Official languages

Consult the CIA website to see the official language of each country.

COUNTRY Official language English Proficiency test required Dissertation required

Afghanistan

Pushtu

Yes

Yes

Albania

Albanian

Yes

Yes

Algeria

Arabic

Yes

Yes

Andorra

Catalán

Yes

No

Angola

Bantu, Portuguese

Yes

Yes

Anguilla

English

No

Yes

Antigua and Barbuda

English

No

Yes

Antilles Caribbean

Dutch

Yes

Yes

Argentina

Spanish

Yes

Yes

Armenia

Armenian

Yes

Yes

Aruba Caribbean

Papiamento

Yes

Yes

Asia

various

Yes

Yes

Australia

English

No

Yes

Austria

German

Yes

Yes

Azerbaijan

Azerbaijani, Turkic

Yes

Yes

Azores

Portuguese

Yes

Yes

Bahamas

English

No

Yes

Bahrain

Arabic

Yes

Yes

Bangladesh

Bangla

Yes

Yes

Barbados

English

No

Yes

Belarus (Beylarussia)

Belorussian

Yes

Yes

Belgium

Dutch

Yes

No

Belize

English

No

Yes

Benin

French

Yes

No

Bermuda

English

No

Yes

Bhutan

Dzongkha

Yes

Yes

Bolivia

Spanish

Yes

Yes

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Serbian, Croatian, or Bosnian

Yes

Yes

Botswana

English, Setswana

No

Yes

Brazil

Portuguese

Yes

Yes

Bulgaria

Bulgarian

Yes

Yes

Burkina Faso (anc. Haute-Volta)

French

Yes

No

Burundi

Kirundi, French

Yes

No

Burma

Burmese

Yes

Yes

Brunei ou B. Darussalam

Malay

Yes

Yes

Cambodia

Khmer

Yes

Yes

Cameroon

French, English

No

No

Canada

English, French

No

No

Cape Verde

Portuguese

Yes

Yes

Central African Republic

French

Yes

No

Ceylon

Sinhalese

Yes

yes

Chad

French, Arabic

Yes

No

Chile

Spanish

Yes

Yes

China

Chinese, Mandarin

Yes

Yes

Colombia

Spanish

Yes

Yes

Commonwealth of the Caribbean

English

No

Yes

Comoros

French, Arabic

Yes

No

Congo

French

Yes

No

Costa Rica

Spanish

Yes

Yes

Côte d'Ivoire

French

Yes

No

Croatia

Serbian, Croatian, or Bosnian

Yes

Yes

Cuba

Spanish

Yes

Yes

Cyprus

Greek

Yes

Yes

Czech Republic

Czech

Yes

Yes

Denmark

Danish

Yes

Yes

Djibouti

Arabic, French

Yes

No

Dominica

English

No

Yes

Dominican Republic

Spanish

Yes

Yes

East Timor

Tetum, Portuguese

Yes

Yes

Ecuador

Spanish

Yes

Yes

Egypt

Arabic

Yes

Yes

El Salvador

Spanish

Yes

Yes

Equatorial Guinea

Spanish, French

Yes

No

Eritrea

Afar

Yes

Yes

Estonia

Estonian

Yes

Yes

Ethiopia

Amharic

Yes

Yes

Falkland Island

English

No

Yes

Fiji

Fijian, Hindustani, English

No

Yes

Finland

Finnish, Swedish

Yes

Yes

France

French

Yes

No

French Guiana

French

Yes

No

Gabon

French

Yes

No

Gambia

English

No

Yes

Georgia

Georgian

Yes

Yes

Germany

German

Yes

Yes

Ghana

English

No

Yes

Greece

Greek

Yes

Yes

Grenada

English

No

Yes

Guam

English

No

Yes

Guatemala

Spanish

Yes

Yes

Guinea

French

Yes

No

Guinea-Bissau

Portuguese

Yes

Yes

Guyana

English

No

Yes

Haiti

Creole and French

Yes

No

Honduras

Spanish

Yes

Yes

Hong Kong

Chinese, English

Yes

Yes

Hungary

Magyar

Yes

Yes

Iceland

Icelandic

Yes

Yes

India

Hindi, English

Yes

Yes

Indonesia

Bahasa Indonesia

Yes

Yes

Iran

Farsi

Yes

Yes

Iraq

Arabic

Yes

Yes

Ireland

English, Irish

No

Yes

Israel

Hebrew

Yes

Yes

Italy

Italian

Yes

Yes

Jamaica

English, Jamaican Creole

No

Yes

Japan

Japanese

Yes

Yes

Jordan

Arabic

Yes

Yes

Kazkhstan

Kazak

Yes

Yes

Kenya

English

No

Yes

Kiribati

English

No

Yes

Korea

Korean

Yes

Yes

Kuwait

Arabic

Yes

Yes

Kyrgyzstan

Kyrgyz

Yes

Yes

Laos

Lao

Yes

Yes

Latvia

Latvian

Yes

Yes

Lebanon

Arabic

Yes

No

Lesotho

English, Sesotho

No

Yes

Liberia

English

No

Yes

Libya

Arabic

Yes

Yes

Liechtenstein

German

Yes

Yes

Lithuania

Lithuanian

Yes

Yes

Luxembourg

Luxembourgish

Yes

Yes

Macedonia

Macedonian

Yes

Yes

Madagascar

Malagasy, French

Yes

No

Malawi

English, Chichewa

No

Yes

Malaysia

Malay

Yes

Yes

Maldives

Dhivehi

Yes

Yes

Mali

French

Yes

No

Malta

Maltese, English

No

Yes

Marshall Islands

Marshallese and English

Yes

Yes

Mauritania

Arabic, Wolof, French

Yes

No

Mauritius

English, French

No

No

Mexico

Spanish

Yes

Yes

Micronesia

English

No

Yes

Moldova

Moldovan

Yes

Yes

Monaco

French

Ask forTOEFL3

No

Mongolia

Mongolian

Yes

Yes

Montenegro

Serbian

Yes

Yes

Morocco

Arabic

Yes

No

Mozambique

Portuguese

Yes

Yes

Myanmar

Burmese

Yes

Yes

Namibia

Afrikaans, German, Oshiwambo

Yes

Yes

Nauru

Nauruan

Yes

Yes

Nepal

Nepali

Yes

Yes

The Netherlands

Dutch

Yes

Yes

New Guinea

English, Melanesian

Yes

Yes

New Zealand

English

No

Yes

Nicaragua

Spanish

Yes

Yes

Niger

French

Yes

No

Nigeria

English

No

Yes

Norway

Bokmål, Nynorsk

Yes

Yes

Oman

Arabic

Yes

Yes

Pakistan

Urdu

Yes

Yes

Palau

Palauan, English

No

Yes

Palestinian State

Arabic, Hebrew

Yes

Yes

Panama

Spanish

Yes

Yes

Papua New Guinea

English, Tok Pisin

Yes

Yes

Paraguay

Spanish

Yes

Yes

Peru

Spanish

Yes

Yes

The Philippines

Filipino, English

No

Yes

Poland

Polish

Yes

Yes

Portugal

Portuguese

Yes

Yes

Puerto Rico

Spanish, English

Yes

 

Qatar

Arabic, English

Yes

Yes

Romania

Romanian

Yes

Yes

Russia

Russian

Yes

Yes

Rwanda

Kinyarwanda, French

Yes

Yes

Samoa

Samoan, English

Yes

Yes

San Marino

Italian

Yes

Yes

Saudi Arabia

Arabic

Yes

Yes

São Tomé and Príncipe

Portuguese

Yes

Yes

Scotland

English

No

Yes

Senegal

French

Yes

No

Serbo-Croatia

Serbian

Yes

Yes

Seychelles

English, French

No

No

Sierra Leone

English

No

Yes

Singapore

Malay, Chinese, Tamil, English

No

Yes

Slovakia

Slovak

Yes

Yes

Slovenia

Slovenian

Yes

Yes

Solomon Islands

English, Solomon Pijin

Yes

Yes

Somalia

Somali

Yes

Yes

South Africa

Xhosa and Zulu

Yes

Yes

Spain

Spanish

Yes

Yes

St. Kitts and Nevis

English

No

Yes

St. Lucia

English

No

Yes

St. Vincent and the Grenadines

English

No

Yes

Sri Lanka

Sinhala

Yes

Yes

Sudan

Arabic

Yes

Yes

Suriname

Dutch

Yes

Yes

Swaziland

English, Swazi

No

Yes

Sweden

Swedish

Yes

Yes

Switzerland

German, French, Italian

Yes

No

Syria

Arabic

Ask for TOEFL3

Yes

Taiwan

Chinese

Yes

Yes

Tajikistan

Tajik

Yes

Yes

Tanganyika (formerly Tanzania)

English

No

Yes

Tanzania

Swahili, English

No

Yes

Thailand

Thai

Yes

Yes

Togo

French

Yes

No

Tonga Island

Tongan

Yes

Yes

Trinidad and Tobago

English, Hindi, French, Spanish

No

Yes

Tunisia

Arabic, French

Yes

No

Turkey

Turkish

Yes

Yes

Turkmenistan

Turkmen

Yes

Yes

Tuvalu

Tuvaluan, English

Yes

Yes

Uganda

English

No

Yes

Ukraine

Ukrainian

Yes

Yes

United Arab Emirates

Arabic, English

Yes

Yes

United Kingdom

English

No

Yes

United States

English

No

Yes

Uruguay

Spanish

Yes

Yes

Uzbekistan

Uzbek, Russian

Yes

Yes

Vanuatu

Bislama, English, French

Yes

Yes

Venezuela

Spanish

Yes

Yes

Vietnam

Vietnamese

Yes

Yes

Western Sahara

Spanish, Arabic

Yes

Yes

Yemen

Arabic

Yes

Yes

Yugoslavia

Serbo Croatian

Yes

Yes

Zaire

French

Yes

No

Zambia

English

No

Yes

Zimbabwe

English

No

Yes