Entry-Level English at SLU-Madrid

If you have not studied at a U.S. high school, then you must provide SLU-Madrid evidence of your proficiency in academic English. We encourage you to do so by submitting TOEFL IBT exam results to us prior to arrival. SLU-Madrid's institutional code is 7763. See Placement Scores below for additional ways to demonstrate your proficiency in English. 

TOEFL ITP at SLU-Madrid

SLU-Madrid offers institutional, paper-based TOEFL exams (TOEFL ITP) at the beginning and end of every semester. These official exams are corrected by external examiners; the students who take them receive official score reports from Educational Testing Services (ETS). These reports, however, are valid only for placement at SLU-Madrid. If you would like to take the TOEFL IPT with us, please contact hamish.binns@slu.edu.

Upcoming dates for the TOEFL ITP and SLU-Madrid's writing placement exams (SLUWE/TWE):

• Monday, Aug. 28, 2023, at 9:30 a.m. (TWE and TOEFL ITP).
• Monday, Dec. 18, 2023, at 8:30 a.m. (TOEFL ITP).
• Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023, at 9:30 a.m. (SLUWE).
• Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024, at 9:30 a.m. (TWE and TOEFL ITP).
• Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024, at 9:30 a.m. (TOEFL ITP).
• Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2024, at 9:30 a.m. (SLUWE).

English Placement

Based on the evidence you provide, SLU-Madrid will place you in either SLU-Madrid's One-Semester Bridge Program or ENGL 1500 The Process of Composition. 

If your placement scores are higher than those listed below for ENGL 1500, you may be eligible to take ENGL 1900 Advanced Strategies of Rhetoric and Research or ENGL 1920 Advanced Writing for Professionals, both of which fulfill three credits of the Eloquentia Perfecta requirement of the University Undergraduate Core Curriculum. For placement into these courses, you will need to take SLU's English Writing Placement Test. Additional information about this test will be provided to you upon your confirmation.

See also SLU's Credit by Exams for information about credits and course equivalencies for College Board Advanced Placement Tests, the International Baccalaureate program, and programs that offer college-level coursework to high school students.

For Placement into ENGL 1500

Students placed in ENGL 1500 may be eligible to take ENGL 1900 Advanced Strategies of Rhetoric and Research or ENGL 1920 Advanced Writing for Professionals. For placement into one of these courses, you must take SLU's English Writing Placement Test. Information about this placement test will be emailed to you upon confirmation. 

SLU-Madrid's One-Semester Bridge Program

Two courses that help you consolidate your academic English skills while taking courses that lead to your SLU degree.

• Scholarships: Your merit scholarship is applied.
• Tuition: SLU-Madrid's full-time undergraduate tuition rate.
• Credits: During your first semester as a SLU-Madrid student, the six credits of English preparation do not count toward your SLU degree. You may take up to 12 credits in other subjects.

Learn More About One-Semester Bridge Program

For Placement into the One-Semester Bridge Program

Students who are placed into the One-Semester Bridge program do not need to take further placement exams. However, we encourage them to take SLU-Madrid's TOEFL ITP on arrival to confirm their level.