Introducing FCSA's "Let's Talk" Series
Let’s Talk MOI — Comparing Policies Across Institutions
At Seattle University (SU), Graduate Admissions has accepted Medium of Instruction (MOI) as a valid measure of English proficiency for the past four to five years. It’s important to note that this is a practice, not yet a formally approved policy. It will come before the Academic Assembly – the faculty council responsible for reviewing academic policies under SU’s shared governance model – in the upcoming 2026/27 academic year.
How We Got Here
Acceptance of MOI as proof of English proficiency was implemented at SU during COVID-19, when universities worldwide relaxed their policies to maintain student mobility in a rapidly contracting international educational landscape. To support access and continuity, at SU, we:
- Added Duolingo (to our existing set of exams: TOEFL, IELTS, PTE) as another acceptable way of proving English language proficiency
- Accepted MOI for students who studied in an undergraduate program in which English was the medium of instruction
- Went “test-optional,” for GRE, GMAT, and other, similar exams, and
- Accepted unofficial academic documents during the admissions stage, requiring official documents only as a condition of enrollment
Now, on the other side of the pandemic, many of our pandemic-era practices remain. SU still accepts Duolingo, is still test-optional in most situations, still accepts unofficial academic documents for admission, and still accepts MOI as proof of English proficiency.
Why SU Continues to Use MOI
Although MOI hasn’t yet been approved as a policy, SU’s MOI practice is grounded in clear, consistently applied guidelines:
- Full English-medium degree: The applicant must have completed a degree taught entirely in English. That could be in an English-speaking country, or in a country where English is not the official language, but instruction for the degree program was delivered in English
- Minimum duration: The student must have studied in English for at least three years at the undergraduate level or two years at the graduate level
- Likelihood of success: SU’s experience shows that sustained academic study in English is a strong predictor of graduate-level success
- Best practices: A significant percentage of U.S. universities accept proof of English-medium undergraduate or graduate study for admission into graduate programs
SU’s Position: Why Continuing to Accept MOI Matters
Our MOI policy is working—and working well. We require students to document English-medium study through one of the following:
- An official MOI letter from their institution,
- Published information from the university’s website, or
- Transcript notation indicating English as MOI
This structured verification process has served us reliably, and we see no evidence-based reason to discontinue MOI acceptance at this time.
Your Turn: How Does Your Institution Approach MOI?
As SU prepares to bring MOI forward for formal policy review, we want to learn from colleagues across institutions:
- Is MOI part of your admissions toolkit?
- Do you treat it as practice, policy, or a conditional waiver?
- Does MOI set students up for success—or introduce risk?
- What evidence guides your institution’s stance?
MOI sits at the intersection of access, equity, validity, and institutional risk. Let’s compare approaches, share data, and debate whether MOI should remain a pandemic-era adaptation—or evolve into a long-term, evidence-based policy.
- Ms. LesLee M. Clauson Eicher, M.A.
Assistant Director for Graduate International Admissions
GRADUATE STUDIES | SEATTLE UNIVERSITY
