Do I need to take the TOEFL if...

kevins8 · 01-01-2009, 07:25 PM

I'm a Canadian citizen who was born in china and has lived in the US for the past 2.5 years.
I know that I'm considered an international student because I have yet to receive my green card (H4 visa + social security number) but does anyone know if the TOEFL is still required in this case?

b@r!um · 01-01-2009, 07:46 PM

Is English your native language or did you attend an English-speaking school in China? If the answer is 'yes', you don't need to take the TOEFL.

If not, how long would you have been in the US by the time you graduate? Most if not all colleges waive the TOEFL requirement for anyone who completed all 4 years of high school in the US. Some colleges require the TOEFL if you spent less than 4 years in the States though. Once you have a semi-finite college list, check with those colleges about their policies.

kevins8 · 01-01-2009, 08:04 PM

sorry, i guess my post wasn't too clear. I was born in China but moved to Canada and lived there for five years and got citizenship. I then moved to the states.

I did three years of high school in the US and one year in Canada. I also took the SAT 1 and the ACT, getting a 2110 and 33.

vladsinger · 01-02-2009, 11:45 AM

I wouldn't think so - many colleges waive the TOEFL for a certain critical reading score on the SAT (which you most likely got).

b@r!um · 01-02-2009, 02:50 PM

I second vladsinger. You are all set once you completed 4 yours of schooling in an English speaking country, and your test scores leave no doubts about your language skills!

adso · 01-02-2009, 10:36 PM

You most certainly DO NOT require a toefl. At the most the university will ask you to take an aplied english test once you reach the university just before enrolling and place you in an appropriate English course. This however is very rare.

kevins8 · 01-02-2009, 11:10 PM

alright, that's a relief. thanks for the quick replies and best of luck to everyone

Gabe1122 · 10-21-2012, 07:56 PM

I'm an international student and I didn't immigrate here. I'm soon going to be in Canada for 4 and a half year I have completed my 4 year high school in Canada. I didn't take my grade 9 English only I was just wondering if I have to take the TOEFL exam or not.

Deblerg · 10-22-2012, 11:17 AM

Schools have different requirements for who needs to take the TOEFL, check out their website or the collegeboard to see who needs to take the TOEFL. Most of the time it's kids who have not been in an English-speaking high school for the majority of their 4 years there, so I think you should be fine.
Gabe1122--if you've been in an English-speaking school for 4 years, you should be fine, but if your lessons were in another language you may need to take the TOEFL.

Good luck!! (:

Gabe1122 · 10-22-2012, 04:12 PM

Thank you, yes I have been in a English speaking school for 4 years and also all of my classes were in English.

annagermany94 · 10-24-2012, 11:52 AM

if you're not sure just email the colleges you're applying to! I haven't completed all my secondary studies in english but I have taken 7 years of english classes and studied abroad in the US for 10 months in high school and all colleges I am applying to are waiving the TOEFL for me, even if on their website it said they couldn't waive it for anyone who hasn't completed at least 4 years of study in english.