If you want to study for a degree from a UK university, and English is not your first language, you will need to take an English language test to prove that your English is of a sufficiently high standard.
If your first language is not English, it is vital that your standard of English (reading, writing, speaking and listening) is high enough for successful completion of a degree. Degree-level study is demanding and you must have both the language and academic skills to be able to succeed.
You don’t need to prove your knowledge of English if you’re a national of, or if you have completed a qualification equivalent to a UK degree in, any of the countries in the list below.
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Australia
- the Bahamas
- Barbados
- Belize
- Canada*
- Dominica
- Grenada
- Guyana
- Ireland
- Jamaica
- New Zealand
- St Kitts and Nevis
- St Lucia
- St Vincent and the Grenadines
- Trinidad and Tobago
- UK
- USA
Applicants from outside these countries with a UK degree equivalent qualification, do not need to demonstrate English language competence if they can provide proof that the qualification was instructed in English.
*Applicants presenting Canadian qualifications will not normally need to provide other evidence of English language ability so long as they supply sufficient proof from the institution that the degree was taught and examined in English.
If there is any doubt about your English language ability, the University of Essex Online reserves the right to require you to achieve a satisfactory score in our online English language test.
Want to learn more? Read our Admissions Policy.