The Indiana English Proficiency Exam

The Indiana English Proficiency Exam (IEPE) is an Indiana University entrance exam required of all undergraduate international students whose first language or mother tongue is not English, and all those graduate students who do not present minimum TOEFL scores (see the “TOEFL Requirements” Sidebar for details) or whose departments require the IEPE in addition to TOEFL scores. The IEPE is given several times a year, including August and early January.

The IEPE is an intermediate-level proficiency test of English, designed to expose basic English language problems which might hinder success in students— academic pursuits. The approximately four hour exam includes a 45-minute composition, 5 minute oral interview, an integrated skills task, and a multiple choice sections for listening and reading comprehension.

There are three possible results of the IEPE. The results for many international students permit them to proceed into full time academic studies with no classes in English needed. The results for some students require that they take one or a few support courses, called Second Language Studies (SLST) T101 (undergraduate) or T501 (graduate), which are designed to give students more practice in certain areas of English, for example in writing. Most of these courses are 8 weeks in length and may be taken at the same time as other academic classes. The results for a very few students, however, place them into a 7-week session in the Intensive English Program, where they study full time English and do not begin their academic coursework.

Please Note:

Indiana University has made a policy change concerning international graduate students. As of August 2006, any student who presents required minimum TOEFL scores (see “TOEFL Requirements” Sidebar for details) does not have to take the IEPE.

For more information about the IEPE, please contact Linda Abe (abels@indiana.edu) at Second Language Studies or the Office of International Services.

Last updated: 9 June 2010
Comments to: cguinnup@indiana.edu
Copyright 2001, the Trustees of Indiana University