UM English Proficiency Policy Change for Students Whose Native Language is not English

In previous years, students who indicated on a UM Transfer Application that their first language was not English were able to ask MC counselors to send UM a brief statement to confirm that they were in the process of graduating from MC during the semester that they were applying for Transfer Admission and UM granted those students a Waiver to the English Proficiency Test requirement.  This informal policy between MC and UM is no longer in effect.

 

Students whose native language is not English, regardless of citizenship, now need to review the UM English Language Proficiency Page https://admissions.umd.edu/apply/english-language-proficiency to determine whether they qualify for a Potential Waiver (shown below but you should also refer students directly to the Proficiency Page for the most accurate information):

 

UM Potential Waivers for English Proficiency Requirement

While a passing English proficiency test score is the only absolute way a student can meet the English language proficiency requirement, we may consider waiving the English proficiency test requirement, if a student has completed one of the following:

• Four years at a U.S. high school without English as a Second Language (ESL),

• Associate, bachelor’s or master’s degree earned from a regionally accredited U.S. institution,  [MC note:  by “earned”, this means that the degree must be stamped as completed on the institution’s transcript at the time of application]

• 55+ credits [showing as completed, not in progress] from a regionally accredited U.S. institution with coursework equivalent to English Compositions 1 and 2, or

• English is your primary language and you have a completed high school or university degree earned from one of the following countries or territories¹:

English-speaking countries
Antigua Australia Bahamas Barbados Belize Bermuda British Virgin Islands Cameroon2 Canada3 Cayman Islands Dominica	The Gambia Ghana Grenada Guyana Ireland Jamaica Kenya Lesotho Liberia Montserrat Namibia New Zealand Nigeria	Sierra Leone South Africa St. Lucia St. Vincent Swaziland Tanzania Trinidad and Tobago Turks and Caicos Islands U.S. Virgin Islands Uganda United Kingdom Zambia Zimbabwe

1. Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens, but an official English proficiency score is required.
2. English proficiency test is required for the French system only.
3. English speaking provinces only.

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For students who do not qualify for a Potential Waiver, they must take one English Language Proficiency Test:

 

UM’s Accepted English Proficiency Tests

1. Duolingo English Test (DET)   [MC note:  cost is $59; test results are given in 2 days; Duolingo offers unlimited free practice tests] 
   UMD accepts official scores from the Duolingo English Test, which can be taken online and on-demand. UMD passing score: 120
2. International English Language Testing System (IELTS) [MC note:   The cost to take IELTS in the USA ranges between $245–255 USD]
   UMD accepts official IELTS and IELTS Indicator scores.  UMD passing score: 7
3. Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)  [MC note:   The cost of the TOEFL iBT is $255]
   UMD accepts official TOEFL and TOEFL iBT (Home Edition) scores. At this time, we are not accepting TOEFL superscores known as MyBest Scores.  UMD passing score: 95

This is what UM’s Pre-Transfer Advisors Leslie Lindeman llindema@umd.edu and Yenti Sunarto yentigs@umd.edu say to students who ask about UM’s English Language Proficiency Requirement:

If English is not your native language, regardless of your citizenship, the Office of Undergraduate Admissions requires verification of your proficiency in English through one of the tests or potential waivers listed on this website: https://admissions.umd.edu/apply/english-language-proficiency. 

To determine if you are eligible for a waiver based on your situation, please contact the Office of Undergraduate Admissions directly: ApplyMaryland@umd.edu.  Use the subject line "Transfer Student from Montgomery College English Proficiency".  Otherwise, plan to take one of the tests, such as Duolingo, before applying for transfer admission.

UM Pre-Transfer Advising Page specifically for MC Students:  https://sites.google.com/umd.edu/mc2umd/home

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Thank you to Jan Shapiro who alerted us to this permanent change in policy –

Anne Schleicher, Part-Time Counselor
Montgomery College Online Advising Services