Official pages · checked 2026-09-28

TOEFL in Canada: who asks for it, and who does not

In Canada the TOEFL iBT is a study and licensing test. Universities accept it for admission, and at least one engineering regulator accepts nothing else. Immigration is the exception, and it is the one that costs people a wasted test fee, so it comes first.

On this page

TOEFL is not accepted for Canadian immigration

For Express Entry, IRCC accepts three English tests: CELPIP-General, IELTS General Training and PTE Core (in French, TEF Canada and TCF Canada). The TOEFL is not one of them, and IRCC also says results must be less than two years old when you create your profile and when you apply for permanent residence.

Preparing for Express Entry? CELPIP practice is here →

Source: IRCC, Express Entry: language test results, checked 2026-09-28.

University minimums, quoted from each university

Undergraduate admission, as printed on each university’s own page. Graduate programmes and some faculties set their own, often higher, figures: check the page of the programme you are applying to.

UBC (Vancouver)

Tests from 21 January 2026 (1–6 scale): Overall 4.5 · Reading 4.5 · Listening 5 · Writing 4.5 · Speaking 4
Earlier tests (0–120 scale): Overall 90 · Reading 22 · Listening 22 · Writing 21 · Speaking 21
Rules: Home Edition listed. Minimums in a single sitting; scores from several tests cannot be combined. Institution code 0965.

Source: UBC, English Language Admission Standard, checked 2026-09-28.

University of Toronto

Tests from 21 January 2026 (1–6 scale): Overall 4.5 · Writing 4.5 · Speaking 4.0
Earlier tests (0–120 scale): Total 89 · Speaking 22 · Writing 22 (tests before 21 January 2026)
Rules: Home Edition and Paper Edition included. Scores on a single date; MyBest results are not used. Institution code 0982-00.

Source: University of Toronto, English language requirements, checked 2026-09-28.

McGill University

Tests from 21 January 2026 (1–6 scale): Most faculties: overall 4.5 · Reading 4.5 · Listening 4.5 · Writing 4.5 · Speaking 4.0. Education (TESL) and Management: overall 5.0 with the same section minimums. Music: 4.0
Earlier tests (0–120 scale): Most faculties 90, Education (TESL) and Management 100, each with 21 in every section; Music 79–80
Rules: MyBest scores are not used. McGill notes that minimums can change at any time. Institution code 0935-00.

Source: McGill University, English language proficiency (undergraduate), checked 2026-09-28.

Other Canadian universities are not listed because we only include a school whose official page we have read ourselves. Test-date windows differ too: UBC, for example, asks applicants for the 2026/27 Winter Session for scores from 1 January 2024 onwards.

APEGA: the TOEFL and nothing else

Alberta’s engineering and geoscience regulator requires English language competency from anyone applying to become a professional member, licensee or professional licensee who did not complete an undergraduate degree taught in English. You do not send a test with the application: for a professional member, competency is assessed through the competency-based assessment, and APEGA’s Board of Examiners may ask for more evidence. If it does, the page says you may need a minimum score of 100 on the TOEFL, and that APEGA accepts only TOEFL results — not IELTS or other English exams. It also asks you not to send TOEFL results unless a staff member requests them.

APEGA’s page prints 100 on the 0–120 scale and, when we checked, gave no figure on the new 1–6 scale. For institutions that required 100, ETS recommends a 5 on the new scale; whether APEGA follows that is APEGA’s decision, so ask APEGA before you book.

Source: APEGA, English Language Competency, checked 2026-09-28.

Source: ETS, TOEFL iBT score scale update, checked 2026-09-28.

Pharmacists in Ontario: TOEFL left the list on 1 January 2026

The Ontario College of Pharmacists accepted the TOEFL iBT, Home Edition included, for tests dated up to 31 December 2025. Its list for results dated on or after 1 January 2026 names CELPIP-General, IELTS Academic (at a test centre), IELTS General Training, OET, PTE Core, TEF Canada and TCF Canada — and not the TOEFL. OCP also says test scores are valid for two years from the test date. A pharmacist registering in Ontario with a 2026 test therefore needs one of those instead.

If CELPIP-General is the test you choose, CELPIP practice is on this site. Heading for a US licence instead? NABP still requires the TOEFL: see TOEFL for foreign pharmacy graduates.

Source: Ontario College of Pharmacists, Acceptable language proficiency tests and cut scores — effective January 1, 2026, checked 2026-09-28.

Source: Ontario College of Pharmacists, Language proficiency requirements for pharmacists, checked 2026-09-28.

Checking yourself against a minimum

Every requirement above is a set of section figures, not one total, and Speaking and Writing are the ones most often set separately. A full mock test here reports each section on the 1–6 scale, with Writing and Speaking scored out of five and explained, so you can see which section is below the line before you book. The band is our estimate, not an ETS score.

Sit a full mock test →How the 1–6 scale works

Questions

Can I use the TOEFL for Canadian immigration?

Not for Express Entry. IRCC's Express Entry page lists the approved English tests as CELPIP-General, IELTS General Training and PTE Core, and the French tests as TEF Canada and TCF Canada; the TOEFL is not on the list. Test results must also be less than two years old when you create your Express Entry profile and when you apply for permanent residence.

What TOEFL score do UBC, Toronto and McGill ask for?

For undergraduate admission on the 1–6 scale: UBC Vancouver asks for 4.5 overall with Reading 4.5, Listening 5, Writing 4.5 and Speaking 4; the University of Toronto asks for 4.5 overall with Writing 4.5 and Speaking 4.0; McGill asks most faculties for 4.5 overall with Reading, Listening and Writing at 4.5 and Speaking at 4.0, and Education (TESL) and Management for 5.0 overall. Graduate programmes set their own figures.

Do Canadian universities accept TOEFL MyBest scores?

Not these three. UBC requires the minimums in a single sitting, the University of Toronto says MyBest results will not be used, and McGill says it does not use MyBest scores.

Does APEGA accept IELTS or CELPIP instead of the TOEFL?

No. APEGA's page says it only accepts TOEFL results, and names IELTS among the tests it does not accept. It asks for a test only when its Board of Examiners requests more evidence of English competency, and then the minimum it prints is 100 on the 0–120 scale.

Can a pharmacist in Ontario use a TOEFL score?

Only a test dated up to 31 December 2025. The Ontario College of Pharmacists' list for results dated on or after 1 January 2026 names CELPIP-General, IELTS Academic, IELTS General Training, OET, PTE Core, TEF Canada and TCF Canada, and does not include the TOEFL.

Is an ExamStep TOEFL band an official score?

No. Our practice tests give a band per section on the 1–6 scale so you can compare yourself with a university's minimums, but that band is our estimate, not an ETS score.

Sources

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, Express Entry: language test results — the approved English and French tests for Express Entry (checked 2026-09-28).
UBC, English Language Admission Standard — undergraduate TOEFL minimums on both scales, single-sitting rule, institution code 0965 (checked 2026-09-28).
University of Toronto, English language requirements — undergraduate TOEFL minimums, single-date rule, MyBest not used, institution code 0982-00 (checked 2026-09-28).
McGill University, English language proficiency (undergraduate) — undergraduate TOEFL minimums by faculty on both scales, MyBest not used, institution code 0935-00 (checked 2026-09-28).
APEGA, English Language Competency — when APEGA asks for a test, TOEFL only, minimum 100 (checked 2026-09-28).
Ontario College of Pharmacists, Acceptable language proficiency tests and cut scores — effective January 1, 2026 — the tests accepted for results dated on or after 1 January 2026 (checked 2026-09-28).
Ontario College of Pharmacists, Language proficiency requirements for pharmacists — the scores accepted for tests dated up to 31 December 2025, TOEFL included (checked 2026-09-28).
ETS, TOEFL iBT score scale update — the recommended 1–6 requirement for institutions that asked for 100 (checked 2026-09-28).

Applying to a US university? See TOEFL for US universities.

ExamStep is an independent practice site. It is not affiliated with ETS or with any body named on this page, and the requirements above belong to those bodies: they can change them at any time, so confirm on their page before you book.

More on the test: the 2026 format · the 1–6 score scale · Speaking · Writing · registration and fees