As an international student have you ever made up your mind to study in UK? The United Kingdom is a dream higher education destination for the students around the world. Among the developed countries the UK offers more flexible study options for overseas students. But if you want to study in UK, you need to fulfill some requirements such as academic, English, and financial requirements.
If you are a student from a non-English speaking country, you must take an English test to prove your English language proficiency to the university authority to get a UK student visa. The UK accepts different types of English tests like IELTS, SELT, PTE, TOEFL, Duolingo etc. Since IELTS is accepted worldwide, most of the universities provide IELTS score requirements for UK on their website. Different UK universities require different IELTS scores for international students. But if you are looking for general IELTS score requirements for UK student visa, hopefully this article will help you a lot.
IELTS Score requirements for UK student visa
To apply for a student visa at first you should know the minimum IELTS score for UK. The minimum IELTS score requirements for a UK student visa is overall 4.0 or above in all the four bands. Fulfilling the IELTS Academic/UKVI IELTS is the mandatory requirements for a student visa in the UK. Your student visa in the UK will only be approved if you meet the English requirements set by the UK universities. However, you should not ask for the minimum IELTS score requirements for UK student visa, you should always try to obtain a good score in IELTS.
Check Your Eligibility!
Minimum IELTS score requirements for UK at different level of study
If you want to pursue a higher education in the UK, you need to obtain a minimum score of IELTS. The score varies from different study levels as well as different universities. But here are the optimal IELTS score requirements for UK that you must obtain to get a UK student visa . So, here it is-
IELTS score requirements for Foundation Programme in UK
If you are not eligible for a direct bachelor programme in UK, then you need to take a foundation course in the UK. It generally takes one year to complete and helps to improve your academic progress and English language skills to successfully progress to an undergraduate programme. The IELTS score requirements for UK international foundation programme is overall 4.5 with not less than 4 in any band.
IELTS score requirements for Bachelor’s Programme in UK
As an international student if you are not a native English speaker you must obtain a required IELTS score to pursue a Bachelor degree in UK. The minimum IELTS score requirement for the UK Bachelor Programme is overall 6 with not less than 5.5 in any band.
IELTS score requirements for Master’s Programme in UK
To pursue a Master’s Programme, the minimum IELTS score requirements for UK is overall 6.5 with not less than 6 in any band. But some universities in the UK also accept an overall 6 IELTS score for Master’s Programme in the UK.
IELTS requirements for UK Universities
IELTS score requirements for UK universities are very rigorous. Different universities require different IELTS scores for international students. So to help you out here we are giving different IELTS requirements for different universities in the UK.
University | IELTS score requirements |
---|---|
IELTS score requirements | Undergraduate- 6/5.5, Postgraduate - 6/5.5 |
University for the Creative Arts | Undergraduate - 6/5.5, Postgraduate - 6.5/5.5 |
Northumbria University Newcastle | Undergraduate - 6/5.5, Postgraduate- 6/5.5 |
Ulster University Birmingham | 6/5.5 for both UG & PG |
Canterbury Christ Church University | Undergraduate - 6/5.5, Postgraduate- 6.5/6 |
University of South Wales | 6/5.5 for both UG & PG |
DE Montfort University | 6.5/6 for both UG & PG (6/5.5 in some cases) |
Birmingham City University | 6/5.5 for both UG & PG |
Robert Gordon University | Undergraduate- 6/5.5, Postgraduate- 6.5/6 |
University of Roehampton London | Undergraduate- 6/5.5, Postgraduate- 6.5/6 |
Swansea University | Undergraduate- 6/5.5, Postgraduate- 6.5/6 |
IELTS test type requirements by UK Universities
There are two different types of IELTS such as IELTS academic and UKVI IELTS. If you want to study in the UK you must need to know the IELTS-type requirements for different UK institutions for different levels of study. So, check out different IELTS score requirements for UK universities from here.
IELTS Academic | UKVI IELTS |
---|---|
Undergraduate Programme | Foundation Level |
Postgraduate Programme | Pre-sessional English Course |
Below degree level course | |
Language course |
Equivalence of TOEFL and IELTS score requirements for UK student visa
If you want to study in the UK or any other English speaking country, you must meet the English requirements set by the university or the government of that country. Since IELTS is accepted internationally most of the universities provide the IELTS score requirements for UK on their website. But you can take other English language proficiency tests like TOEFL. So, here we are giving the equivalency of TOEFL and IELTS score requirements.
IELTS | TOEFL |
---|---|
9 | 118-120 |
8.5 | 115-117 |
8 | 110-114 |
7.5 | 102-109 |
7 | 94-101 |
6.5 | 79-93 |
6 | 60-78 |
5.5 | 46-59 |
5 | 46-59 |
4.5 | 32-34 |
4 | 0-31 |
Final Words
As an international student if you are from a non-English speaking country you must take an English language proficiency test to confirm your eligibility to study at your preferred university. Every university has set their accepted IELTS score. In this article we’ve shared different IELTS score requirements for UK student visas and different levels of study. But if you have any more queries regarding this issue you can always contact AIMS Education for better guidance.
FAQ
How much IELTS score is required for a UK student visa?
Ans: To obtain a student visa the minimum IELTS score requirements for UK is overall 4 or above in all the four bands. But you shouldn’t ask for the lowest score for the UK, you should always try to score well.
Is 5.5 bands eligible for a UK student visa?
Ans:Â If you check the IELTS score requirements for UK, you will find most of the UK universities that accept IELTS score 5.5 for the international foundation programme as well.
Can I study in UK without IELTS?
Ans: To study in the UK, you must take an English language proficiency test if you are from a non-English speaking country. If you don’t have IELTS, you can take other English language tests like TOEFL, PTE, GRE, OIETC, Duolingo etc.
Is 6.0 IELTS score good for UK?
Ans: The minimum IELTS score requirements for UK bachelor programme is overall 6.0. Many universities also accept this score for master’s programmes.
Can I go to UK with 5.5 IELTS?
Ans:Â Yes, many UK universities accept IELTS 5.5 score for the international foundation programme as well.
What are the lowest IELTS score requirements for UK student visa?
Ans:Â To obtain a student visa the minimum IELTS score requirements for UK is overall 4 or above in all the four bands. Fulfilling the IELTS Academic/UKVI IELTS is the mandatory requirements for a student visa in the UK.
Is IELTS score 4.5 good?
Ans: The minimum IELTS score requirements for UK student visa is overall 4.0 or above in all the four bands. IELTS 4.5 is okay for the international foundation programme. But if you want to study for a bachelor or master’s degree in the UK, you need to score well in IELTS.