Hello, I am an international students applying to US. I took the IELTS and achieved a score of 8.0. However, I’ve heard that quite a number of US schools that accept IELTS prefer TOEFL instead. For example, to quote University of Pennsylvania’s admission information, " If you are only able to take the IELTS examination, you should submit the results with your application, but we strongly encourage applicants to take the TOEFL examination when possible". I’m in a bit of a dilemma, wondering whether I should just send my IELTS score? Will this somehow put me at a disadvantage? I prefer to save some money when possible too; therefore if it does not affect my application, I won’t take the TOEFL.
I think the IELTS is comparable to the TOEFL. Yes, TOEFL may be in favor of many schools compared to IELTS (and some like URichmond don’t accept IELTS), but your 8.0 IELTS will not harm you in any possible way.
Also, take this into consideration: How many schools do you intend to send your IELTS score to? The sending fee of IELTS is $40, twice as much as that of TOEFL. If you apply to 10 or more schools, it may be more economical to just take the TOEFL.
The vocabulary in the TOEFL, and the reading, listening, writing, and speaking activities that you must perform while taking the exam, are designed specifically to mimic situations that you will face in US colleges and universities. That is why some colleges and universities here specifically state that they prefer results of the TOEFL.
However, almost all colleges and universities will accept IELTS scores. If you do not have time to prepare for the TOEFL, or if you cannot afford to pay for the TOEFL in addition to the IELTS, then send your IELTS score and stop worrying about this.