Under certain circumstances, international students applying to Berkeley Summer Sessions may be exempt or may request a waiver for the English Proficiency Requirement (EPR). All waiver requests must be submitted when completing the Summer Sessions application.
Exemption Criteria
You are exempt from the English Proficiency Requirement if:
- You are a citizen of a country on our List of Exempt Countries.
- You enroll exclusively in English as a Second Language (ESL) courses. See the List of ESL Courses.
- Your university has been granted an exemption based on an Affiliation agreement. Please check with the international adviser at your home institution.
Students who are exempt will not be asked to provide proof of English Proficiency in their application.
Waiver Criteria
You may request a waiver to the English Proficiency Requirement if any of the following criteria apply:
- You reside in a country where English is the primary or official language, and that country is not on our List of Exempt Countries.
- You currently attend a school where English is the language of instruction for the majority of courses taught.
- You have attended schools at the secondary level (high school) or above for at least three years full-time where English is the principal language of instruction (as in the United States, the United Kingdom, and in some international schools).
- You are currently studying or have studied in an English-speaking country for at least one academic year.
- Your school official can certify your English proficiency based on their own criteria.
If you would like to request a waiver, please see the Procedure for Requesting a Waiver.
Please Note: Waivers must be submitted at the time of the Summer Sessions application. If the waiver is denied, the student may still submit an English proficiency exam score from any of the acceptable exams listed above or enroll in English as a Second Language (ESL) courses only.