TOEFL Vocabulary: Institutions and policy 40 medium-tier words, each with a short plain-English definition, followed by a quick quiz to check what stuck.
Test Ninjas Research · Updated October 1, 2026
Committees, mandates, guidelines and incentives: the words for how organizations make and enforce decisions. They appear in campus policy notices as well as academic texts, and they are useful when an email or discussion asks you to propose a change.
Most useful for: Read in Daily Life · Listen to an Announcement · Write an Email · Academic Discussion .
Institutions and policy is one of the medium themes in our
TOEFL vocabulary list , where you can also find how the tiers work.
The 40 words Institutions and policy — Medium tier # Word Meaning Tier 1 agency an organization serving a particular purpose Medium 2 authority the power or right to make decisions Medium 3 benefit an advantage gained from an action Medium 4 budget a plan for spending available money Medium 5 committee a group assigned to consider a matter Medium 6 compliance acting according to a rule or request Medium 7 consent agreement to let something happen Medium 8 contract a formal agreement between parties Medium 9 convention an accepted practice or formal gathering Medium 10 coordinate to organize separate efforts together Medium 11 delegate to give a task to another person Medium 12 enforce to make people follow a rule Medium 13 ethics principles used to judge right action Medium 14 facility a place or equipment serving a purpose Medium 15 funding money provided to support a project Medium 16 guideline advice about how to act Medium 17 incentive something that encourages an action Medium 18 initiative a new effort started to address a need Medium 19 institution an established organization or practice Medium 20 mandate an official order or assigned responsibility Medium 21 negotiate to discuss terms in search of agreement Medium 22 obligation a duty that must be fulfilled Medium 23 official a person with a formal position Medium 24 operate to function or manage an activity Medium 25 organization people structured around a common purpose Medium 26 oversight supervision of a process or institution Medium 27 policy a set of principles guiding decisions Medium 28 priority something given attention before other things Medium 29 program an organized set of related activities Medium 30 proposal a plan offered for consideration Medium 31 protocol a set of rules for a procedure Medium 32 regulate to control through rules or standards Medium 33 regulation an official rule governing conduct Medium 34 representative a person acting for others Medium 35 responsibility a duty to act or account for results Medium 36 stakeholder a person or group affected by a decision Medium 37 strategy a planned approach to a long-term goal Medium 38 transparent easy for others to see or understand Medium 39 voluntary done by choice rather than requirement Medium 40 waive to give up a requirement or right Medium
Self-check: match the meaning Cover the table above. Here are 8 of the 40 institutions and policy words, starting with agency : choose the word each definition describes.
an organization serving a particular purpose agency facility priority responsibility Show answer A. agency
acting according to a rule or request institution compliance regulation waive Show answer B. compliance
to give a task to another person operate transparent delegate committee Show answer C. delegate
advice about how to act program benefit coordinate guideline Show answer D. guideline
to discuss terms in search of agreement negotiate representative contract funding Show answer A. negotiate
supervision of a process or institution voluntary oversight ethics mandate Show answer B. oversight
a set of rules for a procedure budget initiative protocol organization Show answer C. protocol
a person or group affected by a decision convention official proposal stakeholder Show answer D. stakeholder
Using institutions and policy words on the test In Read in Daily Life, words like budget and delegate tell you what a notice or email wants you to do, so read them as clues to the writer's purpose. In Listen to an Announcement, initiative and organization tend to mark the key change or instruction, so note them when you hear them. In the Academic Discussion, regulate and voluntary can make your position precise; use them in a sentence that also gives a reason. In Write an Email, use compliance or ethics only where it states your request or point exactly. Other medium themes
Previous ← Society and economy Next Living systems and ecology → Frequently Asked Questions How many words are in the institutions and policy list? + 40, from agency to waive, all in the medium tier of our TOEFL list. The self-check quiz on this page tests 8 of them, beginning with agency.
Where do institutions and policy words appear on the TOEFL? + Language like this is most useful in Read in Daily Life, Listen to an Announcement, Academic Discussion and Write an Email. These are general academic words worth recognizing quickly and using when they fit.
Which institutions and policy words should I learn first? + Start with compliance (acting according to a rule or request); guideline (advice about how to act); oversight (supervision of a process or institution). In Read in Daily Life, words like budget and delegate tell you what a notice or email wants you to do, so read them as clues to the writer's purpose.