ITAP Information for Students

Program Description & Requirements

The ITAP (International Teaching Assistant Program) prepares international graduate students who are non-native English speakers for their roles as teaching assistants. Students must complete the ITAP requirements to qualify for the Tuition Benefits Program (TBP) for tuition benefits and subsidized health insurance.

Types of ITA Clearance 

• • Cleared (students are eligible to work as a Teaching Assistant (TA) without conditions)
  • Conditionally Cleared (students are eligible to work as TAs while taking a mandatory language course provided by the Graduate School)
  • Cancelled (students are not eligible to work as TAs)

The requirements to obtain ITA (International Teaching Assistant) Clearance are as follows: 

• • Students must meet the program’s spoken English proficiency requirements via the language evaluation. This requirement is waived if a student has a recent (within 2 years of registration) TOEFL Speaking sub-score of 25 or an IELTS Speaking sub-score of 7.0.
  • Students must complete the ITA Training. This requirement is waived if a student has a previously completed/conferred 4-year degree from the U.S. or Canada.

Program Registration

Typically, prior to each semester, departments (rather than individual students) register their admitted international graduate students who require ITA Clearance. Individual students must contact their department and indicate their interest in obtaining their ITA Clearance.

Although some students may not plan to be a TA, departments may request their students to obtain their ITA Clearance for various reasons, such as future teaching, program requirements, etc. Students need to contact their department for clarification.

Only admitted international graduate students can be registered.

Test Scores

The following TOEFL/IELTS scores meet the ITAP’s spoken English proficiency requirement. Students should check:  

• • The date of the most recent test completion. The test, even if it meets the ITAP’s requirement, must be taken within two years of applying for the student’s ITA Clearance. 
  • The speaking sub-score (not the band score). Currently, a TOEFL Speaking sub-score of 25 or an IELTS Speaking sub-score of 7.0 qualifies for a waiver for the language evaluation.

Duolingo/TOEIC/OPI test scores are not accepted by the ITA Program as a waiver for the spoken English proficiency requirement. 

Typically, students receive their ITA Clearance if their test score aligns with the C1 (Proficient User) level on the CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference) scale. 

Students whose speaking skills are lower than the C1 (Proficient User) may be offered to enroll in a non-credit language course (free for students) provided by the Graduate School.

English as Official Langauge/Previous Courses Taught in English

Students from a country where English is an/the official language, may still need to complete the language evaluation (free of charge for students).

Courses for a previous degree primarily taught in English do not waive the spoken English proficiency requirement, as only a TOEFL Speaking sub-score of 25 or an IELTS Speaking sub-score of 7.0 qualifies. 

Previous Degrees/Transfer Credits

While the ITA training is waived for students with a previously completed/conferred 4-year degree from the U.S. or Canada, they still must demonstrate their spoken proficiency. 

Neither high school diplomas nor transfer credits from the U.S. or Canada waive the ITA Training

Students with a previous degree from an English-speaking country (not the U.S. or Canada) are still required to complete the ITA Training.

U.S. Residency & Citizenship

A student with a status as an ‘international student' is required to obtain ITA Clearance to be eligible to work as a teaching assistant.