English Requirements and Testing
International students planning to enroll in academic programs must demonstrate English language proficiency*. This can be accomplished by taking one of the following exams: TOEFL, IELTS, PTE Academic, TOEIC, ACCUPLACER (ESL), or an approved TSI test. Scores on the exams should be dated within the past two years and must meet state and institutional requirements for placement into college-level classes. Students who do not meet these requirements will be required to enroll in the Intensive English Program or Academic English-as-a-Second-Language. Attending intensive English programs with other schools does not waive the requirement. For more information, go to the HCC Testing Services website.
The Accuplacer ESL is used when it has been established that the student must demonstrate English proficiency prior to testing for college-level course placement.
The Accuplacer ESL is composed of Language Usage, Reading Skills, Sentence-Meaning and Listening. Students taking the Accuplacer ESL will also be administered an essay.
For Accuplacer ESL sample questions scroll to page 14 -ESL Sample Questions (page 14-18).
Testing is allowed once per 30 days.
TOEFL:
The TOEFL exam is NOT required to be admitted as an international student. If you do have TOEFL results, the following scores will be accepted as English proficient:
TOEFL internet-based score: 79+
TOEFL paper-based test score: 550+
TOEFL computer-based test score: 213+
IELTS:
The following IELTS score will be accepted as English proficient:
IELTS score: 6.5+
PTE Academic:
The following PTE Academic score will be accepted as English Proficient:
PTE Academic: 53+
TOEIC:
The following TOEIC scores will be accepted as English Proficient:
TOEIC scores: 731
*NOTE: Students who graduated from an English-speaking high school from one of the following countries do not need proof of English proficiency: American Samoa, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, Canada (except Quebec), Dominica, Grenada, Grand Cayman, Guyana, Ireland, Jamaica, Liberia, New Zealand, Trinidad/Tobago, United Kingdom, U.S. Pacific Trust.
How to Submit Test Scores to HCC
Official test scores must be sent directly the Houston City College from the testing agency. When you ask the testing agency to send your scores, use the following codes the agencies have designated for the Houston City College:
- SAT – HCC Code: 0929
- TOEFL – HCC Code: 6296
- ACT – HCC Code: 4105
- PTE Academic - See link for more information.
- TOEIC - See link for more information.
- IELTS – There is no institutional code for IELTS examination. The testing agency should mail the official IELTS score report to the Houston City College (see address below)
Houston City College
Office of Student Records
P.O. Box 667517, MC 1136
Houston, TX 77266-7517
Submitting a Transcript to HCC
Transcripts from Other Countries
If you wish to submit transcripts from a high school, college or university outside of the United States, you will need to have them evaluated by an accredited evaluation agency. Acceptable evaluation agencies of international transcripts for US equivalence are listed below.
How to submit evaluated transcripts and Transcripts from other schools in the U.S.
Please request that all transcripts are submitted to HCC electronically. HCC accepts PDF transcripts directly from the service providers such as Credentials, Parchment, and National Student Clearinghouse. The email should be sent to admissions@hccs.edu.
If you need to directly mail an official transcript to HCC, please use the following address:
Houston City College
Office of Student Records
P.O. Box 667517, MC 1136
Houston, TX 77266-7517
You can also bring transcripts, in the sealed envelope, to HCC Admissions.