Entry requirements

Source: https://www.leeds.ac.uk/international-applying/doc/entry-requirements Parent: https://www.leeds.ac.uk/international-students

To study at Leeds, you’ll need to meet the academic entry requirements for your course and have a recognised English language qualification.

Course requirements

Use our Course Search to find the academic and English language entry requirements for your course. Check the accepted qualifications for your country or region.

If you have any questions about your qualifications, email the International Office at internationaloffice@leeds.ac.uk.

English language requirements

IELTS (International English Language Testing System)

We specify English language requirements in terms of IELTS. We accept both IELTS Academic and IELTS for UKVI (United Kingdom Visas and Immigration) (Academic). The test must be taken at a test centre.

We cannot accept results from an IELTS test that is over two years old at the start date of the course you intend to study. You must meet the requirements through a single IELTS test, or via a single test and One Skill Retake.

We also accept a range of other English language qualifications, which are listed in the next section.

Minimum requirements by study level

The following are the minimum English language requirements for each level of study. Some of our courses have higher English language requirements.

Check the entry requirements for your course via Course Search or, for postgraduate research programmes, the relevant faculty graduate school website.

We offer pre-sessional English courses to improve your academic English language level and help you prepare for study in the UK. You may be able to use a pre-sessional to meet the English language requirement for your course.

International Foundation Year

See the English language requirements for our International Foundation Year.

Undergraduate degrees

IELTS Academic or IELTS for UKVI (Academic): 6.0 overall with no less than 5.5 in each component.
TOEFL iBT (Test of English as a Foreign Language Internet-Based Test): 80 overall and no less than 17 in listening, 18 in reading, 20 in speaking and 19 in writing. We cannot accept results from a test that is over two years old at the start date of the course you intend to study. You must meet the requirements through a single TOEFL iBT test taken in a test centre. We do not accept TOEFL MyBest scores or the TOEFL iBT Paper Edition.
PTE (Pearson Test of English) Academic or PTE Academic UKVI: 60 overall with no less than 59 in each component. We cannot accept results from these tests that are over two years old at the start date of the course you intend to study. We do not accept PTE Academic Online.
LanguageCert Academic or LanguageCert Academic SELT (Secure English Language Test): 65 overall with no less than 60 in each component. We cannot accept results from these tests that are over two years old at the start date of the course you intend to study. The test must have been taken in a test centre.
Oxford ELLT (English Language Level Test) Global: 6 overall with no less than 5 in each component. We cannot accept results from a test that is over two years old at the start date of the course you intend to study.
Oxford Test of English Advanced: 126 overall with no less than 111 in each component. We accept results from the full test of all four components or from individual tests of each component. We cannot accept results from a test that is over two years old at the start date of the course you intend to study.
A suitable Cambridge English qualification: 169 overall with no less than 162 in each component. The grade that you need for your course will determine which qualification you should take: B1 Preliminary, B2 First, C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency. Check which qualification is relevant to your required grade on the Cambridge English website.
Trinity College London ISE (Integrated Skills in English): Pass in ISE II or above. We cannot accept results from this test that are over two years old at the start date of the course you intend to study.
NCUK English for Academic Purposes (EAP): C overall with no less than D in each component. We cannot usually accept results from this test that are over two years old at the start date of the course you intend to study.
NCUK English for Academic Purposes for Proficient Users (EAPPU): C overall with no less than D in each component. We cannot usually accept results from this test that are over two years old at the start date of the course you intend to study.
Study Group Academic English Skills (AES): 60% overall with no less than 50% in each component.
GCSE English Language or IGCSE English as a First or Second Language: C or 4. GCSE English Literature may be considered in certain circumstances for some courses.
A-level or AS-level English Language or English Literature:C.
National 5 English: C.
Scottish Higher or Advanced Higher English Language or English Literature: C.
AP (Advanced Placement) English Language and Composition or English Literature and Composition: 3.
IB (International Baccalaureate):English A (first language) Literature or Language and Literature – 4 at higher level (HL) or 5 at standard level (SL). English B (second language) – 5 at HL or SL. English B is not accepted at SL for courses with an IELTS requirement of 7.0 or above. English Literature and Performance and English Ab Initio are not accepted.
A minimum of two years of study in the UK to complete an undergraduate degree.
A minimum of two years of study at a Russell Group university’s overseas campus to complete an undergraduate degree where the medium of instruction was English.
For overseas doctors registered with the NHS, we will accept this as evidence of your English language ability for courses requiring an IELTS up to 6.5 overall. For courses with a higher requirement, acceptance will be at the discretion of the course admissions team.
We may accept an English language qualification from your country, which you can find among our international admissions qualifications.

Masters degrees

IELTS Academic or IELTS for UKVI (Academic): 6.5 overall with no less than 6.0 in each component.
TOEFL iBT (Test of English as a Foreign Language Internet-Based Test): 88 overall with no less than 19 in listening, 20 in reading, 22 in speaking and 21 in writing. We cannot accept results from a test that is over two years old at the start date of the course you intend to study. You must meet the requirements through a single TOEFL iBT test taken in a test centre. We do not accept TOEFL MyBest scores or the TOEFL iBT Paper Edition.
PTE (Pearson Test of English) Academic or PTE Academic UKVI: 64 overall with no less than 60 in each component. We cannot accept results from these tests that are over two years old at the start date of the course you intend to study. We do not accept PTE Academic Online.
LanguageCert Academic or LanguageCert Academic SELT (Secure English Language Test): 70 overall with no less than 65 in each component. We cannot accept results from these tests that are over two years old at the start date of the course you intend to study. The test must have been taken in a test centre.
Oxford ELLT (English Language Level Test) Global: 7 overall with no less than 6 in each component. We cannot accept results from a test that is over two years old at the start date of the course you intend to study.
Oxford Test of English Advanced: 140 overall with no less than 126 in each component. We accept results from the full test of all four components or from individual tests of each component. We cannot accept results from a test that is over two years old at the start date of the course you intend to study.
A suitable Cambridge English qualification: 176 overall with no less than 169 in each component. The grade that you need for your course will determine which qualification you should take: B2 First, C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency. Check which qualification is relevant to your required grade on the Cambridge English website.
Trinity College London ISE (Integrated Skills in English): Pass in ISE II or above. We cannot accept results from this test that are over two years old at the start date of the course you intend to study.
NCUK English for Academic Purposes (EAP): B overall with no component less than C. We cannot usually accept results from this test that are over two years old at the start date of the course you intend to study.
NCUK English for Academic Purposes for Proficient Users (EAPPU): B overall with no component less than C.
GCSE English Language or IGCSE English as a First or Second Language: C/4. GCSE English Literature may be considered in certain circumstances for some courses.
A-level or AS-level English Language or English Literature: C.
National 5 English: C.
Scottish Higher or Advanced Higher English Language or English Literature: C.
AP (Advanced Placement) English Language and Composition or English Literature and Composition: 3.
IB (International Baccalaureate): English A (first language) Literature or Language and Literature – 4 at higher level (HL) or 5 at standard level (SL). English B (second language) – 5 at HL or SL. English B is not accepted at SL for courses with an IELTS requirement of 7.0 or above. English Literature and Performance and English Ab Initio are not accepted.
A minimum of two years of study in the UK to complete an undergraduate degree.
A minimum of two years of study at a Russell Group university’s overseas campus to complete an undergraduate degree where the medium of instruction was English.
A minimum of one year of study in the UK to complete a Masters degree.
For overseas doctors registered with the NHS, we will accept this as evidence of your English language ability for courses requiring an IELTS up to 6.5 overall. For courses with a higher requirement, acceptance will be at the discretion of the course admissions team.
We may accept an English language qualification from your country, which you can find among our international admissions qualifications.

Research degrees

IELTS Academic or IELTS for UKVI (Academic): 6.0 overall with no less than 5.5 in each component.
TOEFL iBT (Test of English as a Foreign Language Internet-Based Test): 80 overall and no less than 17 in listening, 18 in reading, 20 in speaking and 19 in writing. We cannot accept results from a test that is over two years old at the start date of the course you intend to study. You must meet the requirements through a single TOEFL iBT test taken in a test centre. We do not accept TOEFL MyBest scores or the TOEFL iBT Paper Edition.
PTE (Pearson Test of English) Academic or PTE Academic UKVI: 60 overall with no less than 59 in each component. We cannot accept results from these tests that are over two years old at the start date of the course you intend to study. We do not accept PTE Academic Online.
LanguageCert Academic or LanguageCert Academic SELT (Secure English Language Test): 65 overall with no less than 60 in each component. We cannot accept results from these tests that are over two years old at the start date of the course you intend to study. The test must have been taken in a test centre.
Oxford ELLT (English Language Level Test) Global: 6 overall with no less than 5 in each component. We cannot accept results from a test that is over two years old at the start date of the course you intend to study.
Oxford Test of English Advanced: 126 overall with no less than 111 in each component. We accept results from the full test of all four components or from individual tests of each component. We cannot accept results from a test that is over two years old at the start date of the course you intend to study.
A suitable Cambridge English qualification: 169 overall with no less than 162 in each component. The grade that you need for your course will determine which qualification you should take: B1 Preliminary, B2 First, C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency. Check which qualification is relevant to your required grade on the Cambridge English website.
Trinity College London ISE (Integrated Skills in English): Pass in ISE II or above. We cannot accept results from this test that are over two years old at the start date of the course you intend to study.
NCUK English for Academic Purposes (EAP): C overall with no less than D in each component. We cannot usually accept results from this test that are over two years old at the start date of the course you intend to study.
NCUK English for Academic Purposes for Proficient Users (EAPPU): C overall with no less than D in each component. We cannot usually accept results from this test that are over two years old at the start date of the course you intend to study.
Study Group Academic English Skills (AES): 60% overall with no less than 50% in each component.
GCSE English Language or IGCSE English as a First or Second Language: C or 4. GCSE English Literature may be considered in certain circumstances for some courses.
A-level or AS-level English Language or English Literature:C.
National 5 English: C.
Scottish Higher or Advanced Higher English Language or English Literature: C.
AP (Advanced Placement) English Language and Composition or English Literature and Composition: 3.
IB (International Baccalaureate):English A (first language) Literature or Language and Literature – 4 at higher level (HL) or 5 at standard level (SL). English B (second language) – 5 at HL or SL. English B is not accepted at SL for courses with an IELTS requirement of 7.0 or above. English Literature and Performance and English Ab Initio are not accepted.
A minimum of two years of study in the UK to complete an undergraduate degree.
A minimum of one year of study in the UK to complete a Masters degree.
For overseas doctors registered with the NHS, we will accept this as evidence of your English language ability for courses requiring an IELTS up to 6.5 overall. For courses with a higher requirement, acceptance will be at the discretion of the course admissions team.
We may accept an English language qualification from your country, which you can find among our international admissions qualifications.

Study abroad and exchange programmes

Check the English language requirements for Study abroad.

Pre-sessional English language courses

If you require a Student visa, you will need to have a Secure English Language Test (SELT) unless you are eligible for a combined Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS). See our guidance on visas for Language Centre students. You do not need a SELT if you will study the pre-sessional online.

The minimum grade required in your English language qualification depends on the length of the pre-sessional and the degree you intend to study afterwards. Please check the Language Centre website for further information about entry requirements.

We accept the following SELTs:

IELTS for UKVI (Academic): 4.0 overall with no less than 4.0 in each component.
PTE Academic UKVI: 43 overall with no less than 43 in each component. We cannot accept results from this test that are over two years old at the start date of the course you intend to study.
LanguageCert Academic SELT: 45 overall with no less than 45 in each component. We cannot accept results from these tests that are over two years old at the start date of the course you intend to study.
Trinity College London ISE (Integrated Skills in English): We cannot accept results from this test that are over two years old at the start date of the course you intend to study. Please email the Language Centre on pre-sessional@leeds.ac.uk for information about entry requirements.

For students who do not need a SELT, we also accept the following qualifications:

IELTS Academic: 4.0 overall with no less than 4.0 in each component.
TOEFL iBT (Test of English as a Foreign Language Internet-Based Test): 50 overall with no less than 9 in reading, 12 in listening, 16 in speaking and 13 in writing. We cannot accept results from a test that is over two years old at the start date of the course you intend to study. You must meet the requirements through a single TOEFL iBT test taken in a test centre. We do not accept TOEFL MyBest scores or the TOEFL iBT Paper Edition.
PTE (Pearson Test of English) Academic: 43 overall with no less than 43 in each component. We cannot accept results from these tests that are over two years old at the start date of the course you intend to study. We do not accept PTE Academic Online.
LanguageCert Academic: 45 overall with no less than 45 in each component. We cannot accept results from these tests that are over two years old at the start date of the course you intend to study.
Oxford ELLT (English Language Level Test) Global: 2 overall with no less than 2 in each component. We cannot accept results from a test that is over two years old at the start date of the course you intend to study.
Oxford Test of English Advanced: 82 overall with no less than 82 in each component. We accept results from the full test of all four components or from individual tests of each component. We cannot accept results from a test that is over two years old at the start date of the course you intend to study.
A suitable Cambridge English qualification: The grade that you need for your course will determine which qualification you should take. B1 Preliminary and B2 First are most relevant to our entry requirements but we also accept C1 Advanced and C2 Proficiency. Check which qualification is relevant to your required grade on the Cambridge English website.
Study Group Academic English Skills (AES): Please email the Language Centre on pre-sessional@leeds.ac.uk for information about entry requirements.
GCSE English Language or IGCSE English as a First or Second Language: GCSE English Literature may be considered in certain circumstances. Please email the Language Centre on pre-sessional@leeds.ac.uk for information about entry requirements.
IB (International Baccalaureate): English A (first language) Literature or Language and Literature – 3 at higher level (HL) or standard level (SL). English B (second language) – 3 at HL or SL. English Literature and Performance and English Ab Initio are not accepted.

Comparing grade requirements between IELTS and other English language tests

If you have taken or plan to take TOEFL iBT (Test of English as a Foreign Language Internet-Based Test), PTE (Pearson Test of English) Academic, LanguageCert Academic, Oxford ELLT (English Language Level Test) Global or a Cambridge English qualification, select the IELTS requirements for your course from the following list to view the equivalent grades that we require.

For other qualifications, check the course entry requirements or contact the course admissions team for guidance.