCAD U may be eligible for an exemption from the English-language test requirement at the discretion of the admissions office.
Details about our English-language proficiency requirements, acceptable tests, minimum score requirements, acceptable pathway programs and test exemptions are available at: https://admissions.ocadu.ca/apply/english-language-proficiency.
Minimum 3 years in a formal, full-time secondary or postsecondary institution where the language of instruction and examination was English. | www.ontariotechu.ca/englishproficiency
Applicants who attended a school where English was the primary language of instruction for 3 consecutive years immediately prior to their attendance at Queen's are generally not required to submit a test of English proficiency.
Students required to submit standardized English-language test scores may submit: o CAEL (70 overall with no band below 60) o Cambridge English (minimum 175 with no component below 170) o Duolingo English Test (120 overall) o IELTS (6.5 overall with no band below 6.0) o LanguageCert Academic (minimum band score of 70 with no individual score below 65) o PTE (60 overall) o TOEFL (88 overall, 20 writing, 20 speaking, 20 reading, 20 listening)
Alternatively, students who earn a final grade of A- or higher in the 12-week English for Academic Purposes program offered by the Queen's School of English will receive an English proficiency exam waiver. www.queensu.ca/admission/applicants/english-proficiency
RMC is a bilingual university.
Applicants must be able to communicate in either English or French to be considered for admission.
https://ustpaul.ca/en/ required-score-for-language-proficiency-tests-2
We accept CAEL, Cambridge English, Duolingo, IELTS, PTE and TOEFL. Minimum required scores vary by academic program.
Official English-language proficiency tests results to be received by April 1, 2026. www.torontomu.ca/english-requirements
An applicant whose primary language is not English, whose previous education has been conducted in another language or who has studied for less than 3 years at an internationally accredited school where English is the primary language of instruction must show proof of English-language proficiency: o C1 Advanced (Grade of C) o CAEL (60) o Duolingo (115) o IELTS (minimum score 6.5, with no band score below 6.0) o Pearson (59) o TOEFL (minimum iBT score 86)
www.uoguelph.ca/admission/undergraduate/international/ english-proficiency
If an applicant's first language is not English, or if they have completed less than 4 years of study in English at the secondary level, they must submit proof of English proficiency. They will receive an email with detailed instructions after they apply if they are required to demonstrate English proficiency. www.guelphhumber.ca/admission/english-requirements
We accept: Duolingo, IELTS, TOEFL. www.uottawa.ca/study/undergraduate-studies/ language-requirements
English 4U or Fran
ais 4U is a language prerequisite for all programs.
If a student is applying for an English-language program and hasn't completed at least 3 years of full-time study at an institution where English is the only language of instruction (excluding language courses) in a country where English is an official language, they must submit their official score electronically directly from the test centre to be considered for admission or conditional admission.
Conditional offers to the English Intensive program are automatically granted based on the submitted test results.
Students are allowed to update results if available.
Proof of English-language proficiency is required from all applicants except for those: o whose first language is English, o who have achieved satisfactory progress in at least 4 years of full-time study in an Englishlanguage school system located in a country where the dominant language is English or o whose first language is French and who have achieved satisfactory academic progress in at least 4 years of full-time study in Canada. | https://uoft.me/elr
Grade 12 English is included in the admission average regardless of the English proficiency requirement.
Accepted tests and required scores: www.uwaterloo.ca/future/elr.
https://future.uwindsor.ca/international
If the applicant's first language is not English, we may require proof of English-language proficiency. Typically, this is done through an official language test or through an English-as-a-secondlanguage program.
Tests must be written by March 2026. We will not accept scores from before January 1, 2024.
More information (including English proficiency waiver requests): https://welcome.uwo.ca/english .
A student's last 3 years of full-time education must be in English (without any ESL courses) or they will be required to submit evidence of their English proficiency. We reserve the right to request an English-language test for admission consideration.
CAEL: 70 overall with a minimum of 60 in each band; Duolingo: 120 overall; IELTS: 6.5 overall with a minimum of 6.0 in each band; TOEFL iBT: 4.5/83 overall with a minimum of 4.0/20 in each component. A full list of accepted English-language tests and academic English programs is available at: www.wlu.ca/englishproficiency.
Students whose first language is not English may meet our proficiency requirements if they have completed at least 4 years at an accredited English-medium high school.
Accepted English-language tests include Duolingo, IELTS and TOEFL. York University Language Institute pathways are also available. http://futurestudents.yorku.ca/requirements/language-tests
Other things students ask
- Do night school, summer school and online courses count for university admission?
- Do Grade 11 marks matter for Ontario university admission?
- If you repeat a course, which mark do universities use?
- Does the order you rank programs on OUAC matter?
- What happens if you don't get into your first-choice program?
- Which Ontario universities require a supplementary application?
Policies decide whether a mark counts. Your average decides where it gets you.