NEXT TEST DATES
Fall MEIPE dates are Wednesday October 15 and November 5
The MEWT will be given Wednesday October 29
MEIPE (MEI Proficiency Exam)
If you are a student who meets one of the following criteria, you may be required to take the MEIPE:
- You have not submitted a TOEFL score
- You have submitted a TOEFL (paper and pencil) score of 574 or lower (section scores must be 50 or higher)
- You submitted a TOEFL (computer based test) score of 232 or lower (section scores must be 60 or higher)
- You submitted an internet based test (IBT) with a minimum score of 84 and with minimum section scores of Reading 21; Listening 17; Writing 25; Speaking 21.
- You have submitted an overall IELTS score lower than 6.5 (and not less than 6). Please note that for provisional admission, no subscore on the IELTS may be lower than 6.
Please note that IBT TOEFL and IELTS admissions requirements for both graduate and undergraduate students will change, effective for spring 2009 admissions.
Undergraduate students who earn an SAT 1 verbal score of 480 or higher do not need to submit an English proficiency exam. Transfer credit for an English composition course does not waive the English proficiency exam. Graduate students who have received a degree from an institution in the U.S., United Kingdom, Anglophone Africa, Anglophone Canada, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, and the Commonwealth Caribbean are not required to take the MEIPE. International students applying for a degree from the school of Music are required to take the TOEFL if English is not their native language.
UMCP applicants whose language proficiency scores do not meet the requirements for admission may be considered for provisional admission. Students with provisional provision are required to take an English proficiency exam upon arrival. For additional information about admission requirements and provisional admission status, please see Office of International Education Services (IES).
The MEIPE is given only in a pencil-and-paper version (there is no computer-based version and no internet-based version of this test). It consists of the following parts:
| Part | Time | Task | Scoring | Required score |
| Composition | 30 min. | Examinees write an essay on a pre-selected topic | 0 - 8 points | 5 or higher |
| Listening | 25 min. | 50 Multiple-choice items. Students listen to statements, questions, and short conversations then respond to the multiple-choice items | 0 - 100 points | 70 or higher |
| Grammar | 45 min. | 75 multiple-choice items cover grammar points including nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, sentences, clauses, and phrases | 0 - 100 points | 70 or higher |
| Reading | 60 min. | 60 Multiple-choice items based on reading passages of varying length | 0 - 100 points | 60 or higher |
| TOTAL | 230 or higher |
Testing Fee
There is no fee for students who have previously submitted an official TOEFL score (a score that has been submitted directly to UM by ETS). A fee of $90 is charged to all others. Please bring payment with you on the day of the test. MEI does not accept credit cards. Examinees may pay in any of the following ways: cash, check (written to The University of Maryland), or money order (written to The University of Maryland). Examinees who place into an English course must take the required course in their first semester at UM. Others may not take the exam again for one calendar year.
Where to park the day of the exam
As a visitors to campus, examinees must park in visitor parking spaces. These spaces generally have meters that accept quarters (25 cent coins). Bring plenty of quarters so you do not get a parking ticket, and be sure to look at the meter to find out how much time you have. Parking conditions change frequently on campus. Usually, a good option for visitors is the parking garage on Union Lane. To get to this garage, enter the University through the main gate off of Baltimore Blvd. When you enter the campus, you will be on Campus Drive. Follow Campus Drive until you reach a traffic circle with a big letter "M." Go half way around the circle and continue on Campus Drive. Go to the top of the hill. On your right, you will see the Stamp Union Building. Pass this building and turn right on Union Lane. Immediately to your left is the entrance to the visitor parking lot. Some spaces in this lot have meters and will need coins. Many spaces do not have meters, so you will pay the cashier as you leave the lot.
What to bring to the exam
Examinees taking the MEIPE and/or the MEWT should bring the following items to the test:
- A photo ID
- Pen and pencils
- A letter from the Office of International Education Services stating that the exam is needed
- Payment for the test if required
Getting results
Results of the exam are generally ready within two work days. The proctor will announce when the results will be ready for you to pick up and where you should go to pick up your results. MEI does no release results by phone, fax or email. Results are released only to the examinee, who must bring a photo ID when picking up the score report form. Results are also entered into the examinees SIS account. Those who have not yet applied to UM will have no SIS account and should notify MEI after they have applied to UM so their results can be reported to the University.
Questions
Examinees with questions about their results should make an appointment at MEI. All exams are confidential and exam papers are not available to examinees after the exam.
Appealing Results of the MEIPE
The grounds for appeal of a MEIPE result and placement decision are limited to (1) a procedural consideration (e.g., the examinee was not allowed the full time to complete the exam, was not able to complete the exam due to an interruption at the exam site, etc.), and (2) a concern that a placement decision was arbitrary or capricious (e.g., the decision is based on erroneous information, is inconsistent with scores reported, and/or is inconsistent with clearance and placement policies). A placement decision may not be appealed on the grounds that an examinee’s advisor or department believes the student’s English is adequate.
A student who believes there is a legitimate basis for an appeal of a placement decision must submit a written appeal within ten work days after taking the exam. The appeal must be in writing and must include the name of the exam in question, the date of the exam, the student’s name and UID, and an explanation of the basis for the appeal. The appeal may be submitted in an email message addressed to lsahin@umd.edu. The appeal will be reviewed within three work days of being received to determine whether the basis for the appeal is legitimate, and, if so, what action will be taken.
Requests for Deferral
Examinees who have placed into UMEI005 or UMEI007 on the basis of the results of their MEIPE score are required to enroll in and successfully complete the designated course in their first semester on campus. Requests to defer this requirement are seldom granted. A schedule conflict with another course or the student’s inability to pay for the required course may not be used as a basis for deferring the requirement.