Towards a Sustainable Multidimensional Approach to English Proficiency Proof in the Post-Pandemic Era: Learning from the Legacy of COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic has created unprecedented impacts on higher education, particularly on the admission of international applicants required to submit English proficiency proof (EPP). To learn from the legacy of COVID-19, this study examines 77 top-ranking higher education institutions’ (HEI) changing practices regarding EPP across two application rounds in 2020 and 2021. Given that HEIs function as test users in the admission process, we adopted the construct of test utilisation to inform data analysis. Findings suggest a trend of HEIs embracing newly emerging at-home online tests and combining traditional standardised tests with other options, such as online interviews and/or inhouse placement or diagnostic tests; such approaches extended the enrolment timeline. Thus, the study demonstrates the enriched scope of test utilisation and proposes a sustainable multidimensional approach to EPP for higher-education admissions in the postpandemic era featuring digital and temporal elements. Practical implications for university admissions are also discussed.