English language entry requirements

Regardless of your nationality or country of residence, you must demonstrate a level of English language competency which will enable you to succeed in your studies.

Degree requirements

English language requirements vary between degrees.

Find the specific requirements for your chosen degree in our degree finder.

Undergraduate degree finder

Unless a higher level is specified in the published entry requirements in our degree finder, you will need a pass in English at the following grades or higher:

National 5 at C
GCSE/IGCSE at C or 4
Level 2 Certificate at C (Level 2 Functional Skills English is not accepted for entry)
IB Standard Level at 5 (English ab initio is not accepted for entry)
IB Middle Years Programme English Language and Literature at 5

Accepted qualifications

We also accept a wide range of international English qualifications and English language tests.

The qualifications we accept meet both the English language proficiency requirements listed above and the minimum standards for Student visas.

If you have already met our English language entry requirements for your degree at the time you apply, your application may be considered more competitive in selection than applications where you still need to take an English language test.

Unless you are a national of a majority English speaking country, your English language qualification must be no more than three and a half years old from the start of the month in which the degree you are applying to study begins. If you are using an IELTS, PTE Academic (2025 entry applicants only, not accepted for 2026 entry), TOEFL, Trinity ISE, or Oxford ELLT test, it must be no more than two years old on the first of the month in which the degree begins, regardless of your nationality.

The English language requirements for MBChB Medicine and BVM&S Veterinary Medicine may be higher than the levels listed below. For more information, please check your country's qualification page or contact us using our undergraduate enquiry form.

International qualifications by country

Two year expiry

IELTS Academic / IELTS Academic for UKVI and IELTS Academic Online	International English Language Testing System (internet-based or at any IELTS test centre) English requirements must be met in a single test. We do not accept IELTS One Skill Retake, IELTS General, IELTS for UKVI General or IELTS Life Skills for UKVI to meet our English language requirements.
PTE Academic (Only accepted for 2025 entry applicants. We will not accept PTE Academic for entry from 2026 onwards. We do not accept PTE Academic Online.)	In person at any Pearson test centre.
TOEFL-iBT (including Home Edition)	Internet-based or Paper Edition Test of English as a Foreign Language English requirements must be met in a single test. We do not accept TOEFL MyBest Score to meet our English language requirements.
Trinity ISE	Trinity Integrated Skills in English
Oxford ELLT Global and Oxford ELLT Digital	Oxford English Language Level Test

Three and a half year expiry

AP English	English Language and Composition or English Literature and Composition at 3
AS or A level English	English Language; English Language and Literature; or English Literature at C
Austria: Matura / Reifeprufung	English at 2 (gut) in both written and oral exams
Botswana GCSE English (BGCSE)	Grade C
Brunei O Level English Language	Grade C
C1 Advanced, formerly known as Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE)	Overall score of 176 with 162 in each component
C2 Proficiency, formerly known as Cambridge English: Proficiency (CPE)	Overall score of 176 with 162 in each component
Cambridge O Level English Language	Grade C
Cambridge Pre-U English	Literature in English (Principal) at M3 or above
Cameroonian O Level English Language	Grade C
Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate English A plus English B	English Language at 3
Certificate of Nile International Secondary Level 1 English	Grade C
Denmark: Studentereksamen	English A or English B at 7
European Baccalaureate	Either: L1 English - 6.0 L2 English - 7.0 L3 English - 7.5
Finland: Ylioppilastutkinto / Studentexamen	Grade M / 5 (magna cum laude approbatur)
France: French Baccalaureate General (2021 entry onwards)	Langue vivante A (Anglais) – 14
France: Option International du Baccalaureat (British/American version) / Baccalauréat Français International (BFI)	English Language and Literature at 12; or Cultural and Linguistic Enrichment at 12
Gatehouse ESOL International (Classic)	Level 2 or Level 3
General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) English Language / Pearson GCSE English Language 2.0	GCSE English Language at C / 4 GCSE English Literature is not accepted.
Germany: Abitur	English at 12 (Gut) when taken as a Hauptfach / Leistungskurs / Kur smit erhohtem Anforderungsniveau
Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE)	English Language at Level 4 overall and Level 4 in each component
International Baccalaureate English A or B	Standard Level 5 or Higher Level 4 (ab initio is not accepted)
International Baccalaureate Standard Level English Literature and Performance	Standard Level 5
International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme English Language and Literature	Grade 5 where a C/4 is required at GCSE
International General Certificate of Secondary Education (iGCSE) English	Grade C / 4. All First or Second Language iGCSE English qualifications are accepted. iGCSE English literature qualifications are not accepted.
IEB International Secondary Certificate (IEB ISC)	Grade 4 in English as First/Home Language
Indian CBSE or CISCE	Class XII English at 75%
Ireland: Irish Leaving Certificate	Grade O4 or H4
Malaysian SPM English plus Cambridge GCE O Level English 1119	Grade C
Malaysian SPM English	CEFR C1
Malta: MATSEC	Intermediate Level English Language at B
Mauritius O Level English Language	Grade C
Netherlands: VWO Diploma	Grade 7
Norway: Vitnemål fra den Videregaende Skole	Core English Grade 4
Pakistani O Level English Language	Grade C
Poland: Matura	English at Advanced Level in the 60th percentile and a score of 70% in the oral exam
Rwandan O Level English Language	Grade C
Singapore Cambridge GCE A levels	Higher 1, Higher 2, or Higher 3 English in Literature, or Higher 2 English Language and Linguistics at C
Singapore Integrated Programme / NUS High School Diploma	Secondary 4 English or Language Arts at Grade Point 2.0
South African National Senior Certificate English	Grade 4 when studied as Home/First Language
SQA Intermediate 1 English	Grade A
SQA Intermediate 2 English	Grade C
SQA National 5 English	Grade C. National 5 English and National 5 ESOL are accepted.
SQA Standard Grade English	Grade 3
SQA Higher English	Grade C. Higher English and Higher ESOL are accepted.
SQA Higher National Qualifications	Higher National Certificate (HNC) or Higher National Diploma (HND)
Sweden: Slutbetyg/Examensbevis från Gymnasieskolan – English	English 7 at Grade C (VG)
Uganda Certificate of Education	Grade 2 English
West African Senior School Certificate Examination – English (from 2025 entry)	Grade B3 or above (B2 or above for entry to Medicine)
Zimbabwean O Level English Language	Grade C

Applicants undertaking mandatory military service

We understand that applicants from Singapore are required to complete mandatory military service. If you began your military service immediately after completing school, the three and a half year expiry period for your qualification will apply from the point you finished school, providing that you were taught and assessed in English.

This extension does not apply if you are using IELTS, TOEFL and Trinity ISE to meet English language requirements.

Foundation English for Academic Purposes

We also accept satisfactory completion of all Foundation English for Academic Purposes (FEAP) modules in our International Foundation Programme in Arts, Humanities and Social Science as meeting our English language requirements.

Access programmes delivered in Scottish Colleges

We accept satisfactory completion of all Access programmes delivered in Scottish Colleges (including Scottish Wider Access Programme) as meeting our English language requirements.

Certificates

We will need to verify your qualifications and/or test results. If your certificates are not in English you will also need to submit a certified translation.

Submitting your qualification certificates

Students who require a visa to study in the UK

In addition to our English language proficiency requirements, the UK Home Office sets its own minimum standards for applicants who require a Student visa to study in the UK. Our English language entry requirements are set at a level that will also meet the English language proficiency requirements of the UK Home Office.

If you require a Student visa to study in the UK, the English qualification that you use for admission to an undergraduate degree must be included in our list of accepted qualifications, unless you are a national of a majority English speaking country as defined by UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI).

UKVI majority English speaking countries

English Language Education/International Foundation Programme

If you are interested in our English language programmes as preparation for degree entry, or our International Foundation Programme in Arts, Humanities and Social Science you must have an approved secure English language test (SELT) for entry. Our approved SELTs meet our English language proficiency requirements and the minimum standard for Student visas.

English Language Education

International Foundation Programme in Arts, Humanities and Social Science

UKVI approved test centres