Minimum IELTS Score for US/UK University Admissions in 2023

Taking an IELTS exam is very expensive these days and when we talk about its difficulty level then that is also an issue which is why i always recommend my student to prepare well for their IELTS exam so that they must to have to retake it because reappearing for an IELTS exam will cause a heavy dent on your pockets as well.

So, now keeping this in mind lets explore minimum IELTS score requirements for US and UK Universities admissions and then we can set out goals to score according to it.

Minimum IELTS Band Score for UK Admissions:

If you want to study in British Universities then you must at least score a band score of 6.0 in IELTS academic test to stand eligible for admission and scholarships in UK and if you ask me what is a good IELTS score for UK then that is 7.0 Bands (Ref IDP).

Minimum IELTS Band Score for US Admissions:

US/UK IELTS Score Requirements for international students 2023

• University of Birmingham Minimum IELTS Requirement: 6.5 Bands

According to recent information issued by University of Birmingham on their English language requirements page you will need to score at least 6.5 bands in academic module of an IELTS exam in 2023 (Ref University of Birmingham).

On the other hand for the most competitive degree programs at Birmingham university you maybe be required to submit a high score of band 7 with a minimum of 7 in each section of IELTS for becoming eligible and apart from this this might also be possible that Birmingham university accepts you conditionally for some degree programs with a 6 band score and no less than 5.5 in each section. 

• University of Westminster Minimum IELTS Requirement: 6.5 Bands

According to requirements posted by university of westminster for English language proficiency, all international students from non-native English speaking countries interested to pursue degree programs at this university would need a 6.5 IELTS band score with a minimum of 5.5 in all sections however, for some undergraduate programs this British university may allow a 6.0 band with a  minimum of 5.5 in each section. 

What is considered a Good IELTS score in the USA in 2023?

Generally speaking if you want to apply for a US scholarship or admission at any US university and if you belong from any non native english speaking country then be ready to score at least 6.5 bands in IELTS academic test in 2023 to stand eligible (Ref Yocket).

• University of South California Minimum IELTS Requirement: 6.5 Bands

According to recent information (Ref USC), this US University of South California requires a band 7 or more for the Ph.D. admission application with a minimum of 6.0 in each section whereas for masters degree programs you need a 6.5 IELTS bands score with a minimum of 6.0 in each section.

• UC Berkeley Minimum IELTS Requirement: 6.5 Bands

As per my research from English language proficiency requirement page of UC Berkeley all international students whose first language is not English would be required to score at least 5.5 IELTS academic band score if they want to submit an application for admission there.

• New York University Minimum IELTS Requirement is 7 Bands

If you want to apply for admission or scholarship at New York university of America then i will suggest you to please take IELTS academic test asap and try to score anything above 7.5 Bands but if that seems difficult then instead you can take TOEFL iBT exam and scrore 100 in it, or you may also appear for PTE academic test and score 70 in it.

New York university also accepts iTEP with 4.5 score, Duolingo English test with 125 score, or Cambridge English scale test with 191 score as minimum benchmarks.