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Low TOEFL Speaking score.

Posted: Wed Nov 11, 2020 11:48 am
by feyngre
My scores in TOEFL are, R: 28, L: 27, S: 22, W: 27 (104/120).

Many universities have a minimum required score for speaking section. In particular my top choices Notre Dame (23) and Northwestern (26).

Some other universities that require a minimum speaking score, are UIC (23), UMN (23), UOregon (26).

Of the universities that I listed above, Notre Dame and Northwestern mention on their websites that this is not a hard criteria.

Notre Dame have this in their FAQ section:
Q: If my speaking score is below the minimum, should I apply, and will my application be reviewed?

A: Yes we encourage all applications, and all applications are reviewed.
Similarly, Northwestern says that,
For the TOEFL, official scores must be less than two years old. On the internet based test an applicant must score 100 or higher, and we would like a score 26 or higher on the speaking portion.
While, UMN says that,
The probability that you will receive an offer of support diminishes sharply for total scores below 100 or speaking scores below 23.
My question is should I bother applying to these places? Or will they turn me down based on the speaking score itself?

Re: Low TOEFL Speaking score.

Posted: Thu Nov 12, 2020 5:29 am
by defen
They're unlikely to offer you a teaching assistant position. If you're strong enough to merit a research scholarship or rich enough to pay the tuition, you should apply anyway.