The Language Centre
Postgraduate Applicants
Overview
For detailed information on the application procedure for Postgraduate Study at the University and the documentation required, please see the Postgraduate Admissions website.
| Competence in English | When to take the test | Assessment Procedure |
| Accepted English Tests | LC Assessment | Visa Application |
Competence in English
The University requires all applicants to demonstrate competence in the English language at a very high level before they begin their proposed course of study. Adherence to this requirement is strict, especially for candidates on one-year courses. Students must be able to demonstrate that they are able to communicate in English at a level and in an idiom suitable to the subject.
Any one of the following will be accepted as evidence of competence in English:
- Completion of one of the accepted Secure English Language Tests at the required minimum level no more than 2 years before the start date of your proposed course
- A National of and Education in country of List A (see below)
- Evidence of completing a 3-year qualification equivalent to a UK Bachelors, no more than 30 months before the start date of your proposed course, in one of the countries in List A (see below).
- Applicants who have shown that they have met the level required at some point, e.g. via a test (at the required level) that has recently expired or University study more than 2 years ago AND have been working in a List A country since
Applicants in any of the following groups, who do not meet the above criteria, will be assessed in English competence by the University's Language Centre if they are made an offer of admission.
- A National of and Education in country of List B
- Applicants who have completed 3 years of University level study in a country in List B no more than 2 years before the start date of their proposed course.
- Applicants who have completed a minimum of 2 years of university-level study in English, regardless of country, no more than 2 years before the start date of their course. This includes institutions using EMI (English as a Medium of Instruction)
- Applicants who have ‘narrowly missed’ the minimum required levels in one of the accepted English Language Tests
- Applicants who have (or are about to have) a 2-year qualification equivalent to at least a UK Bachelor’s or above in a List A country, AND have been working for at least 6 months in a List A country, to within 2 years of the start date of their course
List A
Applicants from the following countries would not normally be required to take an English Language test. Applicants who are not nationals of these countries, but who have studied there and completed a 3 year qualification equivalent to a UK Bachelors no more than 30 months before the term start date would also not normally be required to take an English Language test.
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Australia (also Christmas Island, Norfolk Island, Keeling Islands, Cocos Islands)
- Bahamas
- Barbados
- Belize
- Bermuda
- British Antarctic Territory (also British Antarctica, Antarctica British)
- British Indian Ocean Territory (also Chagos Archipelago, Indian Ocean Territory)
- British Virgin Islands
- Canada (with the exception of the French-speaking areas)
- Channel Islands
- Dominica
- Falkland Islands
- Gibraltar
- Grenada
- Guyana
- Irish Republic, Eire
- Jamaica
- Malta
- New Zealand (also Niue, Tokelau, Cokelau, Cook Islands)
- St Kitts and St Nevis
- St Lucia
- St Vincent and the Grenadines
- Trinidad and Tobago
- UK, Isle of Man
- USA
List B
Nationals of the following countries will be recommended for an assessment by the University's Language Centre if they are made an offer of admission and have not already provided acceptable evidence of competence in English. The same applies to applicants who are not nationals of these countries, but who have studied there and completed a 3 year qualification equivalent to a UK Bachelors no more than 2 years before the start date of the course. The Language Centre will subsequently recommend, depending on the results of the assessment, that the applicant either attends one of their ADTIS courses, or that the applicant must take an accepted language test, or that the applicant has the required competence in English.
- Botswana
- Ghana
- India
- Kenya
- Mauritius
- Nigeria
- Singapore
- South Africa
- South Sudan
- Sri Lanka
- Sudan
- Swaziland
- The Netherlands
- Uganda
- West Indies (with the exception of those in List A)
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
You can check the requirements specific to you on the Postgraduate Admissions website.
Accepted English Tests and Scores Required
The University requires all applicants to demonstrate competence in the English language at a very high level before they begin their proposed course of study. Adherence to this requirement is strict, especially for candidates on one-year courses. You must be able to demonstrate that you are able to communicate in English at a level and in an idiom suitable to the subject.
Whether or not you have to take a language test set will depend on a number of conditions. You can find this out on the Postgraduate Admissions website.
You should always upload your most recent test certificate regardless of the level you have achieved, so that the Postgraduate Admissions Office can assess your language level.
Language Tests Accepted by the University of Cambridge
Not all of the following tests are accepted by all courses, and the required scores may vary - please check below for details.
IELTS Academic
The IELTS (International English Language Testing System) Academic is the University's preferred test. Details can be obtained from local British Council Offices.
We also accept IELTS online.
You should upload a copy of the score report or test certificate via your self service; we can use this to verify your scores online. We no longer process test certificates sent to us on paper directly from the test centre.
TOEFL
We accept TOEFL for all courses, this includes TOEFL at Home.
You should upload a copy of the score report or test certificate via your self service; we can use this to verify your scores online. We no longer process test certificates sent to us on paper directly from the test centre.
C1 Advanced
Some courses accept C1 Advanced. An overall score of 193 with no element lower than 185 needs to be achieved however applicants must also be assessed by the University Language Centre before admission can be confirmed.
Following assessment, the University Language Centre may advise further action from the applicant (e.g. enrolment at one of the Language Centre courses, or completion of an IELTS test).
C2 Proficiency
Some courses accept C2 Proficiency. An overall score of 200, with no element lower than 185 needs to be achieved.
You can find out what score you need to achieve on the Postgraduate Admissions website.
When to take the test
If you have already taken a test that meets the minimum level, you should upload the test certificate with the rest of your supporting documents when you make your application.
If you have already taken a test but it does not meet the minimum level, you should make arrangements to retest as soon as possible, and you should upload your current test certificate with the rest of your supporting documents when you make your application.
If you have not already taken a test, you should make arrangements to take the test as soon as possible. You may be required to retest and there can sometimes be long waiting times for a test place.
If you are made an offer to study, you will be required to provide the test certificate at the required level at least two months before the start of your course, and your admission cannot confirmed without this evidence.
If you are made an offer to study on your proposed course, the Postgraduate Admissions Office may recommend a language assessment by the Language Centre and attendance on one of the ADTIS programmes – either the Pre-Sessional or the In-Sessional.
LC Assessment
One of the entry conditions for postgraduate study at the University of Cambridge for applicants whose first language is not English is that you pass an English language proficiency test to show that you have the necessary command of the language in order to get the most out of your course.
If you narrowly miss the required minimum level you may be referred by the Postgraduate Admissions Office to the Language Centre for a further assessment to be carried out. Please note that this only occurs in cases where the minimum level has only been missed by a narrow margin.
If you have a language condition and have been referred to the Language Centre for an additional assessment, then you will have been notified of this through your online Self-Service account on CAMSIS. In such cases, please e-mail adtis@langcen.cam.ac.uk with the following information:
First Name:
Family Name:
USN Number:
Details of any English test(s) taken in the last three years:
Assessment Procedure
The University's internal English language assessment consists of an online assessment which assesses reading, writing and listening, and also a interview carried out over Zoom. Not all applicants require a telephone assessment. Should you require one, you will be notified of this after you have completed your online assessment with details as to how and when to arrange this.
The assessment cannot be prepared for in the commonly accepted sense of 'prepare' - in fact, we would not encourage you to do so. The assessment is just that - an 'assessment' not a test. There is no specific score that you need to achieve. The assessment has been designed to assess your competency in academic English and the associated skills set - not your ability to pass a test.
On the basis of the assessment, the Language Centre will make one of five possible recommendations to the Postgraduate Admissions Office. These are:
| Recommendations | Explanations |
|---|---|
| 1. METCON | The language condition has been met. |
| 2. PRE | The language condition has been met providing you attend the Pre-Sessional course. |
| 3. IN, recommended PRE | The language condition has been met providing you attend the In-Sessional Programme. However, we would recommend that you attend the Pre-Sessional to further strengthen and refine your academic English skills set prior to the start of your degree course. |
| 4. IN | The language condition has been met providing you attend the In-Sessional Programme. |
| 5. METCON-IN | The language condition has been met, but we recommend that you attend the In-Sessional Support Programme to further strengthen and refine your academic English skills set. |
| 6. REFUSE | The language condition has not been met and you should retake one of the accepted English language tests. If this is not possible before the start of term, you may need to apply to defer or resubmit your application. |
For more details please refer to the next section on 'Explanation of Outcomes'.
Explanation of Outcomes
METCON
If the outcome is that you have met the language condition, then this means that on the basis of the assessment it is considered that your academic English language abilities fulfil the University's English language requirements for your course. Should you, however, feel at any stage during your time at Cambridge that you would like additional support for any aspect of academic English skills, then, you can of course register for the In-Sessional Support Programme.
PRE
If the outcome is that your language condition has been met on the basis that you attend the five-week intensive Pre-Sessional course that runs from mid-August to the third week in September, then this has been set since it is considered on the basis of the assessment that you currently have weaker areas which need to be addressed so that you can hit the ground running when you start your degree programme in October. Whilst students who have displayed minor inadequacies in their proficiency of the English language are set this as a condition, the overwhelming reason for mandating attendance of the Pre-Sessional is due to a lack of the prerequisite postgraduate academic English skills to ensure that students can fulfil the requirements of their programmes.
You can find out more about the Pre-Sessional by looking at our Pre-Sessional pages. The Pre-Sessional is not really a language course at all - but an academic skills training course tailored to the needs of international postgraduate students at Cambridge.
Please note that if your envisaged start date is not Michaelmas Term (i.e. not October), then the attendance of the Pre-Sessional is not an option. You may therefore be asked to retake one of the accepted English language tests and meet the University's minimum English language requirement for your intended course that way or you may have to defer entry until October so that you can attend the Pre-Sessional and fulfill your language condition that way. The Pre-Sessional must be attended before you start your degree programme.
IN, recommended PRE
If the outcome is that the language condition has been met, providing you attend the In-Sessional Programme, then this has been set since the assessment has shown up some minor weaknesses in your academic English ability for which you require additional support once you are in Cambridge. The cost of the In-Sessional, should you agree to attend it, will be included in your financial condition.
On the basis of the assessment, however, we would recommend that you attend the Pre-Sessional Programme to further strengthen your academic English literacy prior to starting your degree course.
Should you decide to attend the Pre-Sessional, then the condition to attend the In-Sessional will be removed
IN (In-Sessional)
If the outcome is that the language condition has been met, providing you attend the In-Sessional Programme, then this has been set since the assessment has shown up some minor weaknesses in your academic English ability for which you require additional support once you are in Cambridge. The cost of the In-Sessional, should you agree to attend it, will be included in your financial condition.
METCON-IN
If the outcome is that you have met the conditon, but it is recommended that you register for the In-Sessional Support Programme once you arrive in Cambridge, then this means that on the basis of the assessment it is considered that your academic English language abilities fulfill the University's English language requirements for your course, but it is considered that you would benefit from additional support to further refine your academic English proficiency. This is, however, merely a recommendation and not a condition of entry.
Please see our webpage for more details https://www.langcen.cam.ac.uk/adtis/in-sessional.html
REFUSE
If the outcome of the assessment is a refuse, then this means that on the basis of the assessment it is considered that your academic English skills do not meet the University's required minimum entrance levels for your intended course and that the margin is too great for us to be able to address these weaknesses sufficiently with the Pre-Sessional Course. In this case, you will be advised to retake one of the accepted English language tests and meet the minimum requirement that way.
Notification of Outcome
If you have already been made a conditional offer by the University at the time of the English language assessment, then you will be notified of the outcome via your Self Service page (CAMSIS) within 5-10 days.
If you have not already been made a conditional offer by the University, then you will be notified of the outcome of the English language assessment via your Self Service page (CAMSIS) once you have been made a conditional offer.
Queries
Please note that the Language Centre acts as an advisory body to the Postgraduate Admissions Office, whose responsibility it is for the setting and waiving of the language condition. Should you have any queries as to the outcome of your assessment, you should contact the Postgraduate Admissions Office.
Visa Applications
The Language Centre's English language assessment can be used in fulfillment of the language condition required to apply for a Tier 4 visa. Should you need to apply for a Tier 4 visa, then you will sent all the necessary documentation for your application from the University once you have completed all the conditions of your offer.
If you are made a conditional offer by the University, you should try and meet the conditions of your offer as soon as possible. On the International Students website you will find detailed information about applying for a student visa.
In addition, the time taken to meet your offer conditions and to obtain a visa has a particular impact if you must attend the Language Centre's Pre-Sessional English for Academic Purposes course which starts in mid-August. Whilst the University will endeavour to move as swiftly as we can on our side and to get the necessary paperwork through to you as soon as possible so that you can apply for your student visa, it is of vital importance that you meet all outstanding conditions of your conditional offer as soon as possible. It can take several weeks to arrange a visa appointment.
Please be aware therefore of the lengthy nature of the procedures involved; and whilst the Language Centre will do what it can to expedite this process internally, there are numerous factors outside of the University's control - however, failure to meet any of the conditions of your offer will jeopardise your entry into the University.
