I spent some time researching which English tests are accepted for undergraduate admissions in Canada, based on the websites of those schools. The results of my research are strikingly uninteresting.
I selected the 15 largest universities (by total enrollment) and identified which English tests they accept today, which tests they accepted in 2022, and which tests they accepted in 2019. I’ve pasted that data into the article below. Note that I couldn’t get 2019 data for a few schools.
All 15 schools accept the TOEFL, IELTS, CAEL, PTE and Cambridge C1/C2 tests. All 15 accept the DET, but the University of British Columbia only accepts it in cases when no other test can be taken.
One school (Queen’s University) accepts the LanguageCert test. One (University of Ottawa) accepts the TOEFL Essentials test.
The MELAB was still widely accepted in 2019, but nowadays none of the 15 biggest schools accept its successor test, the MET.
I didn’t include the data, but I think you have to go all the way to the 19th biggest school to find one that doesn’t accept the DET (the University of Victoria). UVic does accept the MET, though – they are likely the largest school in Canada which accepts that test.
Complete details after the jump.
- University of Toronto
March 2025:
- Cambridge C1/C2
- CAEL
- DET
- ELDA/COPE
- IELTS Academic
- PTE Academic
- TOEFL
March 2022
- Cambridge C1/C2
- CAEL
- CANTEST
- DET
- ELDA/COPE
- IELTS Academic
- PTE Academic
- TOEFL
March 2019
- Cambridge C1/C2
- CAEL
- CANTEST
- ELDA/COPE
- IELTS
- MELAB
- TOEFL
- University of British Columbia
March 2025
- CAEL
- Cambridge C1/C2/B2
- CEL
- IELTS
- PTE
- TOEFL
- DET (limited)
February 2022
- CAEL
- Cambridge C1/C2/B2
- CEL
- IELTS
- PTE
- TOEFL
- DET (limited)
July 2019
- CAEL
- Cambridge C1/C2/B2
- CEL
- IELTS
- PTE
- TOEFL
- York University
March 2025
- TOEFL
- IELTS
- PTE
- CAEL
- Cambridge C1
- DET
February 2022
- TOEFL
- IELTS
- PTE Academic
- CAEL
- Cambridge C1
- DET
March 2019
- YELT
- TOEFL
- IELTS
- University of Western Ontario
March 2025
- IELTS
- TOEFL
- PTE
- Cambridge C1/C2
- CAEL
- DET
May 2022
- IELTS
- TOEFL
- PTE
- Cambridge C1/C2
- CANTEST
- CAEL
- DET
April 2019
- TOEFL
- PTE
- MELAB
- IELTS
- CANTEST
- CAEL
- University of Ottawa
March 2025
- IELTS
- TOEFL
- TOEFL Essentials
- DET
- PTE
- Cambridge B2, C1, C2
- CAEL
February 2022
- IELTS
- TOEFL
- TOEFL Essentials
- PTE
- Cambridge C1
- DET
- CAEL
March 2019
- TOEFL
- CANTEST
- IELTS
- MELAB
- CALE
- PTE
- Cambridge C1
- University of Alberta
March 2025
- TOEFL
- IELTS
- DET
- CAEL
- Cambridge C1/C2
- PTE
March 2022
- TOEFL
- IELTS
- DET
- CAEL
- CANTEST
- Cambridge C1, C2
- PTE
March 2019
- TOEFL
- IELTS
- CAEL
- CANTEST
- Cambridge C1, C2
- MELAB
- PTE
- University of Waterloo
March 2025
- TOEFL
- IELTS
- CAEL
- PTE
- Cambridge C1, C2
- DET
April 2022
- TOEFL
- IELTS
- CAEL
- PTE
- Cambridge C1, C2
- DET
March 2019
- TOEFL
- IELTS
- MELAB
- CAEL
- PTE
- McMaster University
March, 2025
- IELTS
- PTE
- TOEFL
- Cambridge C1, C2
- CAEL
- DET
March 2022
- IELTS
- CAEL
- DET
- Cambridge
- PTE
- TOEFL
2019
- ?
- University of Calgary
March 2025
- TOEFL
- IELTS
- CAEL
- PTE
- Cambridge C1, C2
- DET
January 2022
- TOEFL
- IELTS
- CAEL
- PTE
- Cambridge C1, C2
- DET
January 2019
- TOEFL
- IELTS
- CAEL
- MELAB
- PTE
- Cambridge C1, C2
- Toronto Metropolitan University
March 2025
- CAEL
- Cambridge C1, C2
- DET
- IELTS
- PTE
- TOEFL
March 2022
- CAEL
- Cambridge C1, C2
- DET
- IELTS
- PTE
- TOEFL
2019/2020 Course Catalog
- TOEFL
- IELTS
- MELAB
- CAEL
- McGill University
March 2025
- Cambridge C1, C2
- CAEL
- DET
- IELTS
- TOEFL
- PTE
March 2022
- Cambridge C1, C2
- CAEL
- DET
- IELTS
- TOEFL
- PTE
2019
- ?
- Queen’s University
March 2025
- IELTS
- TOEFL
- CAEL
- PTE
- DET
- Cambridge
- LanguageCert
March 2022
- IELTS
- TOEFL
- CAEL
- PTE
- DET
- Cambridge
March 2019
- IELTS
- TOEFL
- CAEL
- MELAB
- PTE
- Concordia University
March 2025
- TOEFL
- IELTS
- DET
- CAEL
- Cambridge C1, C2
- PTE
March 2022
- TOEFL
- IELTS
- DET
- CAEL
- Cambridge C1, C2
- PTE
March 2019
- IELTS
- TOEFL
- MELAB
- CAEL
- Cambridge C1, C2
- PTE
- University of Guelph
March 2025
- Cambridge C1, C2
- PTE
- CAEL
- DET
- IELTS
- TOEFL
March 2022
- IELTS
- CAEL
- TOEFL
- PTE
- Cambridge C1, C2
- DET
March 2019
- ?
- University of Manitoba
March 2025
- IELTS
- CAEL
- TOEFL
- Cambridge C1, C2
- PTE
- DET
March 2022
- IELTS
- CAEL
- TOEFL
- CANTEST
- Cambridge C1, C2
- PTE
March 2019
- TOEFL
- CANTEST
- IELTS
- Cambridge C1, C2
- CAEL
- PTE