What Is a Good TOEFL iBT Score

A good TOEFL iBT score is the score your target institution accepts, not a fixed number set by ETS. ETS states directly there are no passing or failing scores set by the TOEFL Program, so every college, university, and scholarship board sets its own cutoff. ETS also tells test takers to confirm the requirement with the institution itself.

Score requirements still cluster around a few common thresholds, and admissions pages repeat the same numbers often enough to plan around. This guide sets out those thresholds on both the new 1-6 band scale and the legacy 0-120 scale, shows how the bar shifts by program type, and explains how to read section scores against your overall goal. It also converts a target score into a percentile, so you know where you stand against other test takers.

The Two Scales You Will See

A 1-6 band scale, scored in 0.5 increments, replaces the 0-120 scale as the primary TOEFL iBT score for tests taken on or after January 21, 2026. If you tested before this date, your score report and any older institutional requirements you find will still reference the 0-120 scale. ETS publishes a correspondence table between the two scales, so a requirement written on one translates into the other.

From January 21, 2026 through January 2028, every score report shows three metrics together: your CEFR level, your 1-6 overall and section scores, and a comparable 0-120 overall score. The overlap gives institutions time to rewrite requirements still published on the old scale. TOEFL iBT scores stay valid for 2 years from the test date, so a report issued inside the transition window carries both numbers for its whole life. You are allowed to answer either version of a requirement with the matching figure printed on your own report.

How the Overall Score Is Calculated

Under the new scale, your overall score is the average of your four section scores, Reading, Listening, Speaking, and Writing, rounded to the nearest half band. An average of 5.125 rounds down to 5, while an average of 5.25 rounds up to 5.5. This differs from the legacy 0-120 scale, where the total score is the sum of the four section scores.

Good, Competitive, and Exceptional Score Bands

The table below lines up the two scales at the thresholds admissions offices repeat most often. The band ranges and their legacy equivalents come from the official ETS correspondence table. The tier names beside them, baseline, good, competitive, and exceptional, are 10Exam editorial framing rather than ETS labels, because ETS publishes the ranges and leaves the judgment to institutions. Use the table to translate a requirement you find on one scale into the other.

ETS publishes the full band-to-legacy-score correspondence: band 6 equals 114-120, band 5.5 equals 107-113, band 5 equals 95-106, band 4.5 equals 86-94, band 4 equals 72-85, band 3.5 equals 58-71, band 3 equals 44-57, band 2.5 equals 34-43, band 2 equals 24-33, band 1.5 equals 12-23, and band 1 equals 0-11. Each range is anchored at the band midpoint. The legacy total is the sum of four section scores, so two test takers with the same 0-120 total often reach it through different section combinations.

Why an Old 100 Requirement Does Not Become 5.5

Institutions holding a legacy 100 requirement should not raise the bar to band 5.5 under the new scale. ETS recommends converting an old 100 requirement to band 5, an old 90 to band 4.5, an old 80 to band 4, and an old 70 to band 3.5. ETS warns a 5.5 threshold would reject qualified applicants who scored 100 to 106 on the legacy scale. If a school lists 5.5 where it once listed 100, ask the admissions office whether the standard moved on purpose.

How the Bar Shifts by Program Type

Score expectations rise with degree level and program selectivity. The ranges in this section come from published TOEFL prep guidance rather than an official ETS tiered table, because ETS leaves the requirement to each institution. Treat them as a planning reference and confirm the exact number on the program page you are applying to.

Undergraduate Programs

Undergraduate requirements span the widest range, from community colleges near band 3 to the most selective universities at band 5 and above. The list below pairs each tier of school with a typical band and its legacy equivalent. Find the tier holding most of your target list, then check each school's published number.

• Ivy League and other top 20 universities: roughly band 5.0 or higher, legacy 100 or higher
• Top 50 universities: roughly band 4.5 to 5.0, legacy 90 to 100
• Most four-year universities: roughly band 4.0 to 4.5, legacy 80 to 90
• State universities: roughly band 3.5 to 4.0, legacy 70 to 80
• Community colleges: roughly band 3.0 to 3.5, legacy 60 to 70

Graduate Programs

Graduate ranges match undergraduate ranges at the middle tiers and run higher at the top end. The list below shows typical bands by program type, including PhD and MBA programs. Confirm the number on the department page you are applying to as well as the graduate school page.

• Top 20 graduate programs: roughly band 5.0 to 5.5 or higher, legacy 100 to 110 or higher
• Top 50 research universities: roughly band 4.5 to 5.0, legacy 90 to 100
• Most master's programs: roughly band 4.0 to 4.5, legacy 80 to 90
• PhD programs: roughly band 4.0 to 5.0, legacy 80 to 100
• Top MBA programs: roughly band 5.0 to 5.5 or higher, legacy 105 to 115

Scholarship Requirements

No official scholarship score tier exists. ETS sets no passing score and leaves each requirement to the institution reading your report, and awarding bodies work the same way. Treat a scholarship cutoff as a separate number from the admission cutoff, read the award's own eligibility page, and ask the office running it when nothing is published.

Section-Level Score Goals

An overall band hides differences between your four sections. Many programs set a floor on individual sections as well as on the overall score, so a lopsided profile stalls an application even when the average clears the bar. The table below shows the section score ranges tied to key bands, using the 0-30 section scale.

ETS publishes the correspondence between each section's 0-30 score and its 1-6 band. Because your overall band is the average of the four sections, a weak section pulls the overall number down even when the other three are strong. Read our full scoring breakdown for how each section score is built before you set section-level targets.

Linking a Target Score to Percentile Standing

A percentile turns a target score into a rank against other test takers worldwide. As of August 2026, ETS has not yet published percentile ranks on the new 1-6 band scale, so the most recent official percentiles still reference the legacy 0-120 total from the 2024 test-taker cohort. Convert your target band into its legacy range first, then read the percentile.

ETS reports a 2024 total-group mean total score of 86, with a standard deviation of 19. The mean sits at the bottom of the band 4.5 range, so the average test taker lands a half band below the band 5 level tied to an old 100-point requirement. The table below shows where common legacy totals fall.

A legacy 100, the level ETS maps to band 5, places you above 75 percent of test takers. Moving from 100 to 108 lifts you from the 75th to the 91st percentile, and the next 8 points reach the 99th. See our percentile guide for the full breakdown, and check score requirements by university tier to match your target against specific school bands.

Other Facts to Know Before You Set a Target

A few fixed rules shape when you test and how long a result stays useful. None of them shift with the program, so build them into your timeline before you book a date. The list below covers the ones affecting a score target.

• TOEFL iBT scores are valid for 2 years from the test date, so time your test to cover every deadline in your application cycle.
• Over 13,000 institutions in more than 160 countries accept TOEFL iBT scores.
• Each band maps to a CEFR level: band 6 is C2, bands 5 and 5.5 are C1, bands 4 and 4.5 are B2, and bands 3 and 3.5 are B1, and the same mapping applies to section bands.

Once you have a target band or legacy score in mind, work backwards to the section bands producing it. Run our TOEFL score calculator to turn raw section performance into an estimated score, free and with no signup required. Then sit our full-length TOEFL practice tests and section drills to test the estimate under timed conditions, also free with no signup.

Sources

• TOEFL iBT Score Scale Update: A Guide for Institutions
• TOEFL iBT Score Breakdown, What Your Scores Mean
• TOEFL iBT Test and Score Data Summary 2024