Providing advanced training to individuals in specialized disciplinary areas is one of the primary purposes of universities' graduate programs. Typically these programs are selective and require that a number of criteria be met, such as successful completion of undergraduate education, and a selected range of scores on standardized exams. For international students whose first language is a language other than English, one criterion for admission to U.S. graduate programs is the demonstration of adequate English language proficiency. Usually determined by some type of standardized assessment instrument, English language proficiency is considered by many to be a major factor for international students in their ability to succeed in North American graduate programs. As such, English language proficiency may represent one important criterion used to make high-stakes decisions that grant or deny international entrance to graduate programs at U.S. universities. In this article, the author presents a study which investigates university-wide and discipline-specific language proficiency criteria used for international graduate admissions decisions at a sample of U.S. universities. Questions about types of measures used and provisional admissions policies are also explored. (Contains 3 tables.)