TOEFL iBT score for an Australian student visa

The visa minimum for a Student visa (subclass 500) is a TOEFL iBT total score of 67. You can apply with a lower score, 51 or 37, if you are also enrolled in an English course (ELICOS) or a foundation or pathway program before your degree. The visa minimum is not the number most students need, though. Your university or college sets its own requirement, and that is usually the higher bar.

The figures below come from the Home Affairs legislative instrument that sets student visa English requirements, LIN 25/090, which started on 7 August 2025. They are correct as of October 2026. Requirements change, so check the Home Affairs Student visa page before you apply.

What TOEFL score do you need for a subclass 500 visa?

There are three minimums. Which one applies depends on what you enrol in.

Three details matter:

• It's a total score. For the visa itself there are no minimum section scores for TOEFL. Universities are different and often set a minimum for each section.
• The ELICOS must come with your main course. The lower scores apply when the ELICOS "accompanies a principal course" that starts after you lodge the visa application. An English course on its own, with no degree or diploma attached, falls under a different rule (see exemptions below).
• "Approved pathway program" means a specific list. The instrument names particular diploma and pathway courses at particular colleges. Your provider can tell you whether your course is on it.

How does that compare with IELTS and PTE?

The same instrument sets the minimums for every accepted test. If you are still choosing a test, this is how the three most common ones line up for the student visa:

The test you choose should depend on which one suits you and what your university accepts, not on which number looks lower. See TOEFL or IELTS for a comparison of the tests themselves.

Which TOEFL test counts for the visa?

This is where people lose time and money. ETS says that for Australian visa purposes you must take the TOEFL iBT Australia test at an authorised test centre, and that Home Edition scores are not accepted by Home Affairs. Home Affairs also says you must select "Taking TOEFL for Australia" when you register, and that results not registered this way are not eligible for visa purposes.

The visa figures above are totals on the 0–120 scale. Since 21 January 2026 there have been two versions of the test. TOEFL iBT Australia keeps the format used before that date (about two hours) and reports on the familiar 0–120 scale, with 0–30 for each section. The updated TOEFL iBT is shorter, adaptive and scored 1–6. As of October 2026 only TOEFL iBT Australia is accepted for Australian visas; the updated test may be accepted by some universities for admission, but not by Home Affairs. The 1–6 scale is explained in how the 1–6 scale works. AIL's TOEFL iBT Australia practice tests use the visa format and the 0–120 scale, so you can practise the version you will actually sit. The full list of registration rules is in our guide to TOEFL for Australian visas.

How recent does your test need to be?

The test must be taken within two years before you lodge your visa application. If you lodge without test results and send them later, the two years are counted back from the day Home Affairs makes its decision instead.

If you took TOEFL iBT before 7 August 2025, the older minimums apply to that result: 64 for the main course only, 46 with 10 weeks of ELICOS or a foundation or pathway program, and 35 with 20 weeks of ELICOS. Because of the two-year limit, these older results will stop being usable during 2027.

Who doesn't need an English test?

The instrument exempts several groups from the test requirement. As of October 2026 they include:

• Citizens of Canada, New Zealand, the Republic of Ireland, the United Kingdom and the United States who hold a valid passport from that country.
• Students whose only course is an ELICOS, a school course, a postgraduate research course, or a course taught in a language other than English.
• Students who have completed at least five years of study in English in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, Ireland, the UK or the US.
• Students who, in the two years before applying, completed an Australian Senior Secondary Certificate taught in English, or a substantial part of a Certificate IV or higher qualification taught in English in Australia while holding a student visa.
• Foreign Affairs or Defence sponsored students and secondary exchange students.

Being exempt for the visa doesn't mean your university won't ask for a test score. Check both.

Worked examples

Here is how the rules play out for four students who took the TOEFL iBT Australia test at a centre after 7 August 2025. The names and scores are made up.

Tomás is the common case. A student a few points short can sometimes solve the problem with a longer English course rather than a retake, but that adds time and fees, so compare the two options with your provider.

Common mistakes

1. Planning around the visa minimum. Universities usually set their own, higher requirement for direct entry to a degree, and many set section minimums too. Look up the course page first. Our guide to TOEFL scores for university admission explains how universities state their requirements.
2. Booking the wrong test. Home Edition is not accepted for Australian visas. Book a test centre and select the Australia option when you register.
3. Letting the score expire. A result from 23 months ago may be valid when you lodge but not if you lodge without it and the decision comes later. Lodge with your results if you can.
4. Assuming ELICOS always lowers the bar. The ELICOS has to be part of a package with your main course, and the weeks matter: 10 weeks for 51, 20 weeks for 37.
5. Reading old blog posts. Many pages still quote pre-August 2025 figures such as 46 or 35. Those apply only to tests taken before 7 August 2025.

Checklist before you book

1. Find your course's English requirement on the university or college website, including any section minimums.
2. Confirm whether your course comes with ELICOS or a foundation program, and how many weeks.
3. Note the visa minimum that applies: 67, 51 or 37.
4. Check you are not already exempt.
5. Book the TOEFL iBT Australia test at an authorised centre and select "Taking TOEFL for Australia".
6. Plan your test date so the result is less than two years old when you lodge.
7. Practise under timed conditions before the real test.

For step 7, you can try a free section of each skill on our TOEFL iBT style practice test and get an estimated score, and our free writing checker scores an email or discussion post in about 30 seconds. Our practice tests follow the 2026 TOEFL iBT format, so use the result as a guide to your level, not as a prediction of an official score. AIL is not affiliated with ETS.