The TOEFL iBT® Test, the Most Widely Accepted English-language Assessment for Academic Purposes Now Recognized by More Than 9,000 Institutions Globally

PRINCETON, N.J., Sept. 4, 2013 /CNW/ - As more and more students seek to study abroad, it is critical that higher education institutions have a comprehensive and consistent measure to assess applicants' English-language proficiency. The TOEFL^® Program announces today that the TOEFL iBT^® test has surpassed recognition by more than 9,000 institutions worldwide and continues to serve more institutions than any other assessment in evaluating English proficiency of applicants from around the world.

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"The TOEFL test is an excellent tool that gives us confidence in evaluating students' English-language skills," commented Joanne Barker, International Office Director of the University of Adelaide. "Its strength lies in the ability to combine the listening, reading, speaking and writing skills — and we have found it to be a reliable indicator of prospective students' English-language proficiency."

The TOEFL test is a global test used for both undergraduate and graduate admissions with recognition in more than 130 countries, including Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Canada, the United States and most countries in Asia and Europe. A database of the more than 9,000 institutions that accept the TOEFL test and information regarding their score requirements is available on the TOEFL^® Go Anywhere website at www.TOEFLGoAnywhere.org/asu-advanced-search.

The most recent institutions to recognize the TOEFL iBT test join the ranks of the leading colleges and universities around the world that already accept TOEFL scores, including the Group of Eight in Australia, the Russell Group in the United Kingdom and the top 100 U.S.-based institutions listed in the 2013 edition of the U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges Rankings.

"With a large international population of non-native English speakers at Carnegie Mellon University, we've come to rely heavily on the TOEFL test as a great tool to assess the English-language proficiency of our admission candidates and their readiness for our academic community," commented Michael Steidel, Director of Admission, Carnegie Mellon University. "There are many challenges these students will face on campus, but the TOEFL test has given us the confidence to know that successfully navigating in an English-speaking environment will not be one of them. Our use of the TOEFL test has only grown more significant over time and we're grateful for our partnership."

As the number of institutions around the world accepting the TOEFL test continues to increase, the volume of TOEFL tests administered internationally is also on the rise. The TOEFL Program announced an 11 percent increase internationally in the number of TOEFL iBT test takers in 2012, compared to the previous year.

"The use of the TOEFL test is key to the business of postgraduate admissions within the College of Humanities and Social Science at the University of Edinburgh," commented Rick Kiralfy, Head of the Postgraduate Office, College of Humanities and Social Science at the University of Edinburgh. "With interest from overseas increasing yearly, it is essential that we know that students are equipped to cope with the pressure of postgraduate study in English, and TOEFL testing continues to provide us with the assurance that the students we admit are capable of achieving the best they can whilst studying with us."

Test takers are encouraged to visit the TOEFL^® page on Facebook^® at https://www.facebook.com/TOEFL to learn the latest information on the TOEFL test and to join the TOEFL mailing list, available at http://www.ets.org/toefl/student_news to receive timely updates regarding the TOEFL test.

About the TOEFL Test
The TOEFL test of academic English is the most widely accepted English-language assessment in the world, recognized by more than 9,000 institutions in more than 130 countries. The TOEFL iBT test measures an individual's ability to use and understand English at the university level. The assessment evaluates how well an individual combines the listening, reading, speaking and writing skills needed to perform academic tasks. Last year, Educational Testing Service administered approximately eight million English-language assessments through its TOEFL and TOEIC^® assessment programs.

About ETS
At ETS, we advance quality and equity in education for people worldwide by creating assessments based on rigorous research. ETS serves individuals, educational institutions and government agencies by providing customized solutions for teacher certification, English language learning, and elementary, secondary and post-secondary education, as well as conducting education research, analysis and policy studies. Founded as a nonprofit in 1947, ETS develops, administers and scores more than 50 million tests annually — including the TOEFL^® and TOEIC ^® tests, the GRE ^® tests and The Praxis Series™ assessments — in more than 180 countries, at over 9,000 locations worldwide. www.ets.org

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SOURCE: Educational Testing Service-TOEFL

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