Karnataka ranks fourth in India for TOEFL test-taker share

ETS said Karnataka accounted for 9.3% of India’s TOEFL test-takers in 2025-26, ahead of Gujarat’s 9% share and placing fourth among states.

According to ETS, the state’s share rose from 8.1% in 2023-24 to 8.7% in 2024-25. Telangana led with 18.1%, followed by Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh at 15.1% each.

Bengaluru remains a major centre for the English-language test, said Karan Lalit, executive director for South Asia at ETS, which administers TOEFL and GRE. The city ranked fourth among India’s TOEFL iBT test-taking cities in 2021, and third in 2022 and 2023. Mysuru also appeared among the country’s top 10 test-taking cities in 2023.

ETS has more than 60 active institutional partners across Karnataka, including in Bengaluru, Mangaluru, Mysuru, Hubballi and Dharwad. Testing infrastructure is concentrated in Bengaluru, which has four TOEFL test centres. ETS said it is discussing expanded preparation and registration support with universities and colleges across the state.