All international students whose native language is not English and who have received an undergraduate degree from an institution in a country whose official language is not English must submit official scores of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). The Graduate School normally requires a score of 600 on the paper-and-pencil version, 250 on the computer-based version or 100 on the internet-based version.The Graduate School normally requires a score of 7.5 or higher on IELTS. For further information please see Information for International Students on the web page of the GSAS Admissions Office.

In order to hold a teaching appointment, students who are enrolled in Ph.D. programs and who have not previously earned a degree from an English-speaking university and are not native English speakers must sit for the SPEAK test of spoken English administered by Columbia's American Language Program (ALP) at the beginning of their first semester on campus. Based on the test results, students may be exempted from or placed into English language courses, including a special course for international teaching fellows offered each fall, English Z0850 (International Teaching Fellows Training), which provides language, pedagogical, and cultural training. For more information, students should contact their academic departmental administrator.

Students who are accepted into free-standing Master’s programs are expected to be proficient in writing and speaking English. Upon enrollment in courses, if their English fluency is seen to be inadequate for success in their program, they may be encouraged to undergo assessment by the American Language Program and to enroll in courses to improve their English language skills accordingly.