For students and parents · Before you apply, and before the offer’s deadline
English language tests for UK universities
Most UK universities accept several English tests for admission, usually including IELTS Academic, TOEFL® iBT and PTE Academic, and each course sets its own scores. That is separate from the Secure English Language Tests (SELTs) on GOV.UK’s approved list, which some visa applications need. For a Student visa for a degree the university can assess your English itself, and people from the countries GOV.UK lists, such as the USA, do not need to prove it.
Which tests do universities accept?
Each university publishes its own list. King’s College London, for example, accepts IELTS Academic and IELTS Online, PTE Academic, TOEFL® iBT and the iBT Home Edition, Cambridge C1 Advanced and C2 Proficiency, the Oxford Test of English Advanced and Trinity ISE for 2027 entry, and says its list may change each admissions cycle.
The three you will see most often work differently. IELTS Academic has four parts, listening, reading, writing and speaking, takes 2 hours and 45 minutes, and is offered at a test centre or online. TOEFL iBT moved to a 1 to 6 scale for tests taken from 21 January 2026, and ETS says older scores on the 0 to 120 scale stay active for two years, so universities list both. PTE Academic is taken on a computer at a test centre, scored from 10 to 90, and Pearson says most results arrive within two business days.
The small print differs between universities as well. King’s wants every score from one sitting, does not take TOEFL MyBest or IELTS One Skill scores, and counts a test only if it was taken within two years of the start of the course.
A test for admission or a SELT for a visa
A test a university accepts for admission is not the same thing as a Secure English Language Test (SELT), which GOV.UK approves for some visa applications. GOV.UK’s list names the approved tests, among them IELTS for UKVI, PTE Academic UKVI, LanguageCert’s SELTs, Trinity College London’s SELTs and PSI’s Skills for English UKVI, and a SELT has to be sat at an approved test location and is valid for two years. TOEFL iBT is not on the list.
For a Student visa to study for a degree, GOV.UK says the university can assess your English itself, at a level equivalent to CEFR B2, and it may ask for a different test. So for most degree applicants the university’s own list is what matters. Pearson says its UKVI version has the same content and scoring as PTE Academic and is meant for study below degree level or at institutions that are not higher education institutions, and King’s, for its International Foundation, asks visa applicants to use UKVI-approved IELTS or PTE test centres. Book a UKVI version only when the university or GOV.UK asks for one.
Who does not need a test?
There are two sets of rules, the visa’s and the university’s. For the Student visa, GOV.UK says you do not need to prove your English if you are from one of the countries it lists, which include the USA, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Jamaica and several Caribbean countries, or if you are a national of Canada. It also accepts a GCSE, A level or Scottish Higher in English from a UK school you started before you were 18, or a degree taught in English and awarded by a UK institution.
Universities set their own exemptions, which can be narrower. King’s, for example, exempts nationals of majority English-speaking countries who have completed a qualification at A level standard in that country’s own education system, so check the university’s wording rather than assuming the visa list applies.
Checking the course page
Scores are set course by course. At King’s, most arts, humanities, social science, law, business, medicine and dentistry courses ask for IELTS 7.0 overall with 6.5 in each skill, and many natural, mathematical and engineering sciences courses ask for 6.5 with 6.0 in each. Other universities use different bands, so read the entry requirements for each course you are applying to.
On each page, check which tests it accepts, the overall score and the score in each part, how old the result can be, whether an at-home version counts, and whether the scores have to come from one sitting. The guide to applying from abroad covers the rest of the application.
Where to check
- GOV.UK: approved Secure English Language Tests
- GOV.UK: Student visa, knowledge of English
- King’s College London: English language requirements
- IELTS Academic
- ETS: TOEFL iBT score scale update
- Pearson: PTE Academic
Checked against these on . The rules change from year to year, so the pages above are the ones to trust if anything here disagrees with them. IELTS, TOEFL® and PTE Academic belong to their owners, none of which is affiliated with or endorses this website.
Common questions
Which English test is best for UK universities?
There is no single best test. Most universities accept IELTS Academic, TOEFL iBT and PTE Academic among others, so pick one that every university on your list accepts and check the score each course asks for.
Do I need IELTS for UKVI, or is IELTS Academic enough?
For a degree, usually the university decides, and many accept IELTS Academic. IELTS for UKVI is the version on GOV.UK’s approved SELT list, so book it only if your university or the visa rules ask for it.
Do UK universities accept TOEFL?
Many do for admission, including King’s College London. TOEFL iBT is not on GOV.UK’s list of approved SELTs, which matters only where a SELT is needed.
How long are English test results valid?
It depends on who is asking. King’s counts tests taken within two years of the course start, ETS says TOEFL scores stay active for two years, and GOV.UK says a SELT is valid for two years from the date it is awarded.
Do I need an English test if I am from the USA?
Not for the Student visa, since GOV.UK lists the USA among the countries whose people do not need to prove their English. The university may still have its own rule, so check its page.