TOEFL New Score Scale Explained: What a 4.5 Means, How Universities Read It and the Best Score to Target for 2027

By Rajshekar Tubachi, Founder, Maven Consulting Services, Bengaluru · 15+ years in international education

A student walked into our Jayanagar office last month with a TOEFL score report showing 4.5 and a university page asking for 90. She had one question: had she passed or failed?

In a sense, she had done both. The TOEFL new score scale 1 to 6 replaced the familiar 0 to 120 total on 21 January 2026, and most of this year’s confusion comes from reading one scale against the other. A 4.5 covers anything from 86 to 94 in old terms. Whether that clears a 90 depends on how that particular university has translated its own rule.

This matters now because Fall 2027 applications are open and the first deadlines arrive in December. Universities are rewriting their English requirements at different speeds, and a few have set the bar higher than the official conversion suggests. As the ETS TOEFL Power House of Karnataka, we read these score reports every week, so we have put everything families ask us into one page.

Below you will find the official ETS conversion table, the averaging rule that decides your overall band, what your report shows until January 2028, how six US universities now state their minimums, and the band we suggest you aim for. If you are planning a US master’s, keep our Study in USA guide open alongside this.

Who This Blog Is For

• Students who have taken TOEFL since 21 January 2026 and are unsure whether their band is enough
• Students booking TOEFL for Fall 2027 applications
• Parents trying to read a score report that shows three different numbers
• Applicants with an older 0 to 120 score who want to know if it still counts
• Students choosing between TOEFL and IELTS for 2027

What This Blog Covers

• How the 1 to 6 scale works and how it lines up with CEFR levels
• The full ETS conversion table, overall and section by section
• The averaging rule, with three worked score profiles
• What your score report shows until January 2028
• How UCLA, Georgia Tech, Duke, Arizona, ASU and Texas Tech now state their minimums
• The band to target for 2027, and when to book

What Is the TOEFL New Score Scale 1 to 6?

It is the way TOEFL iBT now reports results. Since 21 January 2026, each of the four sections (Reading, Listening, Writing and Speaking) and your overall score are reported from 1 to 6 in half-band steps: 4.0, 4.5, 5.0 and so on. The old system scored each section from 0 to 30 and added them up to a total out of 120.

ETS built the new scale around the Common European Framework of Reference, or CEFR, the six-level framework from A1 to C2 that most English teaching already uses. The practical gain is consistency. According to the ETS guide to the score scale update, a 5 in any section now means C1 in that skill. Under the old scale, the same CEFR level meant a different number in each section.

What Does a 4.5 on the New TOEFL Equal in Old Scores?

A 4.5 equals 86 to 94 on the old 0 to 120 scale. ETS prints a comparable score of 90 beside it on your report, because 90 is the midpoint of that range. The table below is the official ETS comparison for every band a master’s applicant is likely to see.

Source: ETS score-scale guide for institutions. ETS lists the starting point of each total band (for example 86+); the upper end shown is the point where the next band begins.

Two things stand out. First, the bands are not equal in width. A 5 covers twelve old points, from 95 to 106, while a 5.5 covers only seven. ETS says openly that its statistical method does not assume equal intervals between bands.

Second, the sections are not symmetrical. A 24 in Speaking converts to 4.5, but a 24 in Reading or Writing converts to 5. In old-score terms, Speaking has to be stronger to earn the same band. That is where we see most of the surprises on results day.

How Is the Overall TOEFL Band Calculated?

Your overall band is the average of your four section bands, rounded to the nearest half band. The old total was a sum. ETS gives two examples: an average of 5.125 becomes a 5, and an average of 5.25 becomes a 5.5. An average that lands exactly between two half bands rounds up.

The same pattern applies at every level of the scale.

Three score profiles, one lesson

These are illustrations we use in counselling sessions, not real students. Look at how little separates them.

Students A and B are half a band apart in a single section, Writing, and that is enough to move Student B from 5.0 down to 4.5 overall. For a university that asks for 5, that half band is the whole application.

Student C has a 5.0 overall, the joint highest of the three, but the same Speaking band as the others. At a university with a Speaking floor of 5, such as the University of Arizona Graduate College, Student C does not meet the requirement despite the strong overall score.

What Will Your TOEFL Score Report Show Until January 2028?

It shows three things: your CEFR level, your 1 to 6 overall and section bands, and a comparable overall score on the old 0 to 120 scale. ETS has confirmed in its score-display FAQ that every test taker receives this format through January 2028.

The comparable score is an estimate, not a second result. ETS sets it at the midpoint of the old range for your band, so every 4.5 report carries a 90, whether the student’s performance sat at the bottom or the top of that band. It is not worked out from your own section scores.

You do not need to convert anything or send a separate document. ETS sends the official report, and each university reads whichever number its own rules use.

How Are Universities Reading the TOEFL New Score Scale?

Mostly the way ETS recommends, but not always. ETS advises universities to keep the same CEFR level: a school that asked for 100 should now ask for 5, a 90 becomes 4.5 and an 80 becomes 4. We checked six US graduate school pages on 5 October 2026. Here is what each one now states.

Graduate school minimums as published on 5 October 2026. Individual departments can ask for more.

Four of the six follow the ETS mapping exactly. Two have tightened it. Duke’s Graduate School generally sought 90 before January 2026 and now generally seeks a 5, which in old terms means 95 or above. The University of Arizona kept its overall floor at the ETS equivalent but set Speaking at 5; on the ETS table, its old Speaking minimum of 24 would only have been a 4.5.

UCLA shows a different kind of catch. Its overall minimum is 4.5, but admitted students below 5 must sit an English placement examination when they arrive. Meeting the minimum and being free of extra conditions are not the same thing.

None of this is unusual. ETS expects universities to update at different speeds, and it says that a page showing only an old 0 to 120 requirement does not mean TOEFL has stopped being accepted there. It usually means the page has not been updated yet.

The Section-Score Trap Most Applicants Miss

Under the old scale, many Indian students treated the total as the target and let Speaking look after itself. Strong Reading and Listening scores could carry a weak Speaking section. Averaging still allows that for the overall band, but universities are now writing section floors into their new requirements.

Georgia Tech lists a separate floor for every section. Arizona sets Speaking at 5. ETS itself advises universities to apply the same requirement to section scores as to the total. If more schools follow that advice, a student with 5.0 overall and 4.0 in Speaking will find doors closing that a 100 used to open.

Speaking is also where the conversion is least generous. To earn 4.5 in Speaking you needed 23 or 24 on the old scale, against 22 or 23 in Reading. Our counsellors see the pattern every week: good comprehension scores, then half a band lost to hesitation and thin answers in Speaking. The same weakness shows up later in a two-minute visa interview, which we cover in our guide to F-1 refusals under 214(b) and 221(g).

A University Asks for 90. What Band Do You Need?

Usually a 4.5, but read the page carefully first. Here is how to work through the three situations you will meet.

If the page lists both scales

Follow the new-scale number for any test taken on or after 21 January 2026. That is the number the university will check. Do not fall back on the comparable 0 to 120 score if the new-scale minimum is higher, as it is at Duke.

If the page lists only the old scale

Treat 100 as 5, 90 as 4.5 and 80 as 4, which is the ETS recommendation. Then email the graduate admissions office and ask them to confirm in writing. If you are close to a boundary, a clear reply in October saves an anxious wait in March.

If the page lists an unusual number

The honest caveat: no conversion table can tell you what a university will do with a borderline case. ETS says so itself. Comparison tables are general guides and cannot predict the exact score an individual would get on a different scale. When the stakes are high, ask the university.

TOEFL New Score Scale 1 to 6: What Should You Target for 2027?

Aim half a band above the published minimum, with every section at or above its floor. That buffer protects you against a weak day in one section, and against universities that tighten again before your file is read. Here is how we set targets for Maven students.

Maven planning targets, not official thresholds.

These are planning targets. A department page can ask for more than the graduate school minimum, and some do, so check both before you lock your number.

English is one part of an application, not the whole of it. A 5.5 will not rescue a weak SOP or a badly built shortlist, and our post on why high-CGPA students still get rejected explains what admission committees weigh instead. If you are also deciding whether to sit the GRE, our GRE guide for Fall 2027 covers which programmes still ask for it.

TOEFL vs IELTS for 2027: How Do the New Bands Compare?

ETS publishes an IELTS comparison for the new scale. A TOEFL 5 sits alongside IELTS 7, a 4.5 alongside 6.5 and a 4 alongside 6.

Source: ETS comparison of the 1 to 6 scale with IELTS, for tests taken on or after 21 January 2026.

ETS notes that the totals in this table are rounded up to the next half band to reduce false positives. Treat it as a guide for choosing a test, not as proof that a university will treat your TOEFL band exactly like an IELTS score.

You will also see TOEFL-to-Duolingo charts online. ETS states that it has not done a concordance study with the Duolingo English Test, and it recommends setting TOEFL requirements by CEFR level instead. We do not publish a conversion that the test owner itself does not support.

Which test to book depends on your destination as much as your score. If a UK student visa or Canada’s post-graduation work permit is part of your plan, read our guide to which English test to book for 2027 before you pay a test fee, because not every test is accepted for every immigration purpose. If you are still choosing between the two countries, our USA vs Canada comparison for 2027 sets out the bigger differences.

Will a TOEFL Score From Before January 2026 Still Count for Fall 2027?

In most cases, yes, as long as it is still within two years of the test date when the university checks it. TOEFL scores are valid for two years, and universities including UCLA and Georgia Tech state that they accept older 0 to 120 results for that period. ETS expects universities to keep seeing old-scale scores into late 2027.

Watch each university’s cut-off date, not only the two-year rule. Duke, for example, says that for Fall 2027 the score report must be dated 1 August 2024 or later, whenever you submit. Other schools count two years back from the application date or from the start of term.

One more catch. UCLA considers only your most recent score if you have taken the test more than once, so a retake that goes badly replaces a better result there. Check this rule before you book a retake at a school like UCLA.

If your old score will expire before your last deadline, book a new test early. You will receive the new 1 to 6 format, with the comparable score printed beside it.

When Should You Book TOEFL for Fall 2027?

Book so that your final score is in hand at least four to six weeks before your first deadline, with room for one retake. For most US master’s applicants, that means a first attempt in October or November 2026.

Our Fall 2027 US application deadline map lists the dates by university type, and our 2027 scholarship calendar for Indian students shows which funding deadlines arrive first.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a 4.5 on the new TOEFL scale in old scores?

A 4.5 equals 86 to 94 on the old 0 to 120 scale. ETS prints a comparable score of 90 on the report, which is the midpoint of that range. Under ETS guidance, a university that used to ask for 90 should now ask for 4.5.

Is 4.5 a good TOEFL score for a US master’s?

It meets the graduate school minimum at many US universities, including UCLA and Georgia Tech, and it corresponds to CEFR level B2. It leaves little margin, and some universities, such as Duke, now ask for 5. For a competitive shortlist, aim for 5 overall.

How is the overall TOEFL score calculated on the 1 to 6 scale?

The overall score is the average of your four section bands, rounded to the nearest half band. An average of 5.125 becomes 5, and an average of 5.25 becomes 5.5. The old 0 to 120 total was the sum of the section scores.

Is a TOEFL score of 100 equal to 5 on the new scale?

Yes, under the ETS recommendation. A band of 5 covers 95 to 106 on the old scale, and ETS advises universities that required 100 to set 5 as the new minimum.

How long will TOEFL score reports show the 0 to 120 score?

Until January 2028. Until then every report shows the CEFR level, the 1 to 6 overall and section scores, and a comparable 0 to 120 overall score.

Do I need to convert my TOEFL score before sending it to universities?

No. ETS sends the official report with both formats, and the university applies its own rules. If an application form asks for a 0 to 120 score, use the comparable score printed on your report unless the university says otherwise.

Is a TOEFL score from before January 2026 still valid for Fall 2027?

Usually, if it is within two years of the test date when the university checks it. Check each university’s cut-off; Duke, for example, requires the score report to be dated 1 August 2024 or later for Fall 2027.

What TOEFL band is equal to IELTS 7?

On the ETS comparison table, IELTS 7 sits alongside a TOEFL overall of 5, and IELTS 6.5 alongside 4.5. ETS treats this as a guide, not an exact equivalence.

What TOEFL score should I target for Fall 2027?

Aim half a band above each university’s published minimum, with no section below its floor. For most US master’s shortlists, that means 5 overall with at least 4.5 in every section, and 5.5 for highly selective programmes.

Is there an official TOEFL to Duolingo conversion for the new scale?

No. ETS has not conducted a concordance study with the Duolingo English Test and recommends setting TOEFL requirements by CEFR level instead. TOEFL-to-Duolingo charts online are not official ETS conversions.

The Short Version

The TOEFL new score scale 1 to 6 reports every section and your overall result in half bands tied to CEFR levels. A 4.5 equals 86 to 94 in old terms, a 5 equals 95 to 106, and your report shows both scales until January 2028. Most universities follow the ETS mapping, but some, including Duke and Arizona, have tightened it, and section floors are becoming the real test. Aim half a band above each minimum, give Speaking the same attention as Reading, and book early enough for one retake before your first deadline.

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Read More

• The IELTS Paper Test Is Ending: Which English Test to Book for 2027
• Fall 2027 US Application Deadlines: The Complete Timeline
• The UK Graduate Route Drops to 18 Months: What It Means for a 2027 Master’s
• USA vs Canada for Indian Students in 2027

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Sources: ETS, TOEFL Score Scale Update: A Guide for Institutions; ETS, Understanding TOEFL iBT Score Displays in 2026 (12 June 2026); graduate admissions English proficiency pages of UCLA, Georgia Tech, Duke University, the University of Arizona, Arizona State University and Texas Tech University, all checked 5 October 2026. Target bands and score profiles are Maven planning illustrations, not official thresholds. Requirements change, so always confirm on the programme’s own page before you apply. This article is general information for Indian students and families.