If English is your second language and you are or will be in the United States before going to university, you may be wondering if you can take the TOEFL in the US.
In order to take the TOEFL in the USA, look for the nearest test center to where you live or will be living. You do not have to be a US citizen to take the TOEFL in the USA, but you do need to ensure that you have ID that meets the requirements of ETS® before you will be able to take the test.
This post will explore all things TOEFL while you are in the US, from what type of ID you will need to how much it costs to how accepted the TOEFL is in the US.
Taking TOEFL in the USA
The good news is that anybody can take the TOEFL in the United States. You do not need to be a US citizen to do so. So if you are living or plan to live in the US, before going to university there, all you need to do is look for a test center near you.
If you are living (or will be living) in or close to a large city, there is a good chance you will be able to find a testing center close by. Below is a table with each state, along with most testing centers for that state. If you don’t find the city you are looking for in this table, you can check the ETS website to see if there is a testing center there. Note that the nearest test center to you may actually be in another state! To check this, you can use the same link for ETS above and put in the city, and it will tell you the closest test center.
| State | City |
| Alabama | Montgomery |
| Alabama | Birmingham |
| Alabama | Huntsville |
| Alabama | Tuscaloosa |
| Alabama | Auburn |
| Alaska | Anchorage |
| Alaska | Fairbanks |
| Arizona | Tempe |
| Arizona | Phoenix |
| Arizona | Goodyear |
| Arkansas | Little Rock |
| Arkansas | Russellville |
| California | Glendale (Los Angeles) |
| California | Culver City (Los Angeles) |
| California | Diamond Bar (Los Angeles) |
| California | Anaheim |
| California | San Jose |
| California | San Francisco |
| California | San Bruno (San Francisco) |
| California | Santa Rosa |
| California | San Diego |
| California | Riverside |
| California | Lake Forest |
| California | Fair Oaks (Sacramento) |
| California | Fresno |
| California | Bakersfield |
| Colorado | Greenwood Village (Denver) |
| Colorado | Longmont |
| Colorado | Colorado Springs |
| Colorado | Fort Collins |
| Connecticut | West Haven |
| Connecticut | Norwalk |
| Connecticut | Hartford |
| Delaware | New Castle |
| Florida | Miami |
| Florida | Ft. Lauderdale |
| Florida | Boca Raton |
| Florida | West Palm Beach |
| Florida | Tampa |
| Florida | Sarasota |
| Florida | Longwood (Orlando) |
| Florida | Fort Myers |
| Georgia | Augusta |
| Georgia | Atlanta |
| Georgia | Smyrna (Atlanta) |
| Georgia | Macon |
| Georgia | Valdosta |
| Georgia | Americus |
| Georgia | Albany |
| Hawaii | Honolulu |
| Idaho | Meridian (Boise) |
| Idaho | Sergeant Bluff |
| Idaho | Moscow |
| Illinois | Peoria |
| Illinois | Chicago |
| Illinois | Sycamore |
| Illinois | Decatur |
| Illinois | Champaign |
| Illinois | Bettendorf |
| Illinois | Sycamore |
| Indiana | Indianapolis |
| Indiana | Lafayette |
| Indiana | Bloomington |
| Indiana | Mishawaka (South Bend) |
| Indiana | Culver |
| Indiana | Fort Wayne |
| Indiana | Muncie |
| Iowa | Des Moines |
| Iowa | Hiawatha |
| Iowa | Fort Dodge |
| Kansas | Lees Summit (Kansas City) |
| Kansas | Topeka |
| Kansas | Hays |
| Kentucky | Lexington |
| Kentucky | Louisville |
| Louisiana | Metairie (New Orleans) |
| Louisiana | Baton Rouge |
| Lousiana | Lafayette |
| Lousiana | Natchitoches |
| Maine | Bangor |
| Maine | Farmington |
| Maryland | Hyattsville |
| Maryland | Columbia |
| Maryland | College Park |
| Maryland | Baltimore |
| Maryland | Towson |
| Maryland | Bethesda |
| Massachusetts | Burlington |
| Massachusetts | Boston |
| Massachusetts | Lowell |
| Massachusetts | Worcester |
| Massachusetts | Brockton |
| Massachusetts | Salem |
| Michigan | Detroit |
| Michigan | Troy |
| Michigan | Ann Arbor |
| Michigan | Grand Rapids |
| Michigan | Lansing |
| Michigan | Gaylord |
| Minnesota | Bloomington (Minneapolis) |
| Minnesota | Rochester |
| Mississippi | Flowood |
| Mississippi | Ellisville |
| Mississippi | Meridian |
| Mississippi | Mississippi State |
| Missouri | Rolla |
| Missouri | Jefferson City |
| Missouri | Columbia |
| Missouri | St. Louis |
| Missouri | Springfield |
| Missouri | West Plains |
| Montana | Helena |
| Montana | Bozeman |
| Nebraska | Kearney |
| Nebraska | Omaha |
| Nebraska | Lincoln |
| Nevada | Las Vegas |
| New Hampshire | Concord |
| New Hampshire | Portsmouth |
| New Hampshire | New London |
| New Jersey | Hamilton Township |
| New Jersey | Laurel Springs |
| New Jersey | Clark |
| New Jersey | Mt. Laurel |
| New Mexico | Santa Fe |
| New York | Albany |
| New York | East Syracuse |
| New York | New York |
| New York | Brooklyn |
| New York | Queens |
| North Carolina | Charlotte |
| North Carolina | Raleigh |
| North Carolina | Greensboro |
| North Carolina | Greenville |
| North Carolina | Durham |
| North Dakota | Bismarck |
| Ohio | Cincinnati |
| Ohio | Worthington (Columbus) |
| Ohio | Akron |
| Ohio | Niles |
| Ohio | Mentor (Cleveland) |
| Ohio | Fairborn (Dayton) |
| Ohio | Toledo |
| Ohio | Athens |
| Ohio | Troy |
| Oklahoma | Oklahoma City |
| Oklahoma | McAlester |
| Oklahoma | Lawton |
| Oklahoma | Tulsa |
| Oklahoma | Stillwater |
| Oregon | Bend |
| Pennsylvania | Philadelphia |
| Pennsylvania | State College |
| Pennsylvania | Harrisburg |
| Pennsylvania | Clarks Summit (Scranton) |
| Pennsylvania | Vestal |
| Pennsylvania | Lancaster |
| Pennsylvania | Allentown |
| Pennsylvania | Bloomsburg |
| Pennsylvania | Erie |
| Rhode Island | Warwick (Providence) |
| Rhode Island | Cumberland |
| South Carolina | Columbia |
| South Carolina | Charleston |
| South Carolina | Florence |
| South Carolina | Greenville |
| South Dakota | Sioux Falls |
| South Dakota | Rapid City |
| South Dakota | Aberdeen |
| Tennessee | Nashville |
| Tennessee | Clarksville |
| Tennessee | Chattanooga |
| Texas | Houston |
| Texas | Austin |
| Texas | San Antonio |
| Texas | Dallas |
| Texas | Fort Worth |
| Texas | Tyler |
| Texas | Abilene |
| Texas | Amarillo |
| Utah | Lindon |
| Utah | Orem |
| Utah | Taylorsville (Salt Lake City) |
| Utah | Salt Lake City |
| Vermont | Williston |
| Virginia | Lynchburg |
| Virginia | Glen Allen (Richmond) |
| Virginia | Roanoke |
| Virginia | Harrisonburg |
| Virginia | Richmond |
| Virginia | Chesapeake |
| Virginia | Falls Church |
| Virginia | Annandale |
| Washington | Bellingham |
| Washington | Fife (Tacoma) |
| Washington | Mountlake Terrace (Seattle) |
| Washington | Des Moines |
| Washington | Spokane |
| Washington D.C. | Washington D.C. |
| West Virginia | Charleston |
| West Virginia | Morgantown |
| Wisconsin | Madison |
| Wisconsin | Brookfield (Milwaukee) |
| Wisconsin | Ashwaubenon (Green Bay) |
| Wisconsin | Oshkosh |
| Wyoming | Casper |
What ID requirements do I need to take the TOEFL in the USA?
To take the TOEFL in the USA, the type of ID you will need depends on whether or not you are a US citizen.
If you are a US citizen, the following are acceptable forms of ID:
- Passport (including name, photo, and signature)
- National ID (including name, photo, and signature)
- Gov. issued driver’s license (including name, photo, and signature)
- State ID card (including name, photo, and signature)
- Military ID (including name, photo, and signature)
According to ETS ‘ rules, if your photo or signature are missing, you can use a supplementary ID as proof.
If you are not a US citizen, you must use your passport as your ID, which should include your name, photo and signature. If your photo or signature are missing from your passport, you may supplement it with another ETS-approved ID along with your passport.
How much does the TOEFL cost in the USA?
The TOEFL currently costs $235 in the USA, independently of where you take the test.
Can I take the TOEFL test online?
Yes, you can take the TOEFL online under the format of the TOEFL iBT Home Edition. The test is exactly the same as the TOEFL iBT you would take in a test center. The only difference is that you will be monitored by a proctor online through the ProctorU system. Keep in mind that not all universities accept the Home Edition of the TOEFL.
If you want to explore this test a little further, I wrote a post that will help you understand what the TOEFL iBT Home Edition entails.
Is TOEFL accepted in the USA?
All universities in the United States accept the TOEFL, and it is the preferred English proficiency test for 90% of them. The main reason for this is that the TOEFL was invented in the US, precisely for non-native English speakers looking to go to university in the US.
Happy studying!
