Department Resources

International Teaching Assistants (ITA)

• In order to be eligible for a TA or AI appointment at UT, non-native speakers of English must receive ITA English Certification, with specific exemptions.
• The goal of ITA English Certification is to assess and certify the English language skills ITAs need to be effective educators in the classroom.
• Prospective ITAs must clear any speaking J-Hold before they may complete an ITA screening.
• Visit the International Teaching Assistants webpage for more information.

Cost

• The cost for the assessment is $80 per screening (starting in Fall 2025, this cost will increase to $100 per screening).
• This fee is charged to the department only if the department contact has provided IDT billing information to our office. Otherwise, students are billed for the screening fee through What I Owe.

Resources for ITA Appointment

• Best Practices
  • Newly admitted graduate students may have a J-Hold for speaking and/or writing on their record. Prospective ITAs must clear any speaking J-Holds before they may complete an ITA Screening.
  • Students with iBT TOEFL speaking scores less than 20 or IELTS speaking scores less than 6 are unlikely to achieve a conditional pass score. Departments should consider appointing these students in non student contact positions their first semester of study. We offer an online ITA preparation course each summer that will help these students work on their proficiency skills.
  • Notify prospective ITAs of English Certification requirements and procedures well before the semester of their potential appointment.
  • Give ITAs a description of what duties and responsibilities a TA appointment in your department entails.
  • Avoid putting newly arrived ITAs in freshman sections (rookies with rookies).
  • When possible, give conditionally certified ITAs a semester to work on communication skills, adjust to the culture, and observe undergraduate classes before appointing them to positions with student contact.
  • If conditionally certified ITAs are given student contact positions, assign them a more experienced TA as a mentor or provide an upper-division undergraduate as a consultant.
  • Any graduate student who may eventually teach should be encouraged to take the ITA Screening; please let your faculty and students know that English Certification is not just for those with pending appointments.
  • Have a pool of certified ITAs to make last-minute staffing easier.
• Interpreting English Test Scores for ITA

  See the ETS Performance Descriptors for the TOEFL iBT Test for more detailed explanations of proficiency levels. 

  Speaking TOEFL iBT scores 25-30 or IELTS scores 7.5-9.0: Advanced

  • Students have advanced oral English proficiency and are exempted from the ITA screening requirement.
  • They are typically able to communicate fluently and effectively on a wide range of topics with little difficulty.
  • Students interested in refining their skills can enroll in ESL 389S: Advanced Oral Communication.

  Speaking TOEFL iBT scores 20-24 or IELTS scores 6.5-7.0: High Intermediate

  • Students have high-intermediate oral English proficiency and often can earn a conditional pass result on the ITA screening; students who earn a conditional pass result should enroll in ESL 389T: Oral Communication.
  • They are typically able to communicate effectively on most general or familiar topics and to make themselves understood when discussing more complex or academic topics, but they will often struggle in an ITA assignment.
  • The English Language Center offers an online ITA preparation course each summer that will help these students work on their proficiency skills.
  • Newly admitted students with TOEFL iBT speaking/writing scores below 22 or IELTS speaking/writing scores below 6.5 will have a J-Hold on their record. Prospective ITAs must clear any speaking J-Hold before they may complete an ITA Screening.

  Speaking TOEFL iBT scores 16-19 or IELTS scores 5.5-6.0: Low Intermediate

  • Students have low-intermediate oral English proficiency and are highly unlikely to achieve a conditional pass result on the ITA screening. Departments should consider appointing these students in non student contact positions their first semester or year of study.
  • Students are typically able to talk about general or familiar topics with relative ease but will have difficulty coping with the English-language demands of their program and require English language support.
  • All newly admitted students with this score will have a J-Hold on their record and are required to take ESL 388S: Oral Communication in their first year of study. Prospective ITAs must clear any speaking J-Hold before they may complete an ITA Screening.
• Registration Instructions

  Departments should submit students for an ITA Screening using the ITA Screening or Exemption Request Form (UT EID log-in required).

  • Check the Graduate TA/AI English Assessment (GS80) webpage in UT Direct to see if student is already certified or exempted before submitting the form. All graduate coordinators should have access to this screen.
    • ITA status can also be seen in mainframe *GSADM, screen GS80. For access to GSADM, contact the Graduate School.
  • Access the ITA Screening or Exemption Request Form using your UT EID and password. Please email txglobal-ita@austin.utexas.edu to be added to the list of authorized users.
  • Fill in the required student and departmental information on the form.
  • When you have finished entering all required information, submit the form by clicking on the "Submit" button.
  • The ITA Screening and Certification Team will contact prospective ITAs to schedule their screening appointment. 
• Status Verification Instructions

  Departments can see the ITA status of individual students by

  • Checking Graduate TA/AI English Assessment (GS80) webpage in UT Direct
  • Checking UT mainframe (*GSADM, screen GS80)
  • Emailing txglobal-ita@austin.utexas.edu (include student's EID)
• Exemptions

  The following students should be automatically exempt from the ITA English Certification process:

  • Native speakers of English from a country where English is the primary language, such as English-Speaking Canada, Great Britain, Ireland, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and the U.S.
  • High school diploma or university degree (Undergraduate or Masters) from a U.S. institution
  • English-medium schooling from elementary school through university (all subjects taught in English). Most students from India are exempt based on this criteria.
  • A score of 25 or higher in the Speaking section of the TOEFL iBT
  • A score of 7.5 or higher on the Speaking section of the IELTs

  These cases DO NOT require the hiring department to complete the ITA Screening or Exemption Request Form. These exemptions should be made automatically in the mainframe and can be checked in GSADM on the screen GS80. For access to GSADM, contact the Graduate School.

  The following students are NOT automatically exempt from the ITA English Certification process:

  • A score of 55 or higher on the TSE (Test of Spoken English)
  • Foreign Language TA - Foreign language TAs are exempt from the ITA Screening; however, foreign language AIs are not exempt and must complete the ITA Screening.

  These cases DO require the hiring department to complete the ITA Screening or Exemption Request Form.

  Other exemption requests submitted by the Graduate Advisor or Department Chair will be handled on a case-by-case basis.

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J-Hold

The J-Hold screening is different from the ITA screening. Prospective ITAs must clear any speaking J-Hold before they may complete an ITA screening. 

Newly admitted graduate students may have a J-Hold for speaking and/or writing on their record. It is placed on anyone with an iBT TOEFL speaking and/or writing section score below 22. For students with IELTS scores, the hold is placed on anyone with a speaking and/or writing score below 6.5. Students who do not submit English language test scores at the time of admission are also given a J-Hold.

Visit the J-Hold page to learn more.

Expectations

Students with iBT TOEFL speaking/writing scores less than 20 or IELTS speaking/writing scores less than 6.0 are unlikely to pass the J-hold screening and will need additional English support classes during their first semester or year of study. See the sections on Interpreting English Test Scores for J-Hold below.

Interpreting English Test Scores for J-Hold

Total Scores

TOEFL iBT scores 90-120 or IELTS scores 7.0-9.0: Advanced

• Students have advanced English proficiency and typically don't need English-language support courses upon arrival to campus unless one of their subsection scores requires a J-Hold.
• Some may benefit from advanced academic writing courses like ESL 389W: Advanced Academic Writing. 

TOEFL iBT scores 70-89 or IELTS score 6.5: High Intermediate

• Students have high-intermediate English proficiency and might need English-language support courses upon arrival to campus, especially for specific skills with weak subsection scores and programs with high English language demands.
• Some students have a J-Hold on their record due to low speaking and/or writing subsection scores.
• Many of these students would benefit from English language support courses before their UT program begins in the fall semester. The English Language Center offers Summer Academic English Programs aimed at newly admitted graduate students.  
• In their first semester or year of study, some students would benefit from enrolling in ESL 388S: Oral Communication or ESL 388W: Academic Writing (look at subsection scores for areas of weakness).

TOEFL iBT scores 60-69 or IELTS score 6.0: Intermediate

• Students need a substantial amount of English-language support upon arrival to campus and will have difficulty coping with the English-language demands of their program.
• They often have a J-Hold on their record due to low speaking and/or writing subsection scores.
• All students would benefit from English language support courses before their UT program begins in the fall semester. The English Language Center offers Summer Academic English Programs aimed at newly admitted graduate students.
• In their first semester of study, students would benefit from enrolling in ESL 388S: Oral Communication or ESL 388W: Academic Writing (look at subsection scores for areas of weakness).

TOEFL iBT scores below 60 or IELTS scores below 6.0: Beginner to Low Intermediate

• Students are unlikely to be able to cope with the English language demands of their courses.
• A year or more of full-time, intensive English language classes is typically needed.
• The English Language Center offers the Academic English Program (AEP) designed specifically for international students preparing to pursue a graduate degree in the United States.

Speaking Section Scores

See the ETS Performance Descriptors for the TOEFL iBT Test for more detailed explanations of proficiency levels. 

TOEFL iBT scores 25-30 or IELTS scores 7.5-9.0: Advanced

• Students have advanced oral English proficiency and are typically able to communicate fluently and effectively on a wide range of topics with little difficulty.
• Students interested in refining their skills can enroll in ESL 389S: Advanced Oral Communication.

TOEFL iBT scores 20-24 or IELTS scores 6.5-7.0: High Intermediate

• Students have high-intermediate oral English proficiency and are typically able to communicate effectively on most general or familiar topics, and to make themselves understood when discussing more complex or academic topics, but some students will struggle in programs with high English language demands.
• Many of these students would benefit from English language support courses before their UT program begins in the fall semester. The English Language Center offers Summer Academic English Programs aimed at newly admitted graduate students.
• Many of these students would benefit from ESL 388S: Oral Communication in their first year of study.
• Students with TOEFL iBT scores below 22 or IELTS scores below 6.5 will have a J-Hold on their record. 

TOEFL iBT scores 16-19 or IELTS scores 5.5-6.0: Low Intermediate

• Students have low-intermediate oral English proficiency and are typically able to talk about general or familiar topics with relative ease but will have difficulty coping with the English-language demands of their program and require English language support.
• All of these students will have a J-Hold on their record and are unlikely to pass the speaking screening. Most students will be required to take ESL 388S: Oral Communication in their first year of study.
• All students would benefit from English language support courses before their UT program begins in the fall semester. The English Language Center offers Summer Academic English Programs aimed at newly admitted graduate students.

Writing Section Scores

See the ETS Performance Descriptors for the TOEFL iBT Test for more detailed explanations of proficiency levels. 

TOEFL iBT scores 24-30 or IELTS scores 7.0-9.0: Advanced

• Students have advanced written English proficiency and are typically able to write in English on a wide range of academic and nonacademic topics with confidence and clarity.
• Students interested in refining their skills can enroll in ESL 389W: Advanced Academic Writing.

TOEFL iBT scores 17-23 or IELTS scores 6.5-7.0: High Intermediate

• Students have high-intermediate written English proficiency and are typically able to write in English well on general or familiar topics, and when writing about complex ideas or ideas on academic topics, they can convey most of the main ideas. Some students will struggle in programs with high written English language demands.
• Many of these students would benefit from English language support courses before their UT program begins in the fall semester. The English Language Center offers Summer Academic English Programs aimed at newly admitted graduate students.
• Many of these students would benefit from ESL 388W: Academic Writing in their first year of study.
• Students with TOEFL iBT scores below 22 or IELTS scores below 6.5 will have a J-Hold on their record. 

TOEFL iBT scores 13-16 or IELTS scores 5.0-6.0: Low Intermediate

• Students have low-intermediate written English proficiency and are typically able to produce simple written texts in English on general or familiar topics but will have difficulty coping with the English-language demands of their program and require English language support.
• All of these students will have a J-Hold on their record and are unlikely to pass the writing screening. Most students will be required to take ESL 388W: Academic Writing in their first year of study.
• All students would benefit from English language support courses before their UT program begins in the fall semester. The English Language Center offers Summer Academic English Programs aimed at newly admitted graduate students.

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Additional English Support

The English Language Center offers courses in fall and spring for admitted graduate international students to enhance their English skills for academic success. Current course offerings can be viewed on the ELC Courses for UT Graduate Students webpage.

We also offer summer academic English courses to help students gain proficiency prior to the start of their degree program.