Programme overview
Dates and entry requirements
Course content
Learning and assessment
Our Pre-sessional English language courses are the best way to prepare for study at the University of Southampton. The courses will improve your capability and confidence in using English language in your studies.
Courses
The University of Southampton offers two general English for Academic Purposes Pre-sessional Programmes (11 weeks and 6 weeks) to international students who plan to follow a degree programme at the University.
The aims of these programmes are to:
- Extend your existing English language knowledge and skills to meet the English language requirements of your conditional offer from the University of Southampton
- Develop the academic study skills required for study at university in the UK
In addition to formal teaching and learning, regular social, cultural and language practice activities are offered by student helpers and staff.
- View the programme specification for this course for Pre-sessional 11 weeks (on campus) for 2021 entrants
- View the programme specification for this course for Pre-sessional 6 weeks (on campus) for 2021 entrants
- View the programme specification for this course for Pre-sessional 11 weeks (online) for 2021 entrants
- View the programme specification for this course for Pre-sessional 6 weeks (online) for 2021 entrants
- View the programme specification for this course for Pre-sessional English (16 weeks) for 2021 entrants
- View the programme specification for this course for Pres-sessional English LLM (6 weeks) for 2021 entrants
Tuition fees 2020
| Dates and Fees | 11-Week | 6-Week |
| Dates | 24 June – 9 September 2021 | 22 July to 2 September 2021 |
| Course Fees | £4,620* | £2,550* |
*Fees include learning materials, access to the online EAP tool kit and facilities such as the University libraries and Language Resources Centre.
To apply
To apply for a pre-sessional course, please complete the online application form.
Applicants for a Masters with Preparatory Study at the University of Southampton cannot attend a Pre-sessional English course.
Applicants for a Science or Engineering Foundation year on a non-English Language Pathway can attend Pre-sessional English course A or B.
Applicants for International Foundation Year or a Science or Engineering Foundation year on an English Language Pathway should apply for Pre-sessional for foundation year.
If you have a question or would like further information, please contact our Admissions Team:
By telephone:
+44 23 8059 3344
By email:
elaccess@southampton.ac.uk
By post:
English Language Admissions
Recruitment and Admissions Team
Humanities
University of Southampton
Highfield
SO17 1BJ
Typical entry requirements
English for Academic Purposes 11 weeks
Dates: 24 June – 7 September 2021
Entry requirements vary, based on the conditional offer for your main degree programme. Usual minimum entry requirements are IELTS 1.0 lower than the English Language Condition on your degree offer, and all IELTS scores must be 5.0 or higher, regardless of your degree offer condition. Please contact us for advice on your entry requirements.
English for Academic Purposes 6 weeks
Dates: 22 July – 2 September 2021
Entry requirements vary, based on the conditional offer for your main degree programme. Usual minimum entry requirements are IELTS 1.0 lower than the English Language Condition on your degree offer, and all IELTS scores must be 5.0 or higher, regardless of your degree offer condition. Please contact us for advice on your entry requirements.
For a full list of English language qualifications accepted by the University of Southampton, please visit our English Language requirement website.
Equivalents
| IELTS | PTE | TOEFL |
|---|---|---|
| 5.5 overall with 5.0 in all band scores | 51 overall with 46 in all band score | 72 overall with a minimum of (L15, R14, S19, W16) |
| 5.0 overall with 5.0 in all band scores | 46 overall with 46 in all band score | 63 overall with a minimum of (L15, R14, S19, W16) |
To apply
To apply for a pre-sessional course, please complete the online application form.
Applicants for a Masters with Preparatory Study at the University of Southampton cannot attend a Pre-sessional English course.
Applicants for a Science or Engineering Foundation year on a non-English Language Pathway can attend Pre-sessional English course A or B.
Application deadlines
All applicants are encouraged to apply and complete the application process as soon as possible.
Additionally, applicants who require a visa to study in the UK should allow sufficient time for the processing of a visa application.
| Pre-Sessional Course | Application Deadline |
|---|---|
| 11-week | 3 June 2021 |
| 6-week | 1 July 2021 |
*Applications may close earlier than this deadline if the course is full
Further information on visas and immigration is available on our International website.
The application will be assessed after the IELTS or other English language test results have been provided. If an offer is issued to the applicant they will be required to accept the offer within 14 days. Additionally, an offer will be conditional on the payment of a non-refundable pre-payment of GBP 500.
If you have a question or would like further information, please contact our Admissions Team:
By telephone:
+44 23 8059 3344
By email:
elaccess@southampton.ac.uk
The Pre-sessional Programmes are intensive with approximately 21 sessions of supervised work per week, plus assignments to be completed outside class.
Classroom work focuses on the four skills of academic writing, reading, listening and speaking. You also attend Independent Learning sessions in which you learn the study skills you will need for academic life in the UK.
To further prepare you for study at university, you attend weekly lectures given by members of the University and other specialists on subjects of academic interest and life in Britain.
Academic Reading and Writing
You will have a reading and writing tutor who teaches you academic skills such as:
- planning and structuring your writing effectively
- paraphrasing, summarising, synthesising and using quotations to reference correctly from your sources
- extending your use of academic language
- writing researched essays
- employing suitable research skills and reading strategies to navigate and critically evaluate relevant and reliable sources of information and ideas
- developing a range of comprehension and note-taking strategies to make effective linguistic use of written sources
You will have weekly tutorials with your tutor to discuss your progress and will learn how to use the University libraries.
Academic Listening and Speaking
You will have a listening and speaking tutor who teaches you academic skills such as:
- participating in small group and class discussions
- improving your pronunciation
- planning and delivering academic presentations
- designing effective and correctly referenced Powerpoint slides to support an academic presentation
- listening to others
- recognising ways in which information is organised in a lecture
- identifying and noting key points and supporting points in a lecture
- using your notes to aid exam revision
You will have tutorials with your listening and speaking tutor to discuss your progress.
Independent Learning
You will also have an Independent Learning Facilitator who runs workshops on areas such as:
- recognising your learning styles
- developing language learning strategies
- identifying learning resources (physical and electronic)
- learning how to use University systems, including the BlackBoard Virtual Learning Environment (VLE), and e-Assignments (used for submitting assignments)
- You will have weekly advising sessions with your Independent Learning Facilitator to help you focus on your learning needs.
To apply
To apply for a Pre-sessional course, please complete the online application form.
Further information on visas and immigration is available on our International website.
If you have a question or would like further information, please contact our Admissions Team:
By telephone:
+44 (0) 23 8059 3344
By email:
elaccess@southampton.ac.uk
How will you learn?
The Pre-sessional Programmes are taught by our qualified and experienced teaching staff, who follow University of Southampton syllabi. Your studies will involve taught sessions in reading, writing, listening and speaking. The emphasis is on how to communicate effectively in English.
In addition to classroom sessions with both your reading and writing tutor and your listening and speaking tutor, you will attend weekly independent learning workshops in which you are taught the study skills necessary to succeed in your studies. You will also have weekly tutorials and advising sessions with your tutors and advisers, and attend a weekly lecture.
Assessment
You will complete a number of assessments for reading, writing, listening and speaking, some of which count towards your final Pre-sessional mark. These assessments are designed to prepare you for study on your degree programme.
Examples of assessments include researched writing tasks, reading assignments and listening exams, discussions and presentations.
Please note that there is not a maximum number of successful students who can progress from the Pre-sessional Programmes onto degree programmes. If you complete your Pre-sessional course with the required grade, you will have met the English language requirements of your conditional offer to study at the University of Southampton.
To apply
To apply for a Pre-sessional course, please complete the online application form.
Further information on visas and immigration is available on our International website.
If you have a question or would like further information, please contact our Admissions Team:
By telephone:
+44 (0) 23 8059 3344
By email:
elaccess@southampton.ac.uk