The University of Suffolk welcomes students from all over the world, and for many of our students English is studied as a second language. The Home Office (UKVI) defines certain countries as "majority English Speaking countries" and nationals from these countries are not normally required to obtain an English language qualification for entry onto our courses. Please check the box below to see the UKVI list of majority English speaking countries.
If English is not your first language you may be asked to undertake an English Language assessment to prove your level of English, unless otherwise stated on your country page. Normally, we would expect admitting English language qualification to be no more than two years old at time of entry onto your course. English language qualifications older than this can only be considered on a case-by-case basis.
If you are required to apply for a Student Route visa to study in the UK you may be required to sit a Secure English Language Test (SELT) as part of the process of obtaining a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS). Some of our courses have different English Language requirements, so please check the boxes below to find out what scores you will need and which tests we can accept.
If you are unsure whether we can accept English which has been completed in your country, please contact the International Office for advice: international@uos.ac.uk
A-H | I-P | Q-Z |
---|---|---|
Antigua and Barbuda Australia The Bahamas Barbados Belize Canada Dominica Grenada Guyana |
Jamaica Malta New Zealand |
St Kitts and Nevis St Lucia St Vincent and the Grenadines Trinidad and Tobago United States of America |
Applicants who are nationals from the above countries will automatically meet the UKVI Student Route visa requirements for English language, but the University may still require some evidence of English language ability to meet the general entrance requirements.
6.0 overall, and a minimum of 5.5 in each component, unless stated otherwise on the specific course page | |
Cambridge Assessment English B2 First (First Certificate in English) | Minimum overall score of 169, no less than 162 in each component or C1 Advanced Certificate in Advanced English |
TOEFL iBT (including TOEFL iBT Home Edition) |
Overall score of 75 (with a minimum of 18 in reading, 17 in listening, 20 in speaking and 17 in writing) |
Pearson Test of English (PTE Academic) | 64 overall, and a minimum of 59 in each component |
Oxford Test of English | 126 overall, and a minimum of 111 per component |
PSI Skills for English | B2 Pass |
Password Skills Plus | 6.0 overall, and a minimum of 5.5 in each component |
Oxford International English Language Level Test |
Level 6 with no component lower than 5 |
Trinity Integrated Skills in English | ISE II Pass with Merit or above in each component |
LanguageCert IESOL/SELT | IESOL B2 Communicator or SELT B2 with a score of 33/50 across all skills |
International Baccalaureate | English B; English A Literature and Language; English A Literature at Standard Level 5 or Higher Level 4 |
GCSE/IGCSE English language | C/4 or above |
Indian Standard XII (CISCE and CBSE Boards only) | 70% overall (without study gap) |
If you are applying to study a Professional Health Programme such as; Adult Nursing, Child Health Nursing, Diagnostic Radiography, Mental Health Nursing, Operating Department Practice, Paramedic Science, Radiotherapy and Oncology or Social Work you are required to achieve the following:
IELTS (Academic or UKVI) | 7.0 overall, and a minimum of 6.5 in each component, unless stated otherwise on the specific course page |
Cambridge Assessment English C1 Advanced | Minimum overall score of 185, no less than 180 in each component |
TOEFL iBT (including TOEFL iBT Home Edition) | Overall score of 95 (with a minimum of 22 in reading, 20 in listening, 23 in speaking and 22 in writing) |
Pearson Test of English (PTE Academic) | 76 overall, and a minimum of 67 in each component |
PSI Skills for English | C1 Pass |
Password Skills Plus | 7.0 overall, and a minimum of 6.5 in each component |
Oxford Test of English | 155 overall with no a minimum of 141 per component |
Oxford International English Language Level Test |
Level 7 with no component lower than 6 |
Trinity Integrated Skills in English | ISE III witrh Merit or above in each component |
LanguageCert IESOL/SELT | IESOL C1 Expert or SELT C1 with a score of 33/50 across all skills |
International Baccalaureate | English B Higher Level 7; English A Literature and Language Standard Level 7 or Higher Level 6 and English A Literature at Standard Level 6 or Higher Level 6 |
Indian Standard XII (CISCE and CBSE Boards only) | 80% overall (without study gap) |
IELTS (Academic or UKVI) | 6.5 overall, and a minimum of 5.5 in each component |
Cambridge Assessment English C1 Advanced | Minimum overall score of 180, no less than 162 in each component |
Pearson Test of English (PTE Academic) | 67 overall, and a minimum of 59 in each component |
Oxford Test of English | 140 overall, with a minimum of 111 per component |
PSI Skills for English | B2 Pass with Merit |
Password Skills Plus | 6.5/7.0 overall, and a minimum of 5.5 in each component |
Oxford International English Language Level Test |
Level 7 with no component lower than 5 |
TOEFL iBT (including TOEFL iBT Home Edition) | Overall score of 82 (with a minimum of 18 in reading, 17 in listening, 20 in speaking and 17 in writing) |
Trinity Integrated Skills in English | ISE III with a Pass or above in all components |
LanguageCert IESOL/SELT | IESOL B2 Communicator or SELT B2 with a score of 38/50 across all skills |
If you have completed a degree-level qualification taught in a university or college in a majority-English-speaking country listed above (except Canada), or Ireland, you will automatically meet the UKVI Student Route visa requirements for English language, but the University may still require some evidence of English language ability to meet the general entrance requirements.
If you have completed a degree-level qualification which meets, or exceeds, the recognised standard of a UK bachelor’s degree and was taught in English, we may be able to waive our English language requirement through the use of our English Language Test Waiver form. The form must be completed and physically stamped by the university that awarded your degree.
Once complete, return the form to admissions@uos.ac.uk and we will be able to assess whether we can waive the English language requirement for your application. Before contacting your previous institution, please see below for a list of universities we have already approved waivers for.
Our ability to waive the English language requirement based on your completion of a degree taught in English is in line with the UKVI’s English language requirements for a Student visa. Therefore, if you require a visa to study a degree in the UK, you will not be required by the UKVI to complete a Secure English Language Test (SELT), providing we are able to waive the English language requirement for your application following our assessment of a completed waiver from your previous university.
Please note that if your previous university are unable to complete the form, or they are unable to confirm that your degree was taught in English to the standard that we require, you will be required to meet our English language requirements using one of the other methods stated above. Fraudulent documents will not be considered. Evidence of fraudulent submissions may lead to your application being withdrawn.
Universities With Approved Waivers
Below is a list of universities we have received approved waivers from already. If you have completed a UK-standard Bachelor degree, or higher, you will be exempt from taking an English language test a part of your admission to University of Suffolk unless your previous degree programme is shown in the list of excluded courses or was awarded outside of the period covered by the Waiver, as noted below.
Please note that if we have received a valid waiver from your previous university and your degree was awarded up to 5 years prior to your University of Suffolk course start date, we will be able to apply the waiver to your application automatically.
If your degree was awarded more than 5 years ago, but less than 10 years before your course starts, we may be able to apply the waiver to your application on a discretionary basis where we are able to satisfy ourselves that your award was taught entirely in English. In this case, applicants are also encouraged to provide a Medium of Instruction letter from their previous university, confirming that their specific course was taught to them in English.
If your degree was awarded more than 10 years prior to your University of Suffolk course start, please note that we will not be able to apply the waiver to your application.
Country | University | Courses Excluded from Waiver |
Bangladesh | Jahangirnagar University | All Bachelor degrees excluded. Postgraduate degrees from Departments of Bangla, Drama & Dramatics, History, Bangabandhu Institute of Comparative Literature & Culture, and Fine Arts are all excluded |
Bangladesh | Leading University (LU) | All Bachelor degrees excluded |
Bangladesh | Metropolitan University (MU) | All Bachelor degrees excluded |
Bangladesh | Presidency University | All Bachelor degrees excluded |
Bangladesh | Shahjalal University of Science and Technology | All courses excluded except BSc Engineering. Awards must be recognised by the Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh, or be accredited by the Board of Accreditation for Engineering and Technical Education (BAETE) to qualify for our waiver. |
Bangladesh | Stamford University Bangladesh | All courses excluded except BSc Engineering. Awards must be recognised by the Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh, or be accredited by the Board of Accreditation for Engineering and Technical Education (BAETE) to qualify for our waiver. |
Bangladesh | World University of Bangladesh (WUB) | All Bachelor degrees excluded |
China | Chongqing University of Posts and Telecommunications | All courses excluded except MSc Management Science & Engineering |
Germany | Goethe University | N/A |
Ghana | Entrepreneurship Training Institute (affiliated to University Of Cape Coast) | Only valid for degrees awarded by University of Cape Coast |
Ghana | Ghana Baptist University College (University of Cape Coast) | Only valid for degrees awarded by University of Cape Coast |
Ghana | Ghana Communication Technology University (formerly GTUC) | N/A |
Ghana | Kumasi Technical University | Only valid for Bachelor of Technology degrees with approval from the National Accreditation Board (NAB) |
Ghana | Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology | N/A |
Ghana | Regent University College of Science and Technology | Only valid for degrees with approval from the National Accreditation Board (NAB). All Postgraduate awards excluded |
Ghana | University of Cape Coast | N/A |
Ghana | University of Education, Winneba | N/A |
Ghana | University of Ghana | N/A |
Ghana | University of Professional Studies, Accra | N/A |
Ghana | Valley View University | N/A |
Hungary | University of Debrecen | N/A |
India | Achariya Arts and Science College (affiliated to Pondicherry University) | Pondicherry University awards only |
India | Anwarul Uloom College (Autonomous), Osmania University | Osmania University awards only |
India | Banaras Hindu University | N/A |
India | Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam University | N/A |
India | Indira Gandhi National Open University | N/A |
India | Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University Anantapur | N/A |
India | Karpagam Academy of Higher Education | N/A |
India | Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam (Kerala) | Degrees in Language and/or Literature other than English are excluded |
India | Muthayammal Memorial College of Arts and Science (affiliated to Periyar University) | Periyar University awards only |
India | Paavai Arts and Science College for Women (affiliated to Periyar University) | Periyar University awards only |
India | Pondicherry University | N/A |
India | Rajiv Gandhi College of Engineering and Technology (affiliated to Pondicherry University) | Pondicherry University awards only |
India | Sardar Patel University [Gujarat] | N/A |
India | Satavahana University | N/A |
India | Sri Sarada Mahavidyalayam Arts and Science College for Women (affiliated to Thiruvalluvar University) | Thiruvalluvar University awards only |
India | University of Kerala | N/A |
India | Vivekanandha Arts and Science College for Women (affiliated to Periyar University) | Periyar University awards only |
Kenya | KCA University | Degrees below four years in length are excluded. Awards must be for programmes recognised by the Commission for University Education |
Kenya | Kenya Methodist University | Degrees below four years in length are excluded. Awards must be for programmes recognised by the Commission for University Education |
Kenya | The Technical University of Kenya | Degrees below four years in length are excluded |
Kenya | University of Nairobi | Degrees below four years in length are excluded |
Nepal | Pokhara University | Degrees below four years in length are excluded |
Nigeria | Abia State University | N/A |
Nigeria | Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi | N/A |
Nigeria | Ahmadu Bello University | N/A |
Nigeria | Alex Ekwueme Federal University | N/A |
Nigeria | Ambrose Alli University | BA (Hons) French |
Nigeria | Babcock University | N/A |
Nigeria | Bayero University, Kano | N/A |
Nigeria | Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University | N/A |
Nigeria | Covenant University | N/A |
Nigeria | Delta State University | N/A |
Nigeria | Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti | N/A |
Nigeria | Enugu State University of Science and Technology | N/A |
Nigeria | Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta | N/A |
Nigeria | Federal University of Petroleum Resources | All Postgraduate awards excluded |
Nigeria | Federal University of Technology - Minna | N/A |
Nigeria | Federal University of Technology - Owerri | N/A |
Nigeria | Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University | All Postgraduate awards excluded |
Nigeria | Imo State University | N/A |
Nigeria | Joseph Ayo Babalola University | N/A |
Nigeria | Kwara State Polytechnic | All Postgraduate awards excluded |
Nigeria | Ladoke Akintola University of Technology | N/A |
Nigeria | Lagos State University | N/A |
Nigeria | Landmark University | N/A |
Nigeria | Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike | N/A |
Nigeria | National Open University of Nigeria | N/A |
Nigeria | Nnamdi Azikiwe University | N/A |
Nigeria | Obafemi Awolowo University | N/A |
Nigeria | Olabisi Onabanjo University | N/A |
Nigeria | Tai Solarin University of Education | N/A |
Nigeria | Tansian University | All Postgraduate awards excluded |
Nigeria | University of Abuja | N/A |
Nigeria | University of Benin | N/A |
Nigeria | University of Ibadan | N/A |
Nigeria | University of Ilorin | N/A |
Nigeria | University of Jos | N/A |
Nigeria | University of Lagos | N/A |
Nigeria | University of Nigeria | N/A |
Nigeria | University of Port Harcourt | N/A |
Nigeria | Western Delta University | All Postgraduate awards excluded |
Pakistan | Allama Iqbal Open University | Degrees below four years excluded |
Pakistan | University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore | Degrees below four years excluded |
Pakistan | University of Gujrat | Degrees below four years excluded |
Pakistan | University of Lahore | Degrees below four years excluded |
Sri Lanka | General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University | N/A |
Sri Lanka | University of Jaffna | N/A |
Tanzania | Mzumbe University | N/A |
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus | Eastern Mediterranean University | N/A |