English language requirements

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Our programmes are taught and examined in English. To make the most of your studies, you must be able to communicate fluently and accurately in spoken and written English in an academic environment and provide certified proof of your competence before starting your course.

Coronavirus (COVID-19)

If you have concerns about availability of English language tests due to the coronavirus situation the approved list of tests below includes:

LanguageCert International Communicator ESOL B2. This test can either be taken online with remote invigilation or at a test centre.
TOEFL iBT® Special Home Edition. This test has been introduced for a temporary period to meet the needs of students who are unable to take the TOEFL iBT test at a test center due to public health concerns

If you are unable to book an approved English Language test due to closures, please contact admissions@uhi.ac.uk or for further information visit Information for international Applicants.

Please note that English language tests need to have been taken no more than two years prior to the start date of the course. The minimum English language requirements to study at the University of the Highlands and Islands are detailed below :

	HNC/D	UG	PG
IELTS Academic¹	Overall score of 5.5 with no element below 5.0	Overall score of 6.0 with no element below 5.5 Nursing only (non-UK students): overall score of 7.0 with no element below 7.0 (except writing at 6.5)	Overall score of 6.5 with no element below 6.0
Cambridge English: Proficiency (CPE)²	162 with min 158 in each component	169 with min 162 in each component	176 with min 162 in each component
Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE)²	162 with min 158 in each component	169 with min 162 in each component	176 with min 162 in each component
Pearson Test of English (PTE) Academic³	Min 50	58 average with 51 in each component	62 average with 55 in each component
International Baccalaureate English Syllabus A	4 in Higher level 5 in Standard level	4 in Higher level 5 in Standard level	5 in Higher level 6 in Standard level
International Baccalaureate English Syllabus B	4 in Higher level 5 in Standard level	4 in Higher level 5 in Standard level	5 in Higher level 6 in Standard level
TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) iBT⁴ (Including Special Home Edition)	Min 72 or above with min 17 in each section	Min 80 or above with min 18 in each section	Min 92 or above with min 20 in each section
Occupational English Test (OET) – for nursing programmes only⁵		From Sept 2018: score Test (OET) – for nursing between 350-440 for sub-tests (equivalent to IELTS 7.0-7.5). Writing score between 300-340 (equivalent to IELTS 6.5) Before Sept 2018: must have a Grade B for sub-tests (equivalent to IELTS 7.0-7.5). Writing score Grade C+ (equivalent to IELTS 6.5)
Cambridge IGCSE English⁶	Grade C or above in English as a First Language Grade B or above in English as a Second Language	Grade C or above in English as a First Language Grade B or above in English as Second Language	Grade B or above in English as a First Language Grade A in English as a Second Language
LanguageCert International ESOL B2⁷	ESOL SELT B2 Pass in each component or ESOL B2 Communicator Pass in each component	ESOL SELT B2 Pass in each component or ESOL B2 Communicator Pass in each component	ESOL SELT B2 High pass in each component or ESOL B2 Communicator High pass in each component

¹ IELTS: please refer to section 'For Student Immigration Route applicants' below regarding our requirements. All results will be verified online.

² Cambridge English (CPE) and (CAE): please note that we require your Candidate ID Number and Secret Number (these can be found on the candidate's Confirmation of Entry which you would have received from the exam centre) to verify your results. Applicants can share their results with our university via the Candidate Results Website and to access this website applicants must register using their ‘Candidate ID’ and ‘Secret Number’ (obtained from their exam centre).

³ Pearson PTE (Academic): all results will be verified online.

⁴ TOEFL iBT: candidates can send their scores directly to our university by using the Designated Institution (DI) code number B460.

⁵ OET: all results will be verified online.

⁶ Cambridge IGCSE: please refer to section 'For Student Immigration Route applicants' below regarding our requirements for HNC/D. All results will be verified online.

⁷ LanguageCert International ESOL B2: please refer to section 'For Student Immigration Route applicants' below regarding our requirements for HNC/D. All results will be verified online.

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For Student Immigration Route applicants

Students from majority English speaking countries:

If you are from, or have studied in, a country that the UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) consider to be a majority English speaking country then you may not have to prove your English language ability for visa purposes.

Students from non-majority English speaking countries:

For entry to HNC/D programmes: we require either an IELTS for UKVI (Academic) or a LanguageCert International ESOL SELT B2 test that must have been taken at a UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) approved test centre. List of UKVI approved test centres.

For entry to degree and postgraduate degree programmes: we accept all of the above listed tests for entry to degree and postgraduate programmes as long as we are able to verify them. Please note that we will accept an IELTS (Academic) test that has been taken at any test centre, so this means you do not need to take this at a UKVI approved centre.

For international applicants who have EU settled/pre-settled status or those with visas that are not part of the Student immigration Route, or those studying from their home country:

Other evidence of proficiency in English may be considered on an individual basis, but they must meet the Common European Framework of Reference for languages (CEFR) B2 level in all four components of listening, reading, speaking and writing.

Accessing IELTS centres

If you are resident in the UK, you can sit a test at one of the following centres - IELTS test locations.

If you are applying for IELTS outside the UK you will need to sit the test in your own country: IELTS test location finder.