<p>I wanted to apply to the American University of Dubai for an exchange semester, however I couldn't because there was an explicit requirement of the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language), even though English is my mother tongue.</p>
<p>I wanted to ask whether this is a general procedure elsewhere (also in USA, UK, etc.) or whether this was an exceptional case.</p>
<p>Do you find it reasonable that also native speakers are also required to do a foreign language test?</p>
<p>What???????????? You are a native speaker and need to take Toefl? Are those people really sane? Yes, this must be an exceptional case, but why on earth?</p>
<p>Definitely an exceptional case. In fact, a number of US colleges exempt you from the TOEFL even if you are a non-native speaker, as long as you do well in SAT I.</p>
<p>American universities do (usually) not require the TOEFL of native speakers and I cannot imagine that UK universities would.</p>
<p>Just out of curiosity, have you contacted the American University of Dubai and asked if they really wanted TOEFL results from native speakers? And do you currently live in an English-speaking country or elsewhere (e.g. if someone who grew up in China claimed that English is his native language, I could understand the TOEFL requirement, but it doesn't make a lot of sense for someone from the US or UK or Australia)</p>
<p>@ NBZ: what is good in SAT I to not take the TOEFL?</p>
<p>Depends on the college... I have seen requirements anywhere from 500 to 720 on the Verbal section of the SAT. Some colleges don't allow you to place out of it at all though.</p>
<p>Wow...this is an interesting case....I haven't heard of it anywhere...</p>
<p>Ditto what b@rium said. Of course, if you are planning not to take the TOEFL, you had better check first that all the colleges you are applying to actually do exempt you from the TOEFL requirement.</p>
<p>yeah i've seen colleges say a 650 or above SAT verbal does not require toefl</p>
<p>Yeah, my university is not on English-speaking territory, however all our other partner universities (including universities in the U.S. and U.K.) allow English native speakers to apply without doing any standardized language test...</p>
<p>My opinion is that this is yet another example of how standardized tests are becoming more important in defining what a language is than its speakers...
I might sound a bit philosophical/opinionated, but don't you, too, feel that English is becoming more of a lingua franca per se rather than the language of the British...?
Perhaps in 10-20 years even Americans and British will have to do the TOEFL...</p>
<p>TOEFL=Test of English as a Foreign Language.</p>