Is the TOEFL is a must or IELTS is accepted too? and what score is required?

Each college and university has different requirements. While the TOEFL is the industry standard like the SAT, other tests like Duolingo, IELTS, and Cambridge assessment may be permissable.

So what should you do?

1.) Research which English proficiency examinations are accepted by the school you are applying to. That is available on their websites for undergraduate requirements for international students.

2.) If a school allows both TOEFL and IELTS, then figure out which one is more suitable for your learning style and focus on that.

3.) At the same time, figure out which test is more readily available, cost-effective, and easy to access the results from.

I heard Duolingo is really the easiest to work with because you can take the test from home without going to a test center. It is a reasonable cost ($49 USD) with quick results. I've included a link with the nearly 1500 colleges that accept Duolingo. If your target schools are on this list, I would go with Duolingo.

Target Scores would be:

TOEFL - 100+ score, 105-110 ideally

IELTS - 7.0, 7.5-8.0 Ideally

Cambridge - either C2 or C1

Duolingo - 125+, 140 ideally.

https://englishtest.duolingo.com/institutions

The requirement for either TOEFL or IELTS depends on the institution or organization to which you are applying. Some institutions accept both TOEFL and IELTS, while others may only accept one of them. You should check with the specific institution or organization to which you are applying to determine which exam they require.

In terms of the score required, again, this depends on the institution or organization. Different institutions may have different minimum score requirements for each exam. It's important to check with the institution or organization to which you are applying to determine the specific score required. Typically, the minimum score required for TOEFL is 80-100, and for IELTS it is 6-7.5, but these requirements can vary widely depending on the institution or organization.

https://search.aeccglobal.com/article/india/ielts-6-band-universities-in-the-usa