International students must fulfill one of the following four areas to meet Orange Coast College's English Proficiency Requirement.
1. ACADEMIC TRANSCRIPT
Exemptions:
- Citizens of Australia, Canada, Ireland, U.K., English Speaking Carribean, and English Speaking South Pacific Islands.
- Citizens of African countries where English is the primary language of instruction are exempt by submitting secondary school leaving examination results or a school completion certificate.
- Students who earned a bachelors degree or higher where English is primary language of instruction.
High School/Secondary School:
- Students who are citizens of "non-exempt" countries can meet the English proficiency requirement with one of the following:
- Completion of 3 classes in English or ESL with C grades or better from U.S. or Canadian High School.
- U.S. GED English C grade or better.
- IGCSE or GCE O-level English Subject with C marks or better.
- HKDSE (Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education) English Subject score 3 or higher.
- IB (International Baccalaureate) English exam score of 5 SL (Standard Level) or 3 HL (Higher Level).
- Students from non-exempt countries may satisfy the English proficiency requirement by completing English Composition, or the ESL course directly preceding English Composition, with a grade of C or higher.
2. ENGLISH PROFICIENCY TESTS
A valid test result should not be older than 2-years from the date an application for admission is submitted.
- Duolingo Test for English - 95
- TOEFL - 3.5 (61 iBT or 500 PBT for test taken before January 2026). TOEFL code: 4584
- IELTS - 5.5
- Eiken - 2A (if the score is a 2, a minimum raw score of 2150)
- iTEP - 3.5
- PTE (Pearsons Test for English) Academic - 45
- Michigan English Test (MET) - B2
- Cambridge English Language Assessment - B2
- GTEC CBT - 1051
- LanguageCert Academic - 60
- Oxford ELLT - 5
3. STANDARDIZED ADMISSION TESTS
The SAT or ACT is NOT required for admission to Orange Coast College but may be used to meet the English proficiency requirement:
- SAT - 480 Evidence-based Reading and Writing
- ACT - 18 Writing
4. INTENSIVE ENGLISH PROGRAMS
Students can satisfy OCC's English proficiency requirement by attaining the minimum level in one of the programs with which OCC has a partnership agreement.
- IEC at OCC (OCC's intensive English Program): Advanced B
- American English College (AEC): Level 6
- American English Language School (AELS): Level 5
- American Language Institute Cal State Long Beach : Level 4
- AOI College of Languages: Level 6
- Coastline Community College: Level 4A (Grammar, Read, & Write) and 4 (Listening/Speaking Skills)
- Education First (EF): Level B2-2
- ELS Language Centers: Level 109
- HELP (Hawai'i English Language Program): 400 Level
- Kaplan International: Advanced
- Language Systems Institute: Level 6 and a recommendation letter
- LASC: EAP (English of Academic Purposes)
- Poly Language Institute: Level 6 and a recommendation letter
- UCI Extension – Irvine English and Certificate Programs: Level 5