English language entry requirements
Regardless of your nationality or country of residence, you must demonstrate a level of English language competency which will enable you to succeed in your studies.
Degree requirements
English language requirements vary between degrees.
Find the specific requirements for your chosen degree in our degree finder.
Unless a higher level is specified in the published entry requirements in our degree finder, you will need a pass in English at the following grades or higher:
- National 5 at C
- SQA Standard Grade at 3
- SQA Intermediate 1 at A
- SQA Intermediate 2 at C
- GCSE/IGCSE at C or 4
- Level 2 Certificate at C (Level 2 Functional Skills English is not accepted for entry)
- IB Standard Level at 5 (English ab initio is not accepted for entry)
- IB Middle Years Programme English Language and Literature at 5
Accepted qualifications
We also accept a wide range of international English qualifications and English language tests.
The qualifications we accept meet both the English language proficiency requirements listed above and the minimum standards for Student route visas.
If you have already met our English language entry requirements for your degree at the time you apply, your application may be considered more competitive in selection than applications where you still need to take an English language test.
Unless you are a national of a majority English speaking country, your English language qualification must be no more than three and a half years old from the start date of the degree you are applying to study. If you are using an IELTS, TOEFL or Trinity ISE test, it must be no more than two years old on the first of the month in which the degree begins, regardless of your nationality.
The English language requirements for MBChB Medicine and BVM&S Veterinary Medicine may be higher than the levels listed below. For more information, please check your country's qualification page or contact us using our undergraduate enquiry form.
International qualifications by country
Two year expiry
| IELTS Academic and IELTS Academic Online |
International English Language Testing System (internet-based or at any IELTS test centre) |
|
PTE Academic (Please note that we have suspended acceptance of PTE Academic Online with immediate effect) |
In person at any Pearson test centre |
|
TOEFL-iBT (including Special Home Edition) |
Internet-based or Paper Edition Test of English as a Foreign Language. English requirements must be met in a single test. We do not accept TOEFL MyBest Score to meet our English language requirements. |
| Trinity ISE | Trinity Integrated Skills in English |
Three and a half year expiry
| AP English | English Language and Composition or English Literature and Composition at 3 | |
| AS or A Level English | English Language; English Language and Literature; or English Literature at C | |
| Austria: Matura/Reifeprufung | English at 2 (gut) in both written and oral exams | |
| Botswana GCSE English (BGCSE) | Grade C | |
| C1 Advanced, formerly known as Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE) | Overall score of 176 with 162 in each component | |
| C2 Proficiency, formerly known as Cambridge English: Proficiency (CPE) | Overall score of 176 with 162 in each component | |
| Cambridge O Level English Language | Grade C | |
| Cambridge Pre-U English | Literature in English (Principal) at M3 or above | |
| Cameroonian O Level English Language | Grade C | |
|
Canadian Secondary/High School Diploma (All provinces/territories except Ontario and Québec) |
Grade 12 English Language Arts/English at 70% when taught and assessed in English |
|
| Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate English A plus English B | English Language at 3 | |
| Certificate of Nile International Secondary Level 1 English | Grade C | |
| Denmark: Studentereksamen | English A or English B at 7 | |
| European Baccalaureate |
Either:
|
|
| Finland: Ylioppilastutkinto/ Studentexamen | Grade M / 5 (magna cum laude approbatur) | |
| France: French Baccalaureate General (2021 entry onwards) | Langue vivante A (Anglais) – 14 | |
| France: Option International du Baccalaureat (British/American version) / Baccalauréat Français International (BFI) | English Language and Literature at 12 | |
| Gatehouse ESOL International (Classic) | Level 2 or Level 3 | |
| General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) English Language / Pearson GCSE English Language 2.0 | GCSE English Language at C / 4 | |
| GCSE English Literature is not accepted | ||
| Germany: Abitur | English at 12 (Gut) when taken as a Hauptfach / Leistungskurs / Kur smit erhohtem Anforderungsniveau | |
| Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE) | English Language at Level 4 overall and Level 4 in each component | |
| International Baccalaureate English A or B | Standard Level 5 or Higher Level 4, (ab initio or Literature and Performance are not accepted) | |
| International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme English Language and Literature | Grade 5 where a C/4 is required at GCSE | |
| International General Certificate of Secondary Education (iGCSE) English | Grade C / 4. All First or Second Language iGCSE English qualifications are accepted | |
| iGCSE English literature qualifications are not accepted | ||
| Indian CBSE or CISCE | Class XII English at 75% | |
| Ireland: Irish Leaving Certificate | Grade O4 or H4 | |
| Malaysian SPM English plus Cambridge GCE O Level English 1119 | Grade C | |
| Malta: MATSEC | Intermediate Level English Language at B | |
| Netherlands: VWO Diploma | Grade 7 | |
| Norway: Vitnemål fra den Videregaende Skole | Core English Grade 4 | |
| Poland: Matura | English at Advanced Level in the 60th percentile and a score of 70% in the oral exam | |
| Rwandan O Level English Language | Grade C | |
| Singapore Cambridge GCE A levels | Higher 1, Higher 2, or Higher 3 English in Literature, or Higher 2 English Language and Linguistics at C | |
| Singapore Integrated Programme / NUS High School Diploma | Secondary 4 English or Language Arts at Grade Point 2.0 | |
| South African National Senior Certificate English | Grade 4 when studied as Home/First Language | |
| SQA National 5 English | Grade C. National 5 English and National 5 ESOL are accepted. | |
| SQA Higher English | Grade C. Higher English and Higher ESOL are accepted. | |
|
SQA Higher National Qualifications |
Higher National Certificate (HNC) or Higher National Diploma (HND) | |
| Sweden: Slutbetyg/Examensbevis från Gymnasieskolan – English | English 7 at Grade C (VG) | |
| Uganda Certificate of Education | Grade 2 English | |
| Zimbabwean O Level English Language | Grade C |
Applicants undertaking mandatory military service
We understand that applicants from Singapore are required to complete mandatory military service. If you began your military service immediately after completing school, the three and a half year expiry period for your qualification will apply from the point you finished school providing that you were taught and assessed in English.
This extension does not apply if you are using IELTS, TOEFL and Trinity ISE to meet English language requirements.
Foundation English for Academic Purposes
We also accept satisfactory completion of all Foundation English for Academic Purposes (FEAP) modules in our International Foundation Programme in Arts, Humanities and Social Science as meeting our English language requirements.
Access programmes delivered in Scottish Colleges
We accept satisfactory completion of all Access programmes delivered in Scottish Colleges (including Scottish Wider Access Programme) as meeting our English language requirements.
Certificates
We will need to verify your qualifications and/or test results. If your certificates are not in English you will also need to submit a certified translation.
Submitting your qualification certificates
Students who require a visa to study in the UK
In addition to our English language proficiency requirements, the UK Home Office sets its own minimum standards for applicants who require a Student route visa to study in the UK. Our English language entry requirements are set at a level that will also meet the English language proficiency requirements of the UK Home Office.
If you require a Student route visa to study in the UK, the English qualification that you use for admission to an undergraduate degree must be included in our list of accepted qualifications, unless you are a national of a majority English speaking country as defined by UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI).
UKVI majority English speaking countries
English Language Education / International Foundation Programme
If you are interested in our English language programmes as preparation for degree entry, or our International Foundation Programme in Arts, Humanities and Social Science you must have an approved secure English language test (SELT) for entry. Our approved SELTs meet our English language proficiency requirements and the minimum standard for student route visas.
International Foundation Programme in Arts, Humanities and Social Science
English language courses
If you do not have the English grades we require for entry, you can improve your language skills through our range of English courses.
English language courses at Edinburgh
Related links
Admissions policies and procedures | The University of Edinburgh