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United States of America
International students
English language requirements
Students from the United States who are native speakers of English will not be required to take a Secure English Language Test for entry to Essex, but will be required to achieve a certain mark in English in their high school qualification, in order to meet our English language requirement which applies to all students.
If English is not your first language, we ask you to provide evidence of your ability to understand and express yourself in English for academic purposes
ensuring that you fully benefit from your studies. There is support alongside your studies but we require a basic level before you arrive.
The most common tests for language proficiency are IELTS and TOEFL however we also accept some other English language test scores such as Pearson and Cambridge
certificates and may accept your school qualification.
If you have successfully completed university-level studies in the medium of English, you will not normally be asked to take an English test.
Minimum requirements for overseas students
| Pathways |
IELTS |
TOEFL (Internet) |
| International Foundation Programme |
5.0 |
61 |
| Year Zero of Four-year degrees |
5.5 |
68 |
| Certificate of Higher Education in Business |
5.5 |
68 |
See International Academy for more details as some courses require certain grades
in specific components.
| Undergraduate and postgraduate courses |
IELTS |
TOEFL (Internet) |
| Undergraduate year one |
6.0 |
76 |
| Undergraduate year two |
6.5 |
88 |
| Pre-Masters |
5.5 |
68 |
| Postgraduate |
6–7 |
76-100 |
The score required will vary by subject; you can find out more by using our course finder.
If you have not taken an English language test yet or do not have a current valid test score, you can still apply for courses with us as we are able to make conditional
offers which will be dependent on you meeting our language requirements.
In addition to our language requirements, if you need a Tier 4 visa, you must meet the UKBA’s minimum English language scores
if you are using an English language test to meet our entry requirements.
For more information please contact our admissions office by e-mail at admit (non-Essex users should add @essex.ac.uk to create full e-mail address) or by phone +44(0)1206 873666.
Improving your English language skills
If you have not achieved the English language requirement for your degree but you do have a good score, you may be eligible to take a short
pre-sessional English programme from between 5-15 weeks. This can help secure admission to the degree without the need to retake IELTS at the end of the course.