TOEFL's new 1–6 score scale: what changed in January 2026
TOEFL moved from a 0–120 total to a 1–6 scale on 21 January 2026. Here is what the new numbers mean, why your report shows two scores, and what to send universities.
If you took the TOEFL recently and your score report looks nothing like your friend's from last year, nothing has gone wrong. ETS changed the score scale on 21 January 2026.
What actually changed
The old TOEFL iBT reported four sections of 0–30, added together for a total out of 120. A 95 was a strong score; a 72 was around the usual minimum.
From 21 January 2026, both the sections and the total are reported on a 1–6 scale, in half points. So a total now looks like 4.5 or 5.0, in the same shape as an IELTS band.
| Before 21 Jan 2026 | Now | |
|---|---|---|
| Each section | 0–30 | 1–6, in half points |
| Total | 0–120 | 1–6, in half points |
| How the total is worked out | the four sections added up | the four sections averaged |
That last row is the one that catches people out. On the old scale you could add your sections and get your total. On the new one you cannot — four sections of 1–6 obviously cannot add up to a total of 1–6. They are averaged instead.
Why your report shows two different scores
For two years after the change, ETS prints three things on the same report: your CEFR level, your new 1–6 score, and a comparable 0–120 figure for reference.
This is deliberate, and it is there because universities restate their entry requirements at their own pace. Some admissions pages still say "TOEFL 90"; others have already moved to the new scale.
Send whichever number the university asks for. If their page still quotes a 0–120 requirement, the comparable figure on your report is the one they mean. If they have updated to 1–6, use that. Do not try to convert between them yourself — ETS has not published a conversion you can apply by hand, and a number you worked out yourself is not a number your report supports.
What this means for your application
- Check the date on any advice you read. Almost everything written about TOEFL scores before 2026 is talking about the 0–120 scale, including a lot of forum posts and coaching-centre handouts that are still circulating.
- A 7 is not a TOEFL score any more. It never was, but it is worth saying: on the current scale the maximum is 6. If a form accepted a 7 from you, something entered it wrong.
- Section minimums still matter. Plenty of universities ask for an overall and a floor on each section — "no section below 4.5" is the new shape of the old "no band below 5.5". Your section scores are on your report; keep them to hand.
If you are choosing which test to take
TOEFL is not your only option, and which tests are accepted depends on where you are going. Cyprus universities, for example, mostly work with IELTS and PTE. We have written that up separately in which English test to take for each destination.
Last reviewed 27 July 2026 against ETS's published notice on the score scale update. Score requirements are set by each university and change without notice — always confirm against the university's own admissions page, and ask your counsellor if anything is unclear.