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.

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 72 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

• 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 reason 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.
• What test scores are needed for a J-Hold exemption?

  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.

  • Speaking Exemption: TOEFL 22+ or IELTS 6.5+ in speaking in the last 24 months 
  • Writing Exemption: TOEFL 22+ or IELTS 6.5+ in writing in the last 24 months 
     
• I have a J-Hold, but I'm not sure if it is for speaking or writing. What should I do?

  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. 

• What is the J-Hold screening for speaking?

  This is a 15-minute online 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. 

• What is the J-Hold screening for writing?

  This is a 30-minute online 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. 

• I am required to take both ESL 388S and ESL 388W. What should I do?

  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. 

• What are the policies for a J-Hold re-screening?

  Re-Screening Policies

  • Students are limited to one speaking and one writing screening per semester.
  • Students may request one re-screening per skill to be completed in the subsequent semester.
  • There is an $80 fee for re-screenings billed through What I Owe. Starting in Fall 2025, this fee will increase to $100.
• How much does a J-Hold screening cost?

  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 72 hours in advance in order to avoid a $80 no-show fee. Beginning Fall 2025, the no-show fee will increase to $100.