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J-Hold

What Is the J-Hold?

Instituted by the Graduate School, the J-Hold is placed on certain graduate students’ records and requires them to complete English screening before they can register for classes. It ensures that all graduate students have sufficient English proficiency to be successful at UT.

Note: The J-Hold English screening is different from the ITA English Screening and Certification.

Department Information for J-Holds

Graduate Advisers and Graduate Coordinators are encouraged to read over our Department Information page for information on iBT TOEFL and IELTS score interpretation, graduate-level ESL courses, and best practices.

How Is the J-Hold Removed?

  1. Check J-Hold Status

    Students can check whether they have a J-Hold on their Registration Information Sheet or in the "Important Info" section of MyUT. Students with a J-Hold on their record will not be able to register for classes until the hold is modified or removed by our office. 

    A J-Hold is placed on international students with low English test scores. Students who do not submit English language test scores at the time of admission are also given a J-Hold.

    Students with a J-Hold will have one of the following:

    1. J-Hold for speaking - student has low English test scores for speaking (iBT TOEFL speaking section score below 22; IELTS speaking section score below 6.5)
    2. J-Hold for writing - student has low English test scores for writing (iBT TOEFL writing section score below 22; IELTS writing section score below 6.5)
    3. J-Hold for speaking and writing  - student has low English test scores for both speaking and writing or did not submit English test scores

    Contact our office by email if you are unsure why the J-Hold has been applied.

  2. Schedule J-Hold Screening

    Students with a J-Hold must complete an English language skills screening, which is conducted by the English Language Center. There are two types of screenings: speaking and writing. Contact our office by email if you are unsure of the screening type needed. Once the appropriate J-Hold screening has been scheduled, the J-Hold is modified to allow the student to register for classes for the upcoming semester. 

    • Students with a J-Hold for speaking: complete the speaking screening. 
    • Students with a J-Hold for writing: complete the writing screening. 
    • Students with a J-Hold for speaking and writing: complete both the speaking and the writing screenings. 

    Schedule

    For Summer 2025, screenings will be offered May 1-2 and May 22. The appointment calendar will be available in April. 

    For Fall 2025, screenings will be offered July 31 - August 1, August 4-8, and August 20-21. The appointment calendar will be available in May. 

    Note: Appointments must be rescheduled or canceled at least 48 hours in advance in order to avoid a $80 no-show fee. J-Hold screenings may only be taken one time per semester. Beginning Fall 2025, the no-show fee will increase to $100.

  3. Prepare

    Review the details for the speaking and the writing screenings in our FAQs section below. All J-Hold screenings will be done online.

  4. Results & Scores

    After the screening is done, the result and scores are emailed to the student within five business days. 

    For students who receive a "Pass" result in the J-Hold screening, the J-Hold is removed and there is no required coursework. ESL courses may be recommended, however, based on their score. 

    For students who receive a "Did Not Pass" result, further coursework in English is required within the first year of graduate study due to insufficient English proficiency. If the requirements for additional English coursework are not fulfilled in the first semester of study, the J-Hold appears for the following semester. 

    J-Hold Speaking

    • Did Not Pass - Students who receive this result have low or intermediate-level oral English skills and are required by the Graduate School to take ESL 388S: Oral Communication within their first year of graduate study. 
    • Pass - Students who receive this result have no J-Hold, but additional coursework may be recommended based on screening scores. 
      • Score 6.0-6.5 - Students have high-intermediate oral English skills and would benefit from completing ESL 388S: Oral Communication in their first year of study.

    J-Hold Writing

    • Did Not Pass - Students who receive this result have low or intermediate-level written English skills and are required by the Graduate School to take ESL 388W: Academic Writing within their first year of graduate study. 
    • Pass - Students who receive this result have no J-Hold, but additional coursework may be recommended based on screening scores. 
      • Score 6.0-6.5 - Students have high-intermediate written English skills and would benefit from completing ESL 388W: Academic Writing in their first year of study.
  5. Register for ESL Courses

    See the Courses for Graduate Students webpage for ESL course descriptions, sections, and unique numbers. 

    Students may register for these courses through the registrar up until the 5th class day (make sure to check for students' assigned individual registration times). After 5th class day, students should email our office for course registration. We do not enroll students in ESL courses after 12th class day.

    ESL courses are taken on a Credit/No Credit basis. They count as 3 credit hours for purposes of full-time enrollment but do not count toward students' degree requirements (only one ESL course can count towards full-time enrollment per semester). They cost the same amount as any other 3-credit course in a student’s department.

Frequently Asked Questions