The free mover TOEFL score you actually need

As of January 2026, TOEFL replaced its familiar 0-120 scale with a band system running 1 to 6 in half-point increments. Your overall score is now the average of your four section scores, not the sum, and the test itself runs about 90 minutes rather than the roughly two hours it used to take.

If you already have an old-scale score, it isn’t obsolete. Score reports through the transition period show the 0-120 equivalent alongside the new band, and the conversion is fixed and official rather than approximate. The numbers in the next section apply whichever scale your current certificate uses.

Across our partner network, requirements cluster into three real tiers, not a single number.

The entry tier sits around 61 to 65 on the old scale, which converts exactly to band 3.5 on the new one. This is the lowest bar you’ll find among partner universities and opens a meaningful share of destinations.

The mid tier, where most programs actually sit, is around 80 old scale, converting to band 4. If you’re not targeting anything unusually competitive, this is the number to plan around.

The top tier, reserved for the more selective partner institutions, runs around 100 old scale, which lands at band 5. Roughly, this is the B2 to C1 boundary on the CEFR framework TOEFL now aligns to directly.

Check the specific requirement on each university’s page on wearefreemovers before you commit to a target. These are network-wide patterns, not guarantees for any single institution.

TOEFL’s MyBest Scores feature combines your best section results across multiple test dates within your two-year validity window into a single, often higher composite score. If your Speaking was strong in March and your Reading improved by your second attempt in May, MyBest can combine both into a result better than either sitting alone.

Here’s the part that’s specific to actually applying through this platform rather than reading about TOEFL in general: not every university accepts it. Around 25% of our partner institutions do require the result from a single sitting. Before you plan a retake assuming MyBest will rescue a weak section, check the specific university’s policy. If they’re in the 75%, a retake is a genuinely smart move. If they’re in the 25%, you need one sitting that clears the bar outright. Not sure if your dream destination accepts it? Contact us.

TOEFL is accepted by every single university in our partner network, without exception. That alone makes it close to a default-safe choice if you’re deciding between English certificates and don’t yet know your final destination. IELTS sits in the same position, the two are comparable in both acceptance breadth and how universities read the result.

A small honesty note: both of us took TOEFL ourselves as students: it’s the test we trusted enough to bet our own applications on. That’s really important on why we’re comfortable recommending it personally to you.

We work directly with ETS, which lets us offer a registration discount that ranges from 5% on the test alone up to 10-15% if you book a bundled package. The exact rate depends on what you’re booking. Still, it’s a nice convenience to have. Enjoy your nice aperitivo with that little saving!

If you’re earlier in the process and haven’t settled on which certificate makes sense for your situation, our language certificates guide covers TOEFL alongside the alternatives, including the platform-wide language distribution across partner universities. Once you have a destination in mind, our University Finder gives you the English-language requirement for that university, so you’re not guessing which destinations are realistically in reach.