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Validation of the TOEFL as a Canadian University Admissions Requirement

University of Western Ontario, msimner{at}uwo.ca

John B. Mitchell

Brescia University College

The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) is widely used to screen university applicants for whom English is not their native language. Although the cutoff scores vary, in Ontario those with scores much lower than 550 are rarely admitted to any university. Two exceptions are the University of Western Ontario and its affiliate, Brescia University College, where the TOEFL is required but no cutoff is used. Instead, students are admitted based on their overall prior academic performance along with their TOEFL scores. The outcome of a longitudinal investigation recently undertaken by the Registrar's Office at the University of Western Ontario to evaluate this procedure questions the appropriateness of relying largely on the TOEFL cutoffs in making admissions decisions.

Key Words: Test of English as a Foreign Language • university admissions • language assessment • test validity • TOEFL

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