IELTS USA terms and conditions

Transfers

Transfer requests received more than 3 weeks prior to the test date will be charged a transfer fee of up to 25% of the cost of the test.

Transfer requests received less than 3 weeks prior to the test date due to a medical condition or exposure to COVID-19 will be rescheduled and will be charged a transfer fee of up to 25% of the cost of the test (Proof of circumstance must be provided, such as a letter from the local health authority or a physician).

Transfer requests from an IELTS on computer to an IELTS on paper test received more than 3 weeks prior to the original the test date will be charged a transfer fee of up to 10% of the cost of the test.

A second transfer request due to a medical condition or exposure to COVID-19 will result in cancellation of your registration and a refund of 50% of the cost of the test will be refunded if the test center is notified prior to the test date.

Cancellations

Cancellation requests received more than 3 weeks prior to the test date will receive a refund less an administrative fee of up to 25%.

Cancellation requests received less than 3 weeks ahead of the test date will NOT receive a refund.

Failure to attend

You may be eligible at the test center's absolute discretion for a transfer if you provide independently verifiable evidence, within two days of the scheduled test date, of your inability to attend the test.

See full Terms and Conditions for IELTS in the USA.

Transfers

Transfer requests received more than 5 weeks prior to the test date will be charged a transfer fee of up to 25% of the cost of the test.

Transfer requests received less than 5 weeks prior to the test date due to a medical condition or exposure to COVID-19 will be rescheduled and will be charged a transfer fee of up to 25% of the cost of the test (Proof of circumstance must be provided, such as a letter from the local health authority or a physician).

Transfer requests from an IELTS on paper to an IELTS on computer test received more than 5 weeks prior to the original test date will be charged a transfer fee of up to 10% of the cost of the test.

A second transfer request due to a medical condition or exposure to COVID-19 will result in cancellation of your registration and a refund of 50% of the cost of the test will be refunded if the test center is notified prior to the test date.

Cancellations

Cancellation requests received more than 5 weeks prior to the test date will receive a refund less an administrative fee of up to 25%.

Cancellation requests received less than 5 weeks ahead of the test date will NOT receive a refund.

Failure to attend

You may be eligible at the test center's absolute discretion for a transfer if you provide independently verifiable evidence, within five days of the scheduled test date, of your inability to attend the test.

See full Terms and Conditions for IELTS in the USA.

Cancellations

You can cancel your IELTS test registration at any time before taking your test by notifying your Test Center. Refund terms depend upon when you cancel and whether exceptional circumstances apply.

Time to test date:

A. More than 14 days before the test date:

If you cancel your IELTS test registration more than 14 days before the test date you will receive 75% refund of the total test fee.

B. Within 14 days but more than two days before the test date:

If you cancel your IELTS test registration within 14 days but more than two days before the test date you will receive a 50% refund of the total test fee.

C. Within two days of the test date:

If you cancel your IELTS test registration within two days of the test date you will receive a 25% refund of the total test fee.

D. On the test day or after the test date:

If you cancel your IELTS test registration on the test day or after the test date no refund will be provided.

Transfers

A. More than 14 days before the test date:

• You may change your test date at any time more than 14 days before the test date.
• You must select a test date, where available, within the next three months from your original test date. If your preferred test date is more than three months after your original test date, then your transfer will be treated as a cancellation.
• You can only transfer the same booking once.
• Your test center may charge an administration fee of up to 25% of the total test fee.

B. Within 14 days before the test date:

• Any transfer requests within 14 days of the test date will be treated as a cancellation. Please refer to the “Cancellations” section of this policy document.

Test Taker Exceptions

You may make a case for exceptional circumstances to your test center before the test date and up to five working days after the test date if you did not attend the test. Your test center will respond to you within seven working days of receiving your case in writing. Your test center will assess your case for exceptional circumstances.

All cases for exceptional circumstances and supporting evidence must be received by your test center no later than five working days after the scheduled test date.

If your test center approves your case, you will receive a full refund less an administration fee of no more than 25% of the test fee.

If your test center does not approve your case, then the terms given in the “Cancellation” section will apply. We define exceptional circumstances as:

• serious medical conditions which prevent you from attending or performing normally on test day; such conditions require supporting evidence of a medical certificate from a qualified medical practitioner.
• evidence of bereavement, trauma or other forms of significant hardship.
• military service.

Test Center Exceptions

Under certain circumstances outside the test center's control, we may have to cancel your test date. These circumstances include, and are not limited to, extreme weather conditions, natural disaster, civil unrest, and industrial action.

In these circumstances, your test center will provide you with as much notice as possible and give you the choice of either:

• a full refund, or
• a transfer to a future test date convenient to you.

In cases where your test center cancels a test date under circumstances within its control then in addition to a full refund or transfer to another test date, you may be eligible to apply for compensation for expenses incurred. Your eligibility will be assessed as a reasonable claim or not by the test center and any compensation will be awarded depending on the following conditions:

• The test center will assess whether the decision to cancel is within or outside its control.
• Any compensation awarded will be limited to travel and accommodation expenses only, which are:

• directly incurred as a result of planning your attendance on test day
• evidenced by payment receipt(s)
• evidenced that cancelled travel and/or accommodation charges are non-recoverable from vendor
• benchmarked against lowest reasonable market rates for the expenses in question (this will be carried out by the test center).

• If you travel further than the closest test venue to your normal place of residence, then the test center will not find your claim reasonable.

Notes

1. Your test center is responsible for issuing refunds and organizing transfers. 

2. Under Section “Test Taker Exceptions”, the test center is responsible for decisions related to test taker claims for exceptional circumstances. 

3. Under Section “Test Center Exceptions”, the test center is responsible for decisions related to compensation, including eligibility and any amounts awarded.

4. If local consumer protection law in the country where you have registered to take the IELTS test provides for cancellation and transfer rights which are more favorable to the test taker than the rights set out above, then local consumer protection law will apply.

See full Terms and Conditions for IELTS in the USA:

IELTS UKVI

IELTS Life Skills