What is a good TOEFL band score? 4, 4.5, 5 and 5.5 explained, with what universities ask for

The short answer

On the TOEFL® 2026 scale, a 5 is a good score for most universities: it is CEFR C1 and matches an old total of about 100. A 4.5 (B2, about 90) meets many undergraduate and some graduate requirements. A 5.5 is what selective programmes ask for. A 4 (B2, about 80) is the usual floor. There is no pass mark: each university sets its own.

What each band means

Since 21 January 2026 the TOEFL iBT reports five scores from 1 to 6, in half steps: one per section and one overall. ETS built the scale on the CEFR levels, so a band means the same level in every section. The old 0–120 totals in the table are the minimums from ETS's concordance table; the score report also shows a comparable 0–120 number for two years.

Band	CEFR	Old total (from)	What it means in practice	Who asks for it
6	C2	114	Near-native; errors are rare and never get in the way	Almost nobody requires it
5.5	C1	107	Fluent and precise in academic English; the occasional slip	Selective universities and graduate schools
5	C1	95	Comfortable with lectures, papers and seminars; some slips under pressure	The most common requirement for a degree taught in English
4.5	B2	86	Follows most academic English; noticeable errors, clear meaning	Many undergraduate programmes; conditional offers
4	B2	72	Copes with everyday and familiar academic English; needs effort	Entry floors, foundation years, pathway programmes
3.5	B1	58	Handles routine situations; academic work is hard	Pre-sessional English courses
3 and below	B1 to A1	44 and below	Not yet ready for study in English	Language courses

The old scale had 121 possible totals; the new one has 11 bands. ETS says the point of the change is that a university needs a yes-or-no answer to "can this applicant study in English?", and a band answers that more plainly than a 97 against a 98.

Is 4.0 a good TOEFL score?

A 4 is B2, the level at which you can follow most lectures and write a clear if imperfect essay. It is the floor at a good number of universities and the usual requirement for pathway and foundation programmes. For a competitive programme it is usually half a band short. If your target asks for 4.5 and you have a 4, the gap is small: one section half a band higher moves the average.

Is 4.5 a good TOEFL score?

Yes for many undergraduate programmes and for some graduate schools. ETS's own guidance tells institutions that a 4.5 corresponds to an old requirement in the high 80s, and Notre Dame's Graduate School, for one, asks for a 4.5 average with no section below 4. A 4.5 is also the band where conditional offers tend to start: admitted, with an English course alongside the first term.

Is 5.0 a good TOEFL score?

A 5 is the band most applicants should aim for. It is C1, it corresponds to the old 100, and 100 was the single most common requirement on the old scale. ETS tells institutions that a band of 5 "should work well" where they previously required 100, and that is what many have done: Cornell's undergraduate minimum for tests from January 2026 is 5, and Columbia's Teachers College and Mailman School set 5 as well.

Is 5.5 a good TOEFL score?

A 5.5 is a strong score, above what most programmes require. Where it appears, it is at the selective end: Columbia's Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and Columbia College ask for 5.5 for tests taken after 21 January 2026, Cornell recommends 5.5 above its minimum of 5, and Notre Dame's undergraduate admissions recommends a 5.5 average with no section below 5. If your target lists 5.5, treat it as the real bar, not the "recommended" one.

What universities ask for in 2026

Universities set their own requirements; ETS does not. What ETS did was publish guidance for institutions on moving old cut-offs to the new scale, and most published 2026 requirements follow it:

Old requirement (0–120)	2026 band ETS's guidance points to
100	5
90	4.5
80	4
110	5.5

ETS also recommends that institutions set the same band for each section as for the overall score. Expect section minimums, and read them: an overall 5 with a Speaking 4 can fail a requirement of "5 overall, no section below 4.5".

A few published examples, all for tests taken from January 2026:

University	Requirement
Cornell, undergraduate	Minimum 5, recommended 5.5
Columbia, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences	5.5
Columbia College, undergraduate	5.5
Columbia, Teachers College	5
Notre Dame, Graduate School	4.5 average, no section below 4
Notre Dame, undergraduate	5.5 average, no section below 5 (recommended)

These are the published figures in November 2026; check the programme's own page before you apply, because departments within one university differ, and some pages still show the old scale.

If the requirement is still on the old scale

Many programme pages still say "TOEFL 90" or "TOEFL 100". Do not divide by 20 and hope. Use ETS's table: 72 and up is a 4, 86 and up is a 4.5, 95 and up is a 5, 107 and up is a 5.5. A requirement that falls between two rows, such as 90, is the institution's to decide; ETS's guidance points to the band above (90 becomes 4.5), but write and ask. The score converter does the arithmetic for a total or for each section, and the band scale guide explains why a section score and a total can land in different bands.

What TOEFL band is B2? And C1?

B2 is 4 or 4.5. C1 is 5 or 5.5. C2 is 6. The CEFR level on your score report is read straight from your overall band, so a report that says "B2" is a 4 or a 4.5, and a university that asks for "C1" means at least a 5.

How to know your band before test day

A full mock scored on the same 1–6 scale tells you where you stand and which section is holding the average down. Skorway's free mock gives a band for every section and an overall band within minutes, and the Accuracy page shows how those bands have compared with the official scores students reported afterwards. Practice bands are estimates; only ETS issues official TOEFL scores.

Is 75 a good score in TOEFL?

On the old scale, 75 fell between the 72 that becomes a 4 and the 86 that becomes a 4.5, so it reads as a 4: B2, enough for entry floors and pathway programmes, below most direct-entry requirements. On the 2026 test there is no 75; the equivalent question is whether a 4 is enough, and for most degree programmes the answer is "half a band short".

What is the maximum TOEFL score?

6 in every section and 6 overall, which is CEFR C2. On the old scale the maximum was 120. A 6 is rare and no programme requires it.

Is the TOEFL difficult to pass?

There is nothing to pass. The test reports a level; each university decides which level it accepts. For an applicant at B2 the realistic question is whether to aim for 4.5 or 5, and the answer depends on the programme, not on the test.

Checked against ETS's score-scale pages and the published admissions pages above on 5 November 2026. TOEFL® is a registered trademark of ETS. Skorway is not endorsed or approved by ETS.