Despite the educational advancements as the world becomes more integrated, the problem of disparity in assessment of academic value still lingers with the criteria for validating foreign students' credentials. This can leave these students unable to further their education at different universities or even different departments within the same university. This qualitative case study explored the efficacy of using Test of English as Foreign language (TOEFL) as a language aptitude test to gain admission into higher educational institutions. Data were collected by means of interviews and questionnaires. NVivo 10® was used to organize and assist in the analysis of the data. Once the data were coded, the coding query and matrix coding query were used to identify possible patterns within the coded data. The analysis showed that differences exist in the way the English proficiency of foreign students is established within and between institutions. The lack of a common assessment system and common standards when examining the English proficiency puts many of these students, especially those from underdeveloped countries, at a disadvantage when attempting to further their education. There exists a number of barriers to creating such a system and will require the efforts of educational leaders to effect change. The study's results will assist student recruitment and admissions, will enable offices to think about the how to best assess the English proficiency of foreign students, as well as the relationship between English language proficiency scores and academic success. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]