International General Entry Requirements

Academic

Academic

You can see your specific information in our country pages regarding entry requirements and your eligibility. 

Please search for your course and look under the 'key information' tab for specific course requirements.

The University is committed to giving equal consideration to factors other than formal academic qualifications such as work experience and vocational qualifications, so remember to include anything you think is relevant in your application.

Please see the new Alternative English Language Assesssments in place of IELTS tests as test centres are shut.

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English Language

If you are applying from a country where your education is not taught in the English language, then you will need to have a suitable English language qualification for the reasons below:

  • To enable you to understand your lectures
  • To make your life in the UK as a student easier
  • To enable you to perform well in written assessments and examinations
  • To be able to successfully pass your course

We expect applicants to have passed the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) with the following scores:

 
IELTS
No Component Less Than
Pre-Masters Programme
5.5
5.5
Postgraduate
6.0
5.5

 

Please note that all IELTS tests are only valid for 2 years from the date of testing, any qualifications that exceed this will not be accepted. This is a UKVI requirement. Click here to download the guide for acceptable English Language Tests – Undergraduate and Postgraduate.

 

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Where Evidence of English Language proficiency is required, we currently accept the following qualifications for admission onto our courses at degree level or above:

  • GCSE/O-Level in English from a UK awarding body grade C
  • IELTS (Academic) 6.0 for Undergraduate (no less than 5.5 in any component)
  • IELTS (Academic) 6.0 for Postgraduate (no less than 5.5 in any component)
  • Irish Leaving Certificate Ordinary Level English grade C/C3 or above
  • Irish Leaving Certificate Higher Level English grade D/D2 or above
  • IGCSE English as a First Language grade C
  • IGCSE English as a Second Language grade C
  • Internet based TOEFL with an overall score of 80 for Undergraduate and Postgraduate including 17 in Listening, 17 in Writing, 18 in Reading and 20 in Speaking
  • International Baccalaureate (Standard Level grade 5/Higher Level grade 4 in English)
  • Cambridge Advanced English grade C (minimum of “weak” in all four components (listening, reading, speaking and writing)
  • Malaysia UCLES 1119 Syllabus grade C or above
  • Singapore Cambridge O/A level grade C
  • WAEC/NECO grade C6 or above
  • Zambia Second School Certificate grade 6 or above

If you are a national of one of the following countries, or have successfully completed an academic qualification at degree level or above from one of these countries, you may be exempt from submitting further evidence of English language proficiency:

  • Antigua and Barbuda
  • Australia
  • The Bahamas
  • Barbados
  • Belize
  • Dominica
  • Grenada
  • Guyana
  • Ireland
  • Jamaica
  • New Zealand
  • St Kitts and Nevis
  • St Lucia
  • St Vincent and the Grenadines
  • Trinidad and Tobago
  • UK
  • USA

Please see this link: https://www.gov.uk/tier-4-general-visa/knowledge-of-english

You also don’t need to prove your knowledge of English if one of the following apply (Tier 4 Guidance January 2018):

  • You have studied in the UK before as a Tier 4 (Child) student
  • You’re applying to come to the UK for a study abroad programme as part of a University degree course in the USA
  • You’re a national of Canada or any of the countries in the list above

If you have completed an academic qualification, which was taught in one of the above listed countries, you must also submit an original statement of comparability from UK NARIC confirming that the qualification meets or exceeds the level of a UK degree.

For Foundation and Pre-sessional English Language courses, only IELTS for UKVI tests taken at an approved IELTS centre are acceptable for those wishing to apply for a Tier 4 visa. Please see the link for UKVI approved test centres in your region.

For more information on our Pre-sessional courses and the entry requirements please click here.

The English language requirements detailed here are for guidance only. Some courses may have a higher requirement. You should always refer to your offer letter issued by the University as this will detail any English Language requirements specific to the course you have applied for.

If you don't meet these language requirements, we offer English Language programmes from IELTS 4 throughout the year for International students who do not have the required level of English for entry onto one of our programmes. This means that if you do not fulfil the above criteria you may still be given an offer for your chosen programme which will request that you complete an English Language course prior to the start of your degree.

If you have any other English language qualification and would like to know if we accept it please email international@bolton.ac.uk.

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We have the answers to your questions, find all the advice and support in one place.

Part of the University of Bolton Group

Bolton college
Alliance learning
Anderton centre2
QQA Scheme Participant