Language Proficiency Requirements for International Applicants

Landed immigrants and international applicants to any of the graduate nursing programs in Nursing, whose first language is not English, are required to provide evidence of English proficiency prior to admission in one of the following ways:

  • TOEFL (paper-based): minimum total score of 600 and minimum score of 5/6 on the Test of Written English (TWE)
  • TOEFL (computer-based): minimum total score of 250 and minimum score of 5/6 on the Test of Written English;
  • TOEFL (Internet-based): minimum score of 100, with no score less than 23 on each of the 4 skill categories
  • English Language Testing System (IELTS): minimum score of 7 on the overall test and on each subcomponent
  • Western English Language Centre (WELC): Successful completion of the High Advanced level of the Academic English program
    • Applicants whose current IELTS scores are 6.5 can complete the English Boost program
    • Students may contact WELC for a free assessment of English fluency and a determination of the length of any recommended program
    • Applicants are responsible for the costs of this program
  • Duolingo: minimum score of 140

Students must make their own arrangements to write the TOEFL or IELTS and have the official results sent directly to Western's School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies by the testing agency at the time of application to the program. Scores are valid if taken within two years of application to the program. If test scores are older than two years, a new test must be written and passed before admission will be considered.

Students whose first language is not English may be exempt from providing English Proficiency test scores if they have studied academic courses on a full-time basis for at least two years in an English-speaking university located in a country whose official first language is English. While we reserve the right to require evidence of English proficiency from any applicant whose first language is not English, French Canadians do not typically need to provide an English proficiency score. However, it is expected they be bilingual.