The California State University system is weighing whether to stop requiring international applicants to pass the Test of English as a Foreign Language, or TOEFL, before they can enroll at any of its 23 campuses.
Vice Chancellor Dilcie Perez presented the proposal to the CSU Board of Trustees last week. The board could vote on the change in November.
Under Perez’s plan, CSU would no longer rely on a single standardized test but would instead accept what she described as multiple approved measures of English proficiency. That approach mirrors how the University of California system already evaluates applicants, accepting scores from the Duolingo English Test, the SAT, or results from Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate coursework.
Perez said the current TOEFL requirement keeps out qualified applicants because of its cost and limited availability, but she said the university would not lower its admissions standards by making the switch.
A drop in international enrollment
The proposal comes as international enrollment at California universities has fallen this year amid the Trump administration’s tightened rules on student visas. One trade group has projected a 15 percent drop in international enrollment statewide for the current school year, a loss of roughly 7,000 students and close to one billion dollars in tuition and related spending.
International students typically pay full tuition, which is significantly higher than the in-state rate and helps subsidize the cost of educating California residents. Foreign students currently make up about 2.5 percent of CSU’s 470,000 students, compared with about 12 percent of the University of California’s enrollment.
A degree from a California university can also be a stepping stone to employment in the United States. Graduates who are foreign nationals can remain in the country to work through Optional Practical Training, a permit program that can lead from a student visa to an H-1B work visa and eventually a green card. As of 2024, about 640,000 foreign graduates held OPT or related work permits.
Questions about impact
Some observers argue the rule change would have limited practical effect, since the U.S. State Department still controls who receives an F-1 student visa, and applicants who cannot read, write or speak English are unlikely to pass that screening regardless of CSU’s own admissions policy.
The proposal also arrives amid a broader retreat from standardized testing in California higher education. Both CSU and UC have already eliminated SAT and ACT requirements for admission, a shift some professors say has coincided with students arriving on campus unable to perform basic math.
