Our History

ETS was founded in 1947 when the American Council on Education, the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the College Entrance Examination Board contributed their testing programmes, assets and a number of key employees to form an independent non-profit organisation under the leadership of Henry Chauncey.

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The story of ETS begins 70 years ago and lives on today through our mission

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In creating ETS, the founders brought to life a concept proposed a decade earlier by Harvard University President James Conant.

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Conant's belief was that a single organisation devoted to educational research and assessment could make fundamental contributions to the progress of education in the United States.

In 2001 ETS Global B.V. was established to promote ETS tests, build and strengthen relations with educational and assessment leaders in Europe and to offer customised assessments. A few years later ETS Global B.V.’s scope widened to make the TOEIC® programme available in more than 90 countries around the world and in building a network of offices and partners to support test takers and test users locally.

ETS Global B.V. is a company that provides a range of English language tests and tools designed to support language learning. It collaborates with universities and governments to ensure that individuals have access to high-quality education. Moreover, the Company facilitates cross-border cooperation by all ETS’s assessment expertise. Ultimately, ETS Global B.V. is committed to promoting quality and equity education for all individuals, regardless of where they are in the world.

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ETS’s accomplishment

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In the years since 1947, ETS has expanded beyond the frontiers of its parent country to enhance the quality of education available to people in various corners of the world. Highlights include the launch of the GRE® test in the 1940s, the TOEFL® test in the 1960’s and the TOEIC® test in the 1970’s. ETS introduced computer-based testing in the 1990’s and internet-based testing in the first decade of the 21st century. Continuously ETS researchers are at the forefront of foundational research in the field of assessment and educational measurement.