Check your English Language Requirements

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Why do you need it?

All teaching at AUB is conducted in English, except for certain language-specific courses. To ensure academic success, both undergraduate and graduate applicants must demonstrate sufficient fluency in written and spoken English to cope with the language demands of their chosen major.

Therefore, AUB requires all applicants, regardless of citizenship, to provide proof of English language proficiency.

English Language Requirements

UNDERGRADUATE APPLICATIONS

GRADUATE APPLICATIONS

RUSE for graduate applicants

Demonstrating RUSE

Master’s or PhD applicants including graduate diploma applicants can demonstrate RUSE by submitting satisfactory and valid scores from one of several tests. A score is considered satisfactory if it meets or exceeds the minimum requirement set by AUB; it is considered valid if the test date is recent enough.

Each test has its separate requirement for having satisfactory and valid scores, as detailed in the table below.

Demonstrating RUSE for graduate applicants
Test	Minimum Score	Validity
AUB-EN	40	1 year
TOEFL iBT	97	2 years
IELTS (Academic)	7	2 years
GRE (Verbal)	147	5 years
GMAT (Verbal)	25	5 years
DUOLINGO English Test (DET)	120	2 years

When to demonstrate RUSE

All graduate applicants are requested to demonstrate RUSE as early as possible, upon receiving their admissions decision from AUB, unless they are exempted as specified in the Exemptions and Exceptions section in this webpage.

It is possible to take more than one test for the purpose of demonstrating RUSE, however, it is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that test scores are delivered to the Office of Admissions in time for decision-making and, if needed, to be able to secure a place in a relevant preparatory English course.

Important Note: Some scholarships may require earlier submission of English test scores. It is the applicant's responsibility to inquire about the specific requirements and ensure that all related deadlines are met.

The links below provide details about the different RUSE tests (formats, dates, location, registration requirements, etc.) and help with planning. While some of these tests can be taken more than once, each test specifies a period of time that has to elapse between test dates.

Exemptions and exceptions

RUSE requirement is waived for applicants who meet any of the following conditions at the time of application:

Applicants have completed an undergraduate or graduate degree at AUB.
Applicants were admitted to a degree program at AUB no more than 5 years ago and completed at least two regular terms with good academic standing.
Applicants have completed an undergraduate or graduate degree at an accredited college or university in North America, Great Britain, Australia, and New Zealand.
Applicants have completed, no more than 5 years ago, an undergraduate or graduate degree at an accredited college or university elsewhere in the world where English is listed as the only language of instruction (in International Association of Universities (IAU) World Higher Education Database) and where admission requires English language proficiency test scores that meet AUB's RUSE requirements.

Graduate applicants without satisfactory and valid RUSE scores

In case a graduate applicant does not have a satisfactory and valid RUSE score, s/he has the option of registering in a 7-week intensive English summer preparatory program. Program details (description, learning outcomes, requirements, course registration and timeline) are available at the University Preparatory Program (UPP) - Graduate Course site.

Placement of graduate students

Graduate students who present RUSE scores below the satisfactory minimum score may be required by their program, school or faculty to take preparatory English courses.

Placement of graduate students in preparatory English courses is done based on scores from one of the following tests: AUB-EN, TOEFL, IELTS (Academic), DUOLINGO English Test (DET). GRE (verbal) and GMAT/ GMAT Focus (verbal) scores cannot be used for the purpose of placement in preparatory English courses.

For information and details about placement of graduate students in preparatory English courses, please visit the Graduate Council page.

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