CYMRAEG

  | English Language Qualifications |  Evidence  | Approved school leaving tests  |  Where English is an official language | International English Centre |

ENGLISH LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS

(International students only)

The Aberystwyth University requires all non-UK students whose native or first language is not English to show evidence that they have sufficient knowledge of English, to follow their proposed studies successfully.  This level of proficiency in English must be attained before the student begins the course.  If the required level has not already been attained prior to the receipt of the application for admission, the formal offer for postgraduate study will include a condition that this level be attained before the start of the course.  If the applicant does not attain the required level of proficiency, it will not be possible to admit them onto the course.  It is therefore in the applicant's best interest to attain the required level of proficiency and obtain a suitable score in one of the recognised English language qualifications as early as possible in the application process.

Acceptable English Language Qualifications:                       

N.B. Qualifications are acceptable only if they were gained within the last two years. 

In addition to the above, a detailed report or reference from a BALEAP accredited centre giving a quantitative evaluation of the applicant's level of proficiency in English using the IELTS scale would be considered.

The BALEAP accredited International English Centre at Aberystwyth University offers a wide range of English language training courses that may enable you to meet our entrance requirements before the start of your postgraduate studies. If you wish to improve your English at our International Englsh Centre, you should contact them as soon as possible:

International English Centre, Aberystwyth University, Penglais Campus, Aberystwyth. SY23 3DB, Wales, UK.           
Tel: +44 (0)1970 622545,  Fax: +44 (0)1970 622546,  E-mail: tesol@aber.ac.uk

Other qualifications may be considered.  Please provide details of any alternative qualification to the Postgraduate Admissions Office in order that an assessment may be made.

EVIDENCE

If an offer specifies that an English Language qualification needs to be achieved, independent evidence of the qualification is required. This can be provided either by the submitting the original certificate, or through securing verification of the qualification from the testing body.

If an offer specifies that an English Language qualification is required, then it is strongly recommended that unless applicants/students are studying at the Language & Learning Centre, it is not advisable to come to Aberystwyth without satisfying this requirement. However, if applicants ignore this advice they should be directed be to apply for an IELTS test in the Language & Learning Centre after arrival.

Approved school leaving tests recognised by Aberystwyth University:

§         GCE O Level or GCSE English Language (grade C or above).
§         IGCSE English as a Second Language (grade C or above).
§         ULEAC Certificate of Attainment in English (level 6 or above).
§         GCE O-level English Language 1119 (grade B or above).
§         International Baccalaureate (Syllabus A1: Grade 4 at either Higher or Standard level; syllabus A2: Grade 5 at Higher level or Grade 5 at
          Standard level where the IB subjects have been studied through the medium of English; Syllabus B: Grade 5 at Higher level).
§         European Baccalaureate with a minimum 7.5 in English as the First Foreign Language L2 or First Foreign Language - Advanced L2A.
§         German Abitur with a minimum score of 11 out of 15 or 2 out of 6 in English Language as a Leistungskurs.
§         Norwegian Vitnemål with minimum score of 4 in English.
§         Danish Studentereksamen - (i) Old system (pre-2008): at least 9 for English; (ii) New system (2008 onwards): at least 7 for English.
§         Indian Higher Secondary School Certificate Exam (St. XII) (CBSE & ISC exam boards) with a minimum score of 75% for English for
          comparability with IELTS 6.5 (minimum score of 67% for comparability with IELTS 6.0)
§         Relevant school leaving qualification for English language from countries where English is an official language (see below).

    N.B.  The scores listed above are minimum requirements. 

 

English Language proficiency for nationals from the countries stated below:

As the countries listed below teach through the medium of English and English is used widely for administrative purposes, it is expected that nationals from these countries would not be required to have an English Language qualification, unless their grades fall below the required standard (if specified below). Applicants from some of these countries are thus permitted to submit a copy of their school leaving certificate with their grade for English Language in lieu an any IELTS or TOEFL tests. Please note that the grades stated are benchmarked at the standard of IELTS 6.5 in all bands, therefore additional requirements could be imposed on offers that have a minimum requirement of IELTS 7.0 standard.  Please contact the Postgraduate Admissions Office for advice.  As school leaving qualifications, these tests would have been taken before the 2 year recognition period for language tests. Although an applicant’s level of proficiency may have improved or even deteriorated in this time, it is an indicator of their general linguistic skills.

N.B. If applicants have not met the required standard for English language in their school leaving qualification, they will have to take an IELTS or a TOEFL test.

COUNTRIES WHERE ENGLISH IS AN OFFICIAL LANGUAGE

Anguilla	Grenada	St Helena
Antigua	Guyana	St Kitts & Nevis
Australia	Heard Island	St Lucia
Bahamas	Hong Kong -  HKCEE (A-C) (see above table)	St Vincent/Grenadines
Barbados	India - if the medium of instruction for the Bachelor's degree was English. Otherwise CBSE/ISC HSSC (St.XII) min. 75% N.B. min 67% for equivalence to IELTS 6.0 requirent	Seychelles
Belize	Jamaica	Sierra Leone
Bermuda	Kenya	Singapore
Botswana	Kiribati	South Africa
British Virgin Islands	Lesotho	Swaziland
Brunei  - Cambridge O level	Liberia	Tanzania
Cameroon - Cameroon GCE O level (grades 1-6)	McDonald Island	Tonga
Canada	Malawi	Trinidad & Tobago
Cayman Islands	Malta	Tristan Da Cunha
Christmas Island	Mauritius	Turks & Caicos Island
Cocos Island	Montserrat	Tuvalu
Cook Islands	Namibia	Uganda
Dominica	New Zealand	United States of America
Falkland Islands	Nigeria	Vanuatu
Fiji	Niue	Western Samoa
Gambia	Norfolk Islands	Zambia
Ghana	Papua New Guinea	Zimbabwe
Gibraltar	Philippines

 
 
 

 

 

 

Postgraduate Admissions Office, Student Welcome Centre Aberystwyth University, Penglais, ABERYSTWYTH. SY23 3FB, UK      Tel: +44 (0) 1970 622270, Fax: +44 (0) 1970 622921, E-mail: pg-admissions@aber.ac.uk , Website: www.aber.ac.uk/pga/