Undergraduate Degrees - English Requirements

To study for an undergraduate degree at the University of Aberdeen it is essential that you can speak, understand, read, and write academic English fluently. These skills will allow you to understand lectures, produce high standards of written work, and perform well in examinations.

We can assess your English language proficiency through a variety of means: through your nationality, through the qualifications you gained in high school, through the degree you undertook or are undertaking at university, or through a recognised English language test. Please use the checklist below to determine how you can meet our English language requirements:

1. Are you a national of Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Canada, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Ireland, Jamaica, Malta, New Zealand, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, or The United States of America?

If YES then no further evidence will be required of your English language proficiency.

2. Have you undertaken and passed three A Levels or achieved the IB Qualification (studied in English) within the last 10 years?

If YES then all we require is a copy of your transcript or certificate.

3. Have you undertaken one of the high/senior school qualifications on our approved list and achieved the minimum grade? If yes your certificate must be no older than 10 years at the start of your programme of study.

If YES then all we require is a copy of your high school transcript and certificate.

4. Have you undertaken or are you undertaking a qualification equivalent to a Honours degree in Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Ireland, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Malta, New Zealand, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, The United Kingdom, or The United States of America?

If YES then all we require is a copy of your transcript or certificate.

5. Have you achieved the required grades in a recognised English language test as shown in the table below?

If YES then all we require is a copy of your certificate, which we will verify with the awarding organisation. Please note certification must be within the two years prior to commencement of your course, unless otherwise stated.

If NO you will need to register for one of the tests listed below and achieve the required grade prior to commencement of your studies with us, we will make this a condition of your offer.

6. Have you undertaken or are you undertaking a degree that is taught and assessed fully in English from a university on our approved list?

If YES then all we require is an official medium of instruction (MOI) letter from your university confirming that your degree was/is taught, assessed, and examined fully in English.

Please note certification of your English Language test must be within the two years prior to commencement of your course, unless otherwise stated.

The standard English Language criteria for undergraduate study at the University of Aberdeen are listed below (referred to as Undergraduate Standard). Please note that this standard does not apply to Medicine (MBChB) where a higher level of English is required. Alternative English Language qualifications are NOT accepted for Medicine (MBChB) applicants.

	Undergraduate Standard	Medicine (MBChB)
University of Aberdeen Academic English Pre sessional programmes *Valid for one year, refresher can be offered if out of date.*	Pass	Pass
Pre-sessional Academic English Preparation Programmes undertaken at other UK universities Certification must be within one year prior to commencement of your course.	Pass at an equivalent of 6 (B2) with B2 in all four skills	Pass at an equivalent of 6 (B2) with C1 in Speaking and B2 in the other skills
IELTS Academic or IELTS UKVI Academic (not IELTS Indicator or IELTS General Training or IELTS Online The University accepts valid IELTS One Skill Retake test scores	Listening - 5.5 or above Reading - 5.5 or above Speaking - 5.5 or above Writing - 6.0 or above Overall - 6.0	Listening - 5.5 or above Reading - 5.5 or above Speaking - 7.0 or above Writing - 6.0 or above Overall - 7.0
TOEFL iBT and TOEFL Home Edition (online) *The University accepts MyBest scores for the TOEFL iBT test in addition to TOEFDL iBT scores from a single test date* TOEFL DI code is 0818	Listening - 17 or above Reading - 18 or above Speaking - 20 or above Writing - 21 or above Overall - 78	Listening - 21 or above Reading - 22 or above Speaking - 28 or above Writing - 21 or above Overall - 100
LanguageCert Academic/LanguageCert Academic SELT	Listening – 60 Reading – 60 Speaking – 60 Writing – 65 Overall - 65	Listening – 60 Reading – 60 Speaking – 75 Writing – 65 Overall - 75
Cambridge B2 First or C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency	Listening - 162 or above Reading - 162 or above Speaking - 162 or above Writing - 169 or above Overall - 169	Listening - 162 or above Reading - 162 or above Speaking - 185 or above Writing - 169 or above Overall - 185
Oxford ELLT Digital – English Level Test Online Must have a minimum of 5.0 in all elements	Listening - 5.0 or above Reading - 5.0 or above Speaking - 5.0 or above Writing - 6.0 or above Overall - 6.0	Listening - 5.0 or above Reading - 5.0 or above Speaking - 8.0 or above Writing - 6.0 or above Overall - 8.0
LanguageCert International ESOL B2 Communicator Online/In Centre This test is not accepted for entry from September 2025 onwards	Overall Pass Listening, Reading and Speaking 33 or above Writing - 38 or above	Not accepted
PTE Academic Online test not accepted	Listening - 59 or above Reading - 59 or above Speaking - 59 or above Writing - 59 or above Overall - 59 or above	Listening - 59 or above Reading - 59 or above Speaking - 70 or above Writing - 59 or above Overall - 70 or above
Trinity ISE – Trinity Integrated Skills in English	Pass overall at ISE II with a distinction in writing and merit in the other three skills	Pass overall at ISE III with a distinction in writing and merit in the other three skills
Duolingo* *Tests taken from 1st July 2024 onward	Listening - 95 Reading - 95 Speaking - 95 Writing - 105 Overall - 105	Not accepted

.