More than a year after declining Nigerian man's letter, Princeton University removes Nigeria from English test list

• Nigerian students who want to study at Princeton University, United States will no longer be required to take an English language proficiency test
• Nigerian-Canadian academic Dr Olumuyiwa Igbalajobi had first written to the school in 2022 to request an exemption and his letter was declined at that time
• Dr Igbalajobi wrote them a follow-up mail in August 2024, got a positive response and shared with Legit.ng what prompted him to write to the school again

Princeton University, US, has exempted Nigeria from its English language test list.

What this means is that Nigerians who apply to study in the school will not be required to take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) test.

Dr Olumuyiwa's letter to the university in 2022 was declined. Photo Credit: @olumuyiwaayo, Washington Professional Systems
Source: Twitter

Dr Olumuyiwa Igbalajobi, a Nigerian-Canadian academic, excitedly shared the development on X on Wednesday, August 28.

Dr Olumuyiwa's letter to Princeton University declined

Dr Olumuyiwa revealed he had written to Princeton University on August 5, 2022, to request an exemption from the English language test for Nigerian applicants.

However, his request was declined. In August 2024, Dr Olumuyiwa wrote them a follow-up letter and eventually got a positive response.

Princeton University replies Dr Olumuyiwa

Responding to Dr Olumuyiwa's letter, the school said they changed their English language proficiency policy in 2023.

The new policy states that Nigerian applicants won't be required to provide English test scores if the language of instruction for their bachelor's degree is in English.

They would, however, be required to provide a letter or certificate from their Nigerian universities asserting that their medium of instruction is English or "something along those lines."

Alternatively, it must be said on their transcripts that the medium of instruction is English. While attaching an email from the school Dr Olumuyiwa wrote:

"Exciting Update: Princeton University Now Exempts Nigerian and Other English-Speaking African Applicants from English Language Proficiency Test."I first contacted Princeton University on August 5, 2022, requesting an exemption from the English language proficiency test for Nigerian applicants. "At that time, the request was declined. However, after sending a follow-up email last week, I am pleased to share the positive response from Princeton. You can now apply to Princeton without submitting English language proficiency test scores if the language of instruction for your bachelor’s degree is English."

When contacted about his motivation to write a follow-up letter to Princeton University, Dr Olumuyiwa told Legit.ng:

"I had a list for 2 years that I have decided to revisit."

Dr Olumuyiwa had earlier received a similar positive reply from the University of Massachusetts after he wrote to the school.

See Dr Olumuyiwa's tweet below:

People appreciate Dr Olumuyiwa's effort

@Oghenetega55555 said:

"Thank you for all you do, Dr. God bless you. Amen."

@KBosikun said:

"Thank you, sir, for all you do for the academic community."

@kafayatopeyemi1 said:

"Tell me why God will not continue to outpour his blessings on you and all that concerns you👏👏👏."

@IsTechnosoft said:

"Posterity will not forget your kind to humanity, God bless you sir."

@DiekoLore_Oluwa said:

"This is great news Doc. "I hope Scripps can also waive proficiency test for Nigerians 😫."

@sulemanmusa749 said:

"Always representing us. God bless you richly sir 🙏."

@Prince61487175 said:

"Many thanks for this update, Dr."

@SeyiGlobal said:

"Another win. Well done!"

US varsity removes Nigeria from English test

Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that a US university removed Nigeria completely from its English test list after Dr Olumuyiwa's letter to the institution.

Dr Olumuyiwa Igbalajobi, an accomplished scientist, had written to the US varsity on August 7 to advocate for the full exemption of Nigerian applicants after noticing that only some departments in the institution waived the English test for his countrymen.

An excited Dr Olumuyiwa shared the breakthrough on X and the response he got from Florida State University. Dr Olumuyiwa stated that he has written to over 200 universities worldwide to advocate for the exemption of Africans from English-speaking countries and has had success in his advocacy.

Source: Legit.ng