Study Abroad and Exchange Entry Requirements

Learn about the entry requirements for our Study Abroad and Exchange programme 2024/25, including academic and English language proficiency (ELP) requirements for both Exchange and Study Abroad (fee-paying) students.

Academic entry requirements

If you are an Exchange student from one of our international partner universities or a Study Abroad fee-paying student, you need to have achieved an average mark at or above our academic entry level to receive an offer to study at the University of Birmingham.

Academic Entry Requirements

English language entry requirements

No proof of English language proficiency is required for students nationals of and studying at a UKVI recognised English Speaking Country. To see a full list of English language requirements please check our international entry requirements page. The information below is a summary for incoming Study Abroad and Exchange students. Make sure your certificate meets the two-year validity period requirements. For tests such as IELTS, TOEFL, etc., it should be valid at the start of the first teaching week. If you are submitting your school certificate as proof of your English proficiency, it should be no more than two years old. For example, to join us in September 2025, it should be your school certificate from the summer of 2023 or 2024.

NEW! IELTS - Single component retake

If you don't meet the criteria for one of the components, you can now take the IELTS One Skill Retake that allows you to retake any one of the four IELTS skills: Listening, Reading, Writing, or Speaking. Only one skill can be retaken and this must be within 60 days of the original test. If you decide to do it, please send it to us as soon as you get the result.

Students coming from a European institution

1-Semester Students

B2 or above Certificate from the student’s home institution.

Students from European institutions who are studying for six months or less can submit a certificate issued by their home university. The letter must be signed by the international office and certify that the student’s level of English is equivalent to the minimum of the B2 level based on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. The certificate template can be downloaded below. One-semester students are also welcome to attach other certificates that we accept (see below), but we reccommend using our template where possible.

NOTE : This certificate is also acceptable for non-EU/EEA students or Study Abroad Fee-paying students coming from European institutions for less than six months. It cannot be accepted for students who are coming to study for more than six months.

English Language Proficiency certificate template for 1-semester students from European partners

Full-year students

Students that will be studying in the UK for more than 6 months must apply for a Student Route visa, for which they’ll need to demonstrate a suitable level of English proficiency. Students can provide a country specific qualification (eg. school certificate) as a proof of English proficiency as long as it meets the score requirements (see Table A) and the two-year validity period requirement. This includes the qualifications awarded during the academic summer examination period two years prior.

Students may also submit an approved English test, provided it meets the score (refer to Table B) and two-year validity period requirements. The required score for each test varies depending on your course grouping.

TABLE A COUNTRY SPECIFIC QUALIFICATIONS

Country

Qualification

Grade

Austria

Matura/Reifeprüfung

2 (written and oral)

Belgium

Getuigschrift Van Hoger Secundair Onderwijs/ Certificat d'Enseignement Secondaire Superieur/ Abschlusszeugnis der Oberstufe des Sekundarunterrichts

7.5 or 75%

Denmark

Studentereksamen

Finland

Ylioppilastutkinto/ Studentexamen

France

Baccalauréat

14/20

Germany

Abitur

Iceland

Studentsprof

8 (taken as a compulsory modern language)

Luxembourg

Examen de Fin d’Etudes Secondaires

45 (bien)

Netherlands

Voorbereidend wetenschappelijk onderwijs (vwo)

Norway

Vitnemål fra den Videregående Skole

Sweden

Fullständigt Slutbetyg från Gymnasieskolan/ Slutbetyg från Komvux/ Avgangsbetyg

15 / C

Switzerland

Certificat de Maturité Federale / Maturitätszeugnis/ Attestato Di Maturità

European Baccalaureate

6/10 in English Language I or 8/10 in English Language II

6 / 10 or 8 / 10

TABLE B APPROVED ENGLISH TEST & SCORE REQUIREMENT PER COURSE GROUPING

Qualification

Group A

Group B*

Group C

IELTS (Academic version)

6.0 overall with no less than 5.5 in any Band

6.5 overall with no less than 6.0 in any Band

7.0 overall with no less than 6.5 in any Band

TOEFL

80 overall with no less than 19 in Reading, 19 in Listening, 21 in Speaking and 19 in Writing

88 overall with no less than 21 in Reading, 20 in Listening, 22 in Speaking and 21 in Writing

95 overall with no less than 22 in any band

Pearson Test of English (PTE)

64 with no less than 59 in all four skills

67 with no less than 64 in all four skills

76 with no less than 67 in all four skills

Cambridge Advanced Certificate (Linguaskill, Cambridge First, etc are not accepted)

Advanced Minimum overall score of 169, with no less than 162 in any component

Advanced Minimum overall score of 176, with no less than 169 in any component

Advanced Minimum overall score of 185, with no less than 176 in any component

GCE O Level English

Grade C

GCSE or IGCSE English (Language or Literature)

Grade C/4

International Baccalaureate English

First or Second language English at Higher or Standard Level with a minimum grade 5.

*Business School programmes require one of the following scores: A TOEFL score of 88 overall with a minimum of 22 in Writing and Speaking, an IELTS score of 6.5 overall with minimum of 6.5 in Writing and Speaking, a Pearson Test of English score of 67 overall, with 67 in Writing and Speaking, or a Cambridge English score of 176 overall with 176 in Writing and Speaking.

For those joining us for 2024, we will accept the following additional tests as evidence of English language proficiency:

TOEFL Home Edition
IELTs Online
PTE Academic Online
Cambridge English
Language Cert ESOL SELT (UKVI)
Trinity ISE III

Students coming from International institutions (outside of Europe)

No proof of English language proficiency is required from nationals of and studying in an UKVI recognised English Speaking Country. Please see Table B for Canada below.

If you are a third-country national studying in an UKVI recognised English Speaking Country (Canada not included) and you are coming to the University of Birmingham (UoB) for 1 semester only, you don't need to provide an ELP certificate. For example, if you are a Chinese national and you study in the USA, to come to the UoB for 1 semester, you won't need to provide an official certificate.

If you are a third-country national studying in an UKVI recognised English Speaking Country and you are coming to the University of Birmingham for the full year, you will have to provide an official ELP certificate (please see Table A). For example, if you are a Chinese national and you study in the USA, to come to the UoB for 1 year, you need to provide an official ELP certificate.

International students studying in a non-UKVI recognised English Speaking Country who will be studying for six months or less require a Standard Visitor Visa to study in the UK. Students studying for more than 6 months are CAS requiring (they must apply for a visa under the Student Route). In both of these cases, you are required to provide an ELP certificate as part of your application.

Please see below TABLE A for list of country specific qualifications (eg. school certificate) and approved English tests with score requirements for different course grouping and TABLE B for exceptions.

TABLE A COUNTRY SPECIFIC QUALIFICATIONS & APPROVED ENGLISH TEST WITH SCORE REQUIREMENT PER COURSE GROUPING

Qualification

Group A

Group B

Group C

IELTS (Academic version)

6.0 overall with no less than 5.5 in any Band

6.5 overall with no less than 6.0 in any Band

7.0 overall with no less than 6.5 in any Band

TOEFL iBT Test

80 overall with no less than 19 in Reading, 19 in Listening, 21 in Speaking and 19 in Writing

88 overall with no less than 21 in Reading, 20 in Listening, 22 in Speaking and 21 in Writing

95 overall with no less than 22 in any band

Pearson Test of English (PTE)

64 with no less than 59 in all four skills

67 with no less than 64 in all four skills

76 with no less than 67 in all four skills

Cambridge Advanced Certificate (Linguaskill, Cambridge First, etc are not accepted)

Advanced Minimum overall score of 169, with no less than 162 in any component

Advanced Minimum overall score of 176, with no less than 169 in any component

Advanced Minimum overall score of 185, with no less than 176 in any component

GCE O Level English

Grade C

GCSE or IGCSE English (Language or Literature)

Grade C/4

International Baccalaureate English

First or Second language English at Higher or Standard Level with a minimum grade 5.

Botswana General Certificate of Secondary Education

Grade 6 or 3 in English

Brunei/Cambridge GCE O Level

Grade C5 or C6 in English

Cameroon (British model of study only)

Grade C in English

Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE) – English Language

Level 3 overall, with minimum of 3 in each band.

Level 4 overall, including a minimum of 3 bands at grade 4 and 1 band at grade 3.

Level 5 overall, including 2 bands at grade 5 and 2 bands at grade 4.

Indian Standard XII English

Minimum 75% in ISC, CBSE, Maharashtra or West Bengal Boards. Minimum 80% in other State boards.

Minimum 80% in ISC, CBSE or Maharashtra Boards. Minimum 75% in West Bengal Board. Minimum 85% in other State boards.

Minimum 85% in ISC, CBSE or Maharashtra Boards. Minimum 80% in West Bengal Board. Minimum 90% in other State boards.

Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE)

Grade C in English

Malaysian Cambridge O Level 119 English - Not local SPM certificate.

Grade C in the SPM 119 English.

Mauritian Cambridge Higher School Certificate or GCE O Level

Grade C in English

Namibian Cambridge School Certificate, Cambridge Overseas School Certificate or GCE O Level

Grade C in English

Singaporean GCE O Level

Grade C5 or C6 in English

South African National Senior Certificate (SA NSC or IEB)

English at grade 5 or C

Tanzanian Certificate of Secondary Education

Grade C in English

Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE)

Grade 6 in English (N.B. grade 1 is highest)

West African Senior School Certificate (Gambia, Ghana, Nigeria, Sierra Leone)

Grade C5 or C6 in English

Zambian School Certificate or General Certificate of Education

Grade 6 in English (N.B. grade 1 is highest)

Zimbabwe GCE O Level

Grade C in English

For those joining us for 2024, we will accept the following additional tests as evidence of English language proficiency:

TOEFL Home Edition
IELTs Online
PTE Academic Online
Cambridge English
Language Cert ESOL SELT (UKVI)
Trinity ISE III

TABLE B EXCEPTIONS

Canadian nationals:

All Canadian nationals currently studying with one of our Canadian exchange partners outside of Quebec do not have to submit an English language proficiency document whether they are applying to us for a full year or one semester placement.

All Canadian nationals currently studying with one of our Canadian exchange partners in Quebec must submit a copy of their official High School certificate whether they are applying to us for a full year or one semester placement.

Nationals of a non-UKVI recognised English Speaking Country studying in Canada please refer to table A.

All non-native English-speaking nationals currently studying with one of our Canadian exchange partners and who studied at a High School in Canada can submit a copy of their official High School certificate if they are applying to us for a full year or one semester placement. The High School certificate must meet the two-year validity requirement, otherwise, please see Table A.

All non-native English-speaking nationals currently studying with one of our Canadian exchange partners and who did not study at a High School in Canada and are applying for a full year or one semester placement must submit an official ELP certificate (please see Table A).

If you are not sure what certificate to provide, please contact us.

Canada

Students who currently study at the University of Nottingham at the Ningbo or Malaysia campuses will not need to provide evidence of their English language proficiency.

China and Malasia: University of Nottingham at the Ningbo or Malaysia campuses