U.K. Border Agency Accredits the TOEFL® Test for Tier 4 Student Visas in the United Kingdom

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Princeton, N.J. (July 28, 2010) —

The U.K. Border Agency (UKBA) announced that the TOEFL® test is now accredited to demonstrate English language proficiency for students under Tier 4 (general) of the points-based system throughout the United Kingdom.

On July 22nd, the Minister of State for Immigration Damian Green issued a new requirement for students under Tier 4 (general) studying below degree level to provide evidence of having passed a U.K. Border Agency-approved secure English language test at a minimum of B1 level on the Common European Framework of Reference for languages.

The UKBA reported that a minimum score of 57 for the TOEFL iBT™ test (Listening - 13, Reading - 8, Writing - 17, and Speaking - 19) was required. The TOEFL test, the most widely accepted English language assessment worldwide, has already been used in the U.K. for Tier 1 and Tier 2 (work visas) since the introduction of the points-based system. More than 7,500 colleges and universities around the world, including most higher education institutions in the U.K., U.S., and Australia, accept the TOEFL test to demonstrate English proficiency.

"ETS is delighted that the TOEFL test is now accredited by the UKBA for this purpose," commented Ian Lucas, Executive Director, ETS Global, U.K. "We are so pleased that the TOEFL test will now be recognized in the U.K. to demonstrate English proficiency under Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 4 of the points-based system."

Students can take the TOEFL test at more than 4,500 testing sites in 165 countries. More information regarding the TOEFL test, including registration, is available at www.TOEFLgoanywhere.org.

About the TOEFL Test

For more than 45 years, the TOEFL test has been the most widely accepted English-language proficiency assessment worldwide. Currently, more than 7,500 colleges and universities accept the TOEFL test in more than 130 countries. To date, more than 24 million students around the world have taken the TOEFL test.

About ETS

At nonprofit 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 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.