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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 Certification.

How Do International Students Know if They Have a J-Hold?

Students can check whether they have a J-Hold on their Registration Information Sheet or in the "Important Info" section of MyUT.

Why Are Certain Students Given a J-Hold?

There are two reasons for a J-hold to be placed on a student record. 

  1. The first is the automatic J-Hold. 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.
  2. The second reason is if the student’s department requests that the English Language Center place a J-Hold on a particular student.

How Is the J-Hold Removed?

To clear a J-Hold, students must complete an English language skills screening, which is conducted by English Language Center faculty. There are two types of screening: speaking and writing. Some students are required to complete both the speaking and the writing screening, while other students are need either the speaking screening or the writing screening. Contact our office by email to confirm the screening type needed. 

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 canceled at least 24 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.

What is the J-Hold Screening?

Speaking J-Hold Screening

This is a 15-minute screening of oral English proficiency. The speaking screening consists of two tasks:

  • Task 1 - Conversation: Students will briefly chat with the proctor. They may be asked to discuss topics such as their daily life, opinions, studies, and future plans. 
  • Task 2 - Explanation of a Visual: Proctors will screen-share a graph or chart on a general topic (such as technology or education). We often use infographics from sites such as Statista. Students will have 2 minutes to prepare and 2-3 minutes to speak about the visual. In the response, students should:
    • First, provide a general overview of the essential elements of the visual. What’s the topic? What are the main parts/organization?
    • Then, identify a few specific trends or points of interest (there is no need to describe every data point in minute detail). 
    • Comment on what seems interesting, e.g., “I can see that in every country on the chart, more women do yoga than men… What’s surprising to me is that more people in Korea do yoga than any other country, even India….” Students could also share their opinion about the topic or make a prediction for the future.
    • Finally, offer a conclusion or interpretation based on the visual. 

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. 

Writing J-Hold Screening

This is a 30-minute screening of written English proficiency.

  • Students will have 30 minutes to write an essay. 
  • Students will have two topics to choose from. They will be able to draw on their life, work, and academic experiences for these topics.

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. 

J-Hold Screening Results

After the screening is done, the results are shared with the students by email within five business days. 

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

There is an $80 fee for re-screenings; students are limited to one re-screening. Starting in Fall 2025, the re-screening fee will increase to $100.