DePaul University offers conditional admission to qualified applicants in select disciplines. Conditional admission may be offered to students who have been educated in a language other than English and whose academic record qualifies them for admission, but whose level of English proficiency, as measured by accepted English tests, is lower than admission requirements.
If you are conditionally admitted, you will attend DePaul's English Language Academy (ELA) to study English. ELA is a full-time intensive academic language program focused on the language and academic skills used in degree programs. Students that earn the University Bridge Certificate meet the English proficiency requirement for DePaul degree programs.
You can read more below about conditional admission based on applicant type below.
For Undergraduate Applicants
As an international student, you may request to be considered for conditional admission in the test information section of the DePaul freshman or transfer online application.
In order to be conditionally admitted, you must apply and meet all international admission requirements, and meet the minimum English proficiency requirement, which can be found by clicking below.
| College/School |
English Proficiency Requirement |
Conditional Admission English Language Requirement |
Requirements to move from ELA to Degree Program |
| Business, Communication, Computing and Digital Media, Science and Health, Education, Liberal Arts and Social Sciences |
-80 on the IBT TOEFL with no subsection lower than 17
-6.5 on the IELTS
-115 on the Duolingo English Test
|
No English test score required |
University Bridge Certificate |
| School of Music |
-80 on the IBT TOEFL with no subsection lower than 17
-6.5 on the IELTS
-115 on the Duolingo English Test
|
-60-79 on the IBT TOEFL
-6.0 on the IELTS |
University Bridge Certificate |
| School of Theatre |
-80 on the IBT TOEFL with no subsection lower than 17
-6.5 on the IELTS
-115 on the Duolingo English Test
|
Offered on a case-by-case basis |
University Bridge Certificate |
Students that earn the University Bridge Certificate meet the English proficiency requirement for DePaul degree programs.
For Graduate Applicants
Graduate departments may offer conditional admission if the applicant meets all graduate college requirements and meets the minimum English proficiency requirement, which can be found by clicking below.
| College/School |
English Proficiency Requirement |
Conditional English Proficiency Requirement |
Requirement to move from ELA to Degree Program |
Notes |
| College of Law (JD) |
- 90 on the IBT TOEFL - 6.5 on the IELTS |
Not offered |
Not available |
|
| College of Law (LLM) |
- 90 on the IBT TOEFL
- 6.5 on the IELTS |
- 60-89 on the IBT TOEFL
- 6.0 on the IELTS |
- University Bridge Certificate
- 90 on the IBT TOEFL
- 577 on the PBT TOEFL
- 6.5 on the IELTS |
|
| Jarvis College of Computing and Digital Media (CDM) |
- 80 on the IBT TOEFL
(miniumum 17 on each section)
- 6.5 on the IELTS
- 115 on the Duolingo English Test
|
No English test score required |
- University Bridge Certificate
- 80 on the iBT TOEFL (minimum 17 on each section)
- 550 on the PBT TOEFL
- 6.5 on the IELTS
- 115 on the Duolingo English Test
|
|
| College of Education |
- 96 on the IBT TOEFL
- 7.5 on the IELTS |
- 60-79 on the IBT TOEFL
- 6.0 on the IELTS |
- University Bridge Certificate |
|
| Kellstadt Graduate School of Business (KGSB) |
- 80 on the IBT TOEFL
(minimum 17 on each section)
- 6.5 on the IELTS
- 115 or higher on the Duolingo English Test
-53 on the Pearson Test of English (PTE)
|
No English test score required
|
- University Bridge Certificate |
|
| School of Music |
- 80 on the IBT TOEFL
(minimum 17 on each section)
- 6.5 on the IELTS |
- 60 on the IBT TOEFL
(minimum 16 on each section)
- 6.0 on the IELTS |
- University Bridge Certificate |
Students in ELA are allowed to participate in ensembles and take applied lessons in the School of Music. |
| College of Science and Health (CSH) |
- 96 on the TOEFL OR 7.0 on IELTS OR 125 on the Duolingo English Test for most programs
- 80 on the IBT TOEFL
(minimum 17 on each section) OR 6.5 on the IELTS or 115 on the Duolingo English Test for MS in Applied Mathematics and MS in Applied Statistics and MS Pure Mathematics
|
Most Programs:
- 80-95 on the IBT TOEFL OR 6.5 on the IELTS or 115 on the Duolingo English Test
MS Applied Mathematics, MS Applied Statistics, MS Pure Mathematics, MS Mathematics for Teaching, and MS Mathematics Education:
- No English test score required
|
- Exit for Math/Stats requires completing six ELA courses at or above high-intermediate, OR four ELA courses at or above Advanced, OR three ELA courses at or above Bridge. |
Offered for MS Applied Mathematics, MS Applied Statistics, and MS in Chemistry. CA may be considered for other CSH non-cohort programs. |
| College of Communication (CMN) |
- 96 on the IBT TOEFL
(minimum 22 on each section)
- 7.5 on IELTS |
- 79-95 on the IBT TOEFL
(minimum 17 on each section)
- 6.5 on the IELTS |
- University Bridge Certificate |
Conditional admission is not offered to students in Digital Communication and Media Arts for both the degree and certificate programs. |
| Liberal Arts and Social Sciences (LAS) |
- 96 on the IBT TOEFL
- 7.0 on the IELTS - 125 on the Duolingo English Test |
- 80-95 on the IBT TOEFL
- 6.5 on the IELTS - 115 on the Duolingo English Test
|
- Program requirements may differ |
CA may be considered for some LAS non-cohort programs. |
| School of Public Service (SPS) |
- 96 on the IBT TOEFL
- 7.0 on the IELTS |
- meet or are close to the university minimum of 80 on the TOEFL (or IELTS equivalent) |
- University Bridge Certificate |
|
| The Theatre School (TTS) |
- 80 on the IBT TOEFL
(minimum 17 on each section)
- 6.5 on IELTS |
Not offered |
Not available |
|
| School of Continuing and Professional Studies (SCPS) |
- 80 on the IBT TOEFL
(minimum 17 on each section)
- 6.5 on IELTS |
|
- University Bridge Certificate |
|
Students that earn the University Bridge Certificate meet the English proficiency requirement for DePaul degree programs.
Deadlines to Accept Conditional Admission Offer
Student may receive a conditional admission offer at various times of the year based on their application to their degree program. When you accept a conditional admission offer, you need to submit an ELA fee and take a pre-placement test. For this reason, there are deadlines to accepting a conditional admission offer. You may receive a conditional admission offer after the deadline. In that case, your ELA entry term will be updated to the next available term to ensure ample time for processing.
Term
| Program Dates
| Deadline
|
| Overseas Applicants | Applicants in US* |
Fall
| September - November | June 15
| August 1 |
| Winter | January - March | October 15
| December 1 |
Spring
| April - June | January 15 | March 1 |
| Summer | June - August | April 15 | June 1 |
Frequently Asked Questions about Conditional Admission
No, apply to your degree program and request conditional admission.
No, you only pay DePaul's application fee (if it applies). However, you will need to pay a $60 non-refundable ELA fee for Pre-Placement Test to accept and move forward with your conditional admission offer.
It depends on the level of education and program. Please review the charts above.
Upon acceptance of your conditional admission offer and paying the non-refundable ELA fee for Pre-Placement Test, you will receive instructions on how to take the test. Based on the result, we will have your initial placement information, which will provide the approximate length of your ELA study. Please note that you will take diagnostic exams during the first week, which will finalize your placement in the ELA program. Your level could move up or down based on the diagnostics. The initial placement gives you a good idea for the length of your ELA study, but your placement will not be guaranteed until you take the diagnostic exams.
You will not be allowed to register for academic courses until the English proficiency requirement is met, except for conditionally admitted students for Music.