English Language Proficiency

The University of Southampton holds a sponsor licence issued by the Home Office, permitting us to recruit students who require a visa to study in the UK. In addition to the University’s own English language requirements, the UK Home Office sets its own minimum standards for applicants requiring a visa to study in the UK.

If you are required to study the University’s Pre-sessional English course, you must obtain a UKVI approved Secure English Language Test (SELT) such as IELTS. A full list of UKVI approved SELTs can be found listed below.

If you are studying above degree level i.e. Bachelor’s level or higher or are not required to pass the University’s Pre-sessional English course for entry on to your substantive programme, you may take any of the tests or qualifications listed on this webpage.

If you are from a majority English-speaking country (as defined by the Home Office) you must have at least a GCSE grade 4 or C (or an equivalent qualification) in English Language. Please note that some of our courses require a higher level of English language proficiency, so please check our individual course pages for full details. This webpage also sets out the alternative qualifications we accept if you don’t possess a GCSE in English Language.

If you are from a non-majority English-speaking country, you can meet the English Language requirements of a course by:

• taking one of our Pre-sessional English courses and achieving a pass at the required IELTS (Academic)-equivalent grade, or ;
• achieving a satisfactory score in an accepted English language test, or ;
• holding an approved academic qualification and achieving the required grade, or ;
• being taught and assessed in English. 

Pre-sessional courses are a way to develop your English for academic purposes before starting a degree at Southampton. Successfully passing one means that you will meet the English conditions of your offer. Please note the Pre-sessional is not accepted for all courses.

You can find more information about what the Pre-sessional courses cover and how to apply for a course on our Pre-sessional English courses webpage. You can also find more information about the Pre-sessional entry requirements in the Useful downloads section at the bottom of this page.

All English Language Tests must be dated within the two years immediately preceding the course start date as set out in your offer letter. Applicants whose tests fall outside this timescale will need to retake a Southampton approved English language test.

The University will consider the most recent test undertaken to be the most accurate representation of a student's current ability.

We are unable to combine scores from multiple tests, as we require all applicants to meet the requirements through one sitting of a test. The University will not consider composite component scores from multiple test instances as evidence of achieving a English Language requirements. The only exception to this is the IELTS One Skill Retake, which updates the initial scoring when presented together with the IELTS Academic test result.

The following English language tests are accepted for entry to our degree courses.

UKVI Secure English Language Tests

• IELTS Academic UKVI SELT (including One Skill retake)
• Pearson Test of English (PTE) Academic UKVI SELT
• LanguageCert Academic UKVI SELT
• Skills for English UKVI SELT
• Trinity Integrated Skills in English (ISE) UKVI SELT

Tests taken at a test centre:

• IELTS Academic (including One Skill Retake)
• TOEFL iBT
• Pearson Test of English Academic
• LanguageCert Academic (non-SELT)
• C2 Proficiency (formerly known as Cambridge English: Proficiency CPE)
• C1 Advanced (formerly known as Cambridge English: Advanced CAE)

Online English Language Tests:

• Duolingo English Test
• IELTS Online
• LanguageCert Academic Online
• TOEFL iBT Home Edition

All scores will be verified with the test provider before they are accepted.

We will not normally insist that you provide an English Language Test if you have taken one of the following qualifications to at least the standard indicated, no more than three years before the proposed date of enrolment.

UK qualifications

For IGCSE English requirements, see the section International Qualifications below.

European Qualifications

International Qualifications  

We also accept the following tests:

• Bellerby's Academic English Skills (AES) module
• Northern Consortium English Exams EAP (NCUK EAP Global)
• OnCampus Test of English (OCTOE)
• University of Reading Test in English for Education Purposes (TEEP)
• Warwick International Foundation Programme.

You must achieve a pass at the required IELTS Academic equivalent grade for your course. You can find a table of grade equivalencies in the Useful downloads section.

• If you are applying for an undergraduate course and have not taken one of the above qualifications, but you have studied your final four years of high school in an approved English-speaking institution, we may be able to accept this as evidence of your English language ability.
• If you have successfully completed a degree taught and assessed in English up to two years preceding the date of first enrolment at the University of Southampton, we may be able to accept this as evidence of your English language ability. In the case of degrees taught by two or more partner institutions where the language of instruction of at least one partner is English:
  • for degrees completed entirely outside the UK, at least two years of study must have been taught and assessed in English;  
  • for degrees where at least the final year is completed in the UK, that final year must have been taught and assessed in English.
• If you have been awarded a degree that was fully taught and assessed in English between two and five years prior to the date of first enrolment at the University of Southampton, we will consider whether you meet our English language requirements if you also have recent professional experience in a role that involves regular communication in English.
  • Recent professional experience is a minimum of 12 months employment in the last two years.
  • You should include with your application an official letter from your current/most recent employer that i) provides sufficient evidence demonstrating proficiency at the appropriate standard in each skill area of listening, speaking, reading and writing, ii) the dates of employment and iii) how you have used English in the role.

To evidence any of the above, we require an official letter from the awarding institution confirming that you have been taught and assessed in the medium of English. The letter should be on headed paper, and should be stamped, dated and signed by your institution.

We will consider your whole application and accompanying documents when assessing your English language ability. We reserve the right to ask for additional evidence of English language if we have concerns about an applicant's abilities.

• English Language requirements for Pre-sessional courses (2024-25 entry)
• All bands English language test requirements (2026/27 entry)