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.
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.
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.
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:
Contact our office by email if you are unsure why the J-Hold has been applied.
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.
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.
Review the details for the speaking and the writing screenings in our FAQs section below. All J-Hold screenings will be done online.
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.
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.
There are two reasons for a J-Hold to be placed on a student record.
UT only records one official iBT TOEFL or IELTS score on student records. Email our office if you have the required scores on another iBT TOEFL or IELTS test taken within the last 24 months.
Some students are required to complete both the speaking and the writing screening, while other students need only either the speaking screening or the writing screening.
Contact our office by email to confirm the screening type needed.
This is a 15-minute online screening of oral English proficiency. The speaking screening consists of two tasks:
Speaking screenings will be rated on fluency, grammar (accuracy and variety), vocabulary, pronunciation, and communicative competence (interaction skills, ability to negotiate meaning). Two ELC professionals will rate students. A student must score 6 out of 9 (high-intermediate level) to pass.
This is a 30-minute online screening of written English proficiency.
Two ELC professionals will rate students on the essay’s length, development, organization, sentence structure, and accuracy. A student must score 6 out of 9 (high-intermediate level) to pass.
Students who are required to take both the Academic Writing (ESL 388W) and Oral Communication (ESL 388S) courses only need to register for one course in their first semester. They may take the other course in the second semester. Students must receive credit for both courses within one year of study.
There is no cost for J-Hold screenings for new students.
There is an $80 fee for re-screenings (limit one per student per skill). This re-screening fee will increase to $100 in Fall 2025.
Note: Appointments must be canceled at least 48 hours in advance in order to avoid a $80 no-show fee. Beginning Fall 2025, the no-show fee will increase to $100.
J-Hold Screening
txglobal-jbar@austin.utexas.edu
512-471-2480