English language requirements

If your first language is not English, or you require a Student Visa (previously known as a Tier 4 Visa) to study with us, you will be required to provide evidence of your English Language proficiency. This needs to be one our recognised English Language Tests.

Undergraduate courses

For most of our undergraduate courses, you are required to have an overall IELTS (Academic) score of 6.0 – taken within two years of the start date of your chosen course. You will also need to have at least 5.5 in all of the skills elements:

Reading
Writing
Speaking
Listening

There are some undergraduate courses that require a higher score and these can be found on our individual course listing pages, please check the English requirement needed.

For Hull York Medical School (HYMS) requirements see the HYMS website.

Postgraduate courses

English Language requirements vary for these courses so please check the entry requirements on individual course pages.

Pre-sessional courses

If you do not meet the English Language Requirements, we do offer a range of Pre-Sessional English Language courses. If you require a visa, you must be able to meet to the UKVI requirement of at least CEFR B1 overall and in all skills elements. These must also be one of the Secure English Tests (SELTS) that are approved by the UKVI. Currently these are:

IELTS UKVI (Academic)
LanguageCert ESOL (UKVI) – 4 skill only

All of the above tests are valid for 2 years only and must be valid on the start date of your chosen University course. Find out more about our Pre-Sessional courses.

International Applicants

The University of Hull considers a wide range of English qualifications as evidence of English proficiency. Some of the most common tests and the scoring we accept are:

IELTS Score Equivalency

6.0/5.5

6.5/5.5

6.5/6.0

Hong Kong AS Level English

Grade E overall with Grade E in individual skills

IELTS (Academic Only), IELTS Indicator Test*

6.0/5.5

6.5/5.5

6.5/6.0

Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education

Level 4 overall in English with a minimum of level 3 in each skill

Level 5 overall in English with a minimum of level 3 in each skill

Level 5 overall in English with a minimum of level 4 in each skill

Indian Standard XII English – (Central Board of Education (CBSE), Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE), National Open School

70%

75%

Indian Standard XII English – Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala)

75%

80%

Indian Standard XII English – Maharashtra

70%

75%

LanguageCert International IESOL - High Pass

33/50 in all skills

38/50 in all skills

Malaysia Cambridge 1119 English O Level

Grade C

Grade B

Malaysian University English Test (MUET)

Overall Band 4.5 (minimum 260/360 with at least 65 in all skills

Overall Band 5.0 (minimum 296/360 with at least 74 in all skills)

National Examinations Council (NECO)
Must provide a scratch card

Grade C/6 or above

Grade C/5 or above

Oxford International Test of English (ELLT) –
for tests taken before 16 June 2022*

Overall OIDI 5 (B2+) with a minimum of 4 (B2)

Overall OIDI 6 (C1) with a minimum of (B2)

Overall OIDI 6 (C1) with a minimum of 5 (B2+)

Oxford International Test of English (ELLT) –
for tests taken after 16 June 2022*

Overall OIDI 6 with a minimum of 5 in all skills

Overall OIDI 7 with a minimum of 5 in all skills

Overall OIDI 7 with a minimum of 6 in all skills

Pearson PTE Academic or Academic Online*

Overall of 59 with at least 51 in all skills

Overall 61 with at least 51 in all skills

Overall 61 with at least 54 in all skills

TOEFL iBT or Special Edition Home Test *

IELTS 6.0/5.5 – Overall 60-78 – At least - Reading 10, Listening 9, Speaking 17, Writing 19

IELTS 6.5/5.5 – Overall 79-93 – At least - Reading 10, Listening 9, Speaking 17, Writing 19

IELTS 6.5/6.0 – Overall 79-93 – At least- Reading 15, Listening 15, Speaking 19, Writing 22

West African Education Council (WAEC) Senior School Certificate (SSCE)
Must provide a scratch card

Grade C/6 or above

Grade C/5 or above

Euroexam International

Level B2 - 60% overall with at least 40% in each skill

All UK Boards GCE/ O Level English LanguageIGCSE English as a First Language or Second Language

Grade C

GCSE (all UK Boards) English Language GCSE

Grade C

International Baccalaureate Diploma

SH/HL Grade 5 or above from the following English B, English A: Language & Literature, English A: Literature, English Literature & Performance. (Please note English: ab initio is not accepted).

Kaplan International Tools for English (KITE)*

Overall grade of 436+ - all skills - 396-425

Overall 459+ - all skills 396-425

Euroexam International

Level B2 - 60% overall with at least 40% in each skill

All UK Boards GCE/ O Level English LanguageIGCSE English as a First Language or Second Language

Grade C

GCSE (all UK Boards) English Language GCSE

Grade C

International Baccalaureate Diploma

SH/HL Grade 5 or above from the following English B, English A: Language & Literature, English A: Literature, English Literature & Performance. (Please note English: ab initio is not accepted).

Kaplan International Tools for English (KITE)*

Overall grade of 436+ - all skills - 396-425

Overall 459+ - all skills 396-425

Overall 426+ - all skills 426-458

Northern Consortium UK (NCUK) Ltd

Overall grade B (with minimum B in each skill)

Skills for English - 4 Skill Test

Upper Intermediate B2 (4SB2) - Pass

B2 Communicator - Upper Intermediate B2 (4SB2) - High Pass

Upper Intermediate B2 (4SB2) - High Pass

Trinity Integrated Skills in English Level III*

Pass in all 4 skills

*Denotes test validity of 2 years only from the date the test was taken/certified. This must be in date for the start of the programme.

If you have a qualification that is not listed above, please contact PAT@hull.ac.uk who will be happy to help.

Exemptions from English Language UKVI Requirements

The UKVI has defined the following countries as majority English-speaking; nationals from these countries are normally exempt from providing evidence of proficiency in English Language:

Antigua and Barbuda
Australia
The Bahamas
Barbados
Belize
Canada
Dominica
Grenada
Guyana
Jamaica
New Zealand
St Kitts and Nevis
St Lucia
St Vincent and the Grenadines
Trinidad and Tobago
United States of America

Students who have passed an academic qualification equivalent to a UK degree taken in the UK, the Republic of Ireland or one of the above countries (excluding Canada) are normally exempt from providing evidence of proficiency in English language.