English language requirements

All courses at the University of Southampton are taught in English. To study here, you must show that your English language proficiency meets our requirements.

This page explains the different ways you can do this.

Each course has its own English language proficiency requirement, expressed as an English language band (A to I) and its International English Language Testing System (IELTS) equivalent. Your offer letter will tell you which band you need to meet. 

We will consider your full application and all your supporting documents when we assess your English language proficiency.

We may ask for additional evidence if we have any concerns about your standard of English.

If you're from a majority English-speaking country

If you are from a majority English-speaking country you do not need to provide evidence of your English language proficiency. 

However, you’ll need to meet our minimum academic standard of English. 

This is usually:

• GCSE English Language at grade 4 or C (or equivalent) 

Some courses require a higher level. To find the minimum English language requirement for your course, check the course page entry requirements.

Accepted English language tests and qualifications

We accept the following English language tests and qualifications for entry to our degree courses.

Pre-sessional English courses

If you do not meet the entry English language proficiency requirement for your course you may be able to take one of our pre-sessional English courses.

To apply for an in-person pre-sessional course, you need to provide evidence of your English language proficiency by taking one of our approved SELT English language tests.

You need to take a SELT:

• if you need a Student visa and
• you need to take a pre-sessional English course

To apply for an online pre-sessional course, you can provide evidence of your English language proficiency by taking any of our approved English language tests.

View the English language band requirements for pre-sessional courses.

Other ways to meet our English language requirements

If you're applying for an undergraduate degree and do not have one of the listed qualifications, we may accept other evidence of your English language ability.

Studying in an English‑speaking school

Studying outside the UK

If you completed your final 4 years of secondary school outside the UK, and you were taught and assessed in English, we may accept this. 

You will usually need to provide an official letter from your school. The letter must:

1. confirm your course was taught and assessed entirely in English
2. be on official headed paper
3. include a signature, stamp and date 

Studying in the UK

If you completed your final 2 years of secondary school in the UK, we may accept this. You will not usually need to provide a letter.

Degrees taught and assessed in English

If you completed an undergraduate degree that was taught and assessed in English, we may accept this as evidence of your English language proficiency. 

The evidence you need to provide will depend on how recently you completed your degree in relation to your course start date at Southampton.

Degrees completed within 2 years of your course start date

If your degree was taught outside the UK, you must provide one of the following:

• a transcript or certificate confirming the degree was taught and assessed in English
• an official letter from your institution

If you provide a letter, it must:

1. confirm your course was taught and assessed entirely in English
2. be on official headed paper
3. include a signature, stamp and date  

If your degree was taught in the UK, you must provide a transcript or certificate showing the name of the awarding UK university.

Degrees completed between 2 and 5 years before your course start date

If you completed your degree over 2 years ago, you must provide:

1. evidence of your degree
2. additional evidence that you meet our English language requirements

You can do this by doing one of the following:

• taking one of our approved English language tests
• providing evidence of recent professional experience involving regular communication in English

Recent professional experience 

We define recent professional experience as at least 12 months of employment within the last 2 years. 

You must provide a letter from your current or most recent employer.

The letter must:

1. show your proficiency in listening, speaking, reading and writing
2. confirm your employment dates
3. explain how you used English in your role