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Exemptions to the Academic Standards

Learning-disabled applicants may substitute two college preparatory electives for the two required foreign language courses only if they present results of a psycho-educational evaluation completed within the past three years that includes a specific diagnosis of a learning disability that leads to the inability to succeed in a foreign language.

ESL applicants must complete the 17 required college preparatory courses with two exceptions:

  1. ESL applicants may substitute two electives for the required foreign language courses.
  2. ESL applicants may substitute up to two years of college preparatory ESL English courses for college preparatory English courses provided they achieve a rank of at least the 62nd percentile on the TOEFL or the IELTS (550 on the paper TOEFL, or 85 on the internet-based test; 6.0 on the IELTS).

Vocational-technical students must complete 17 college preparatory courses, distributed in the same manner and with the same minimum grade point averages required of other high school graduates, with the following exceptions:

  • Two vocational-technical courses may be used to fulfill the two required electives. Vocational-technical high school graduates who do not complete the two required college preparatory foreign language courses must complete an additional college preparatory elective course, for a total of three such courses, and satisfy one of the following options:

    • Complete at least one foreign language course
    • Complete an additional mathematics or science course
    • Complete one computer science course

English Language Proficiency

Students whose native language is not English are required to demonstrate proficiency in written and spoken English with an official copy of one of the following English proficiency exam scores.

550Paper-based test score
Internet-based composite test score (iBT) and TOEFL iBT Paper Edition:
21Reading
19Listening
23Speaking
22Writing
85Overall Total
TOEFL Essentials test score:
9Reading
8Listening
9Speaking
9Writing
9Overall Total

Please visit ETS for more information on taking the TOEFL. MassArt’s code for the TOEFL is 3516. Please note that TOEFL scores are only valid for 2 years from the date of examination.

For applicants taking the IELTS test, a score of 6.0 is required.

For applicants taking the Duolingo English Test, a minimum score of 54 is required for tests taken before July 15, 2019. A minimum score of 105 is required for tests taken after July 15, 2019.

For applicants taking The Pearson Test of English Academic or PTE Academic Online, a minimum score of 59 is required.

Students whose primary language is not English, but who are currently studying in the U.S. for all 4 years of their high school education, may qualify to have English proficiency exams waived if they have completed 4 years of high school English (not including ESL courses). 

  • This is determined by the Admissions Office on an individual basis; please contact the Admissions Office at admissions@massart.edu for additional information.

Transfer students who have earned a B or better in two semesters of college-level (non-ESL) English courses at a U.S. college or university may have their exams waived.

Exams and Standardized Tests

MassArt no longer requires SAT or ACT scores, and we don’t factor them into admission or merit scholarship decisions. Eliminating these test requirements allows us to base our admission decisions on a more holistic review of applications.


If you decide to submit standardized test scores, we reserve the right to use them in institutional profile reports for enrolled students. MassArt’s SAT school code is 3516, and our ACT school code is 1846. Reports should be sent directly from the College Board, American College Testing, or through the high school guidance office.

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