ENGLISH PLACEMENT TEST FOR UNDERGRADUATE(EPT)

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign English Placement Test (EPT) is used to assess English ability of newly admitted international students as validated against the English language demands of our campus. Many newly admitted University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign international students are required to take the EPT according to their pre-arrival scores on either of two international ESL tests: the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). International undergraduate students whose total TOEFL scores are 102 (TOEFL iBT) or below (*total IELTS score of 7.0 or below) are required to take the EPT. To be exempt from EPT, students must score either on TOEFL iBT: total 103 or above, and 25 or above on both speaking & writing; or on IELTS: 7.5 or above total, and 7 or above on both speaking & writing.

The EPT consists of two parts: a written test and an oral test. The writing test requires students to produce an academic essay based on the information obtained from a reading passage and a short lecture. In the oral test, students are given a topic on which to speak for three minutes. If students speak intelligibly, they will be exempted from further oral testing. Otherwise, students will be required to take another oral exam.

All students are strongly recommended to take the EPT well before classes begin, and if possible, at least two full business days before meeting with their advisor(s) to do final course selection.

Students will be placed into or exempted from the general oral or written ESL service courses based on the results of the test.

For more information about the EPT offered through the Department of Linguistics, please see: EPT Information and Registration for Undergraduate Students