English language requirements for undergraduate applicants
We may ask you to provide a recognised English language qualification depending on your nationality and where you have studied previously.
For majority of our undergraduate courses you must meet our standard English language requirements, but there are a few courses which have different requirements:
- The English language requirements for Medicine and Surgery vary significantly from our standard requirements.
- Some of our undergraduate Science, Mathematics and Social Work courses also have different English language requirements. The English language requirements for each course can be found on the entry requirements tab on our individual course pages.
- If you are a student at another university outside the UK and you are interested in coming to study at Lancaster University as an exchange or a visiting student for one semester or a full academic year, please visit our Study Abroad webpage for information on English language requirements.
Ways to meet our English language requirements
There are several ways that you can provide evidence of your English language ability, details are listed below.
Accordion
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Standard English language qualifications
Standard English language qualifications
The English language requirements vary depending on the course that you are applying for, details about our requirements can be found on the entry requirements tab.
We accept the following tests as evidence of English language ability for the majority of our undergraduate courses:
Recognised Qualification Standard Entry Level IELTS Academic (UKVI Approved) 6.5 overall, minimum of 5.5 in each element IELTS Academic (Other Centres) 6.5 overall, minimum of 5.5 in each element IELTS Online 6.5 overall, minimum of 5.5 in each element TOEFL IBT 87 overall, minimum of 17 in listening, 18 in reading, 17 in speaking and 20 in writing TOEFL IBT Home Edition 87 overall, minimum of 17 in listening, 18 in reading, 17 in speaking and 20 in writing Pearson PTE Academic / UKVI 58 overall, minimum of 42 in each of the four skills Pearson PTE Academic Online 58 overall, minimum of 42 in each of the four skills Cambridge English: Advanced CAE 176 overall with at least 162 in each element Cambridge English: Proficiency (CPE) 176 overall with at least 162 in each element CaMLA ECPE Grade C2 GCSE/IGCSE/O Level English Grade C / 4 KITE (Kaplan International Tools for English) 459 Main Flight score, minimum of 396 in each of the four skills LanguageCert International ESOL (in-person or online) B2 Communicator with 39 in each skill area LanguageCert International ESOL (SELT) B2 Communicator with 39 in each skill area Trinity ISE ISE II, Distinction in each element (modules must be taken within one month of each other) IELTS, TOEFL, Pearson and LanguageCert certificates are valid for 2 years from the test date and your certificate will need to be valid on the start date of your studies at Lancaster. If you have taken a test multiple times, we cannot combine scores together to meet the requirements.
Courses with different English language requirements
Some of our Science, Mathematics, Medicine and Social Work courses have different English language requirements. The English language requirements for these can be found on the entry requirements tab in the course information.
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High school English language qualifications
If you have not taken one of our recognised English language qualifications we may be able to accept an alternative qualification, these are listed below by country.
Botswana Botswana General Certificate of Secondary Education (BGCSE) in English at Grade C or above (in collaboration with CIE) Brunei Brunei Cambridge GCE O Level in English at Grade C or above France French Baccalaureate English at Grade 12 or above Hong Kong Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE) English Language at 4 or above Germany 12 in Abitur English
Iceland 7 or above in level 3 Studentsprof
India Indian Standard X English at 70% or above Malaysia Malaysian 1119 syllabus GCE O Level English at Grade C or above Malta Maltese Secondary Education Certificate English at Grade 5 or above Norway Vitnemål for videregående opplæring (VVO) with average of Grade 4 or above in English Poland 75% Advanced English or 80% Basic English Singapore Singapore-Cambridge GCE O Level in English at Grade C6 or above General International Baccalaureate English with 5 at Higher Level, or 6 at Standard Level General European Baccalaureate with an average of 7.0 in Year 7 English If you are applying for an Undergraduate course and your country is not listed above, please contact the Admissions Team.
If you require a student visa, we may require further information.
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Majority English speaking countries
The following countries are those deemed to be a majority English-speaking country:
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Australia
- the Bahamas
- Barbados
- Belize
- the British overseas territories
- Dominica
- Grenada
- Guyana
- Ireland
- Jamaica
- Malta
- New Zealand
- St Kitts and Nevis
- St Lucia
- St Vincent and the Grenadines
- Trinidad and Tobago
- USA
If you are a national of one of the above countries, you are not required to submit evidence of your English language ability.
If you are not a national of one of the above countries but have completed a full degree in one of the above countries, you will not be required to submit further evidence of your English Language if you have:
- Completed and been awarded your degree no more than three years before the intended start of your chosen course.
Specific requirements for A100 - Medicine and Surgery
Applicants who are applying for the above course will need to provide their IELTS or Pearson certificate when they apply as part of their UCAS application.
If you are applying from outside the UK, or if English is not your first language, you must demonstrate proficiency in English through one of the following recognised English Language qualifications:
- Academic IELTS with at least 7.0 overall, and a minimum of 7.0 in each element of the test, or
- Pearson PTE Academic with at least 70 overall, and a minimum of 70 in each element of the test
IELTS and Pearson certificates are valid for 2 years from the test date and your certificate will need to be valid on the start date of your studies at Lancaster. If you have taken a test multiple times, we cannot combine scores together to meet the requirements.
We do not accept the following as evidence of English language proficiency:
- Pre-sessional English language programmes
- GCSE English Language
- IB English
- Other high school English qualifications
Pre-sessional English language programmes
If your English language score does not meet our requirements, we may be able to consider you for one of our pre-sessional English language programmes. You will need to check the English language requirements for your academic course to see which of our pre-sessional programmes you may be eligible to study.
We offer two pre-sessional courses for undergraduate applicants:
4-week English for Academic Purposes (EAP) - entry 2023
Available for all courses with the exception of BA Hons Social Work and our medicine courses.
| Course English language requirement | EAP English language requirement |
| IELTS requirement of 6.5 overall (5.5 in each element of the test) | IELTS score of at least 6.0 overall (5.5 in each element of the test) |
| IELTS requirement of 6.5 overall (6.0 in each element of the test) | IELTS score of at least 6.0 overall (6.0 in each element of the test) |
| IELTS requirement of 6.0 overall (5.5 in each element of the test) | IELTS score of at least 5.5 overall (5.5 in each element of the test ) |
10-week PELP - 2023 entry
Available for all courses with the exception of BA Hons Social Work, our medicine courses, and some courses as part of our 2+2 partnerships.
- UKVI Academic IELTS test with a score of 5.5 overall and at least 5.0 in each element of the test
If you fail the academic requirements of your offer before the start of the PELP programme, you will not be able to attend the PELP programme.
If you are still waiting for your academic results, you must be confident that you are on track to meet the academic requirements before starting the PELP programme. If you fail to meet the academic requirements after starting the PELP programme, you will not be able to progress to your academic course.
Find more information about our pre-sessional English language programmes.
Contact the admissions team
If you need to contact us, then you can email our Admissions Office at ugadmissions@lancaster.ac.uk or telephone us on +44 (0)1524 592028.