Which English test will a UK university accept?
Nearly every university names IELTS. Far fewer name the cheaper, faster tests — and the score that counts is often not the overall one.
On the cover: the Aston Webb Great Hall and the Chamberlain Tower, University of Birmingham. Of the 139 universities in our records that publish an English requirement, 129 name IELTS. Photo: Wikimedia Commons (public domain).
The Bottom Line
Almost every international applicant to a UK degree needs to prove their English, and most do it with a test. The university decides which tests it accepts and what score it wants. The Home Office sets a separate, lower bar for the visa.
Of the 139 universities in our records that publish an English requirement, 129 name IELTS. Only 53 name the Duolingo English Test. The most common requirement is an IELTS score of 6.0 overall, with no part below 5.5 — but the overall score is rarely the one that catches people out.
What you absolutely need to know:
- The university sets the English requirement, not UCAS or the Home Office
- IELTS, PTE and TOEFL are named almost everywhere; Duolingo is not
- The usual starting point is IELTS 6.0, but some courses ask for 7.0 or more
- Each part of the test has its own minimum, usually half a band below the overall
- A "UKVI" test is needed only in some cases
- TOEFL changed its scoring in January 2026, and many university pages have not caught up
- A result is usually valid for two years from the test date
| Test (any version) | Universities that name it |
|---|---|
| IELTS | 129 |
| PTE Academic | 121 |
| TOEFL iBT | 117 |
| Cambridge English (C1 Advanced, C2 Proficiency and others) | 109 |
| LanguageCert (Academic and International ESOL) | 105 |
| Trinity College London ISE | 94 |
| Oxford English Language Level Test (ELLT) | 68 |
| Duolingo English Test | 53 |
Out of the 139 universities that publish an English language requirement. A university that names a test for at least one course is counted. "Any version" counts the standard test and its UKVI version together.
Source: Telariq analysis of the English requirements published by 139 universities, read 27 to 29 September 2026.
1. The university sets the English requirement
Each university decides which English tests it accepts, and the score it needs. UCAS does not set one, and there is no national list. Two universities can ask for different tests, and different scores, for the same subject.
The requirement is part of your offer. If your English result is not in yet when you are offered a place, the offer is usually conditional on it.
Some applicants do not need a test. Universities usually exempt nationals of majority English-speaking countries, and many exempt students who have studied in English. Twenty universities in our records name a school or national English qualification they accept instead of a test. Our guide Will a UK university accept your qualification? covers this for India's Class XII.
2. IELTS, PTE and TOEFL are named almost everywhere; Duolingo is not
IELTS is the test almost every university names: 129 of 139. PTE Academic and TOEFL iBT are close behind. A result from any of the three is accepted by most of the universities in our records.
The Duolingo English Test is named by 53. It is taken online, at home. A university that does not name it on its English language page may not accept it. Check before you book.
Eleven universities run an English test of their own. It is accepted for entry to that university only.
3. The usual starting point is IELTS 6.0, but some courses ask for 7.0 or more
At most universities, the lowest IELTS score for an undergraduate course is 6.0. At 53 of them, 6.0 is the score for every course that publishes one. At others, the score rises by subject.
| Lowest score the university asks for | Highest score the university asks for | |
|---|---|---|
| 5.0 or 5.5 | 6 | 1 |
| 6.0 | 78 | 53 |
| 6.5 | 13 | 15 |
| 7.0 | 2 | 22 |
| 7.5 or 8.0 | 2 | 10 |
| Universities | 101 | 101 |
Overall IELTS score, for the 101 universities that publish a single numeric overall score for undergraduate entry. Each university is counted once in each column: by the lowest score it asks for on any course, and by the highest.
Source: Telariq analysis of published English requirements, read 27 to 29 September 2026.
The higher scores cluster in courses where language is the work. Most of the courses that ask for 7.0 or more lead to work with patients or clients — nursing, midwifery, physiotherapy, social work and similar — or are in English, languages and journalism.
4. Each part of the test has its own minimum
An IELTS score has four parts — listening, reading, writing and speaking — and most universities set a minimum for each. The most common rule is half a band below the overall score: 6.0 overall with no part below 5.5. Of the universities that publish both, 94 use a gap of half a band on at least one course.
One part score can decide the offer. A student can reach 6.5 overall and still miss the offer with 5.0 in writing. Some universities ask for a higher score in writing than in the other three parts.
Other tests set part scores too. PTE and TOEFL publish a score for each skill, and universities that accept them set minimums the same way.
5. A "UKVI" test is needed only in some cases
Several tests, including IELTS, PTE and LanguageCert, come in two versions: the ordinary academic test, and a "UKVI" version taken at a test centre approved by the Home Office. The UKVI versions are Secure English Language Tests (SELTs). The content is the same; the conditions under which it is taken are not.
For a degree, the university can assess your English itself. The Home Office requires English at level B2 for a Student visa for degree-level study. A university that teaches at degree level can confirm that level itself, from the test it accepts. That is why most universities accept the ordinary academic tests, and why TOEFL and Duolingo — which are not SELTs — can be used at all.
For a course below degree level, such as a separate foundation course, the Home Office sets a lower level, B1, and asks for a SELT unless you hold another qualification that proves your English. Some universities ask for a SELT from every applicant. Ninety universities in our records name a SELT; some require one, others simply accept it. If your page says "IELTS for UKVI", book that version.
6. TOEFL changed its scoring in January 2026
From 21 January 2026, TOEFL iBT reports scores on a scale of 1 to 6, in half points. Before that it used 0 to 120. For two years after the change, score reports also show a comparable 0 to 120 score.
Many university pages still quote only the old scale. Of the 84 universities in our records that publish a TOEFL iBT score, 26 quote only a 0 to 120 figure. A student booking the test today will receive a score on the new scale, with the comparable old score beside it until January 2028.
7. A result is usually valid for two years
TOEFL iBT and PTE Academic say their results are valid for two years from the test date, and IELTS recommends the same two years. The Home Office applies two years to SELTs.
Count from the test date, not the course start. A test taken in the summer before your final year at school may be close to two years old by the time a course starts in September, especially after a gap year. Universities differ on whether the result must be valid when you apply or when the course starts. Your course's English page says which.
What people get wrong
"Every UK university accepts Duolingo." Fifty-three of the 139 universities in our records name it — fewer than name any of the other tests in Exhibit 1.
"I need IELTS for UKVI for any UK degree." Not usually. For degree-level study, the university can assess your English itself, and most accept the ordinary academic test. Book the UKVI version only if your university or course asks for it.
"My overall score is above the requirement, so I have met it." Only if every part also meets its own minimum. One low part score is enough to miss the condition.
"A TOEFL score of 90 is what I need." If the university's page gives a 0 to 120 score, it was written for the old scale. Your score report will show both until January 2028; ask the university which it will read after that.
Our advice
Find the English language page for each course on your shortlist, not just the university's general page. The score can change by subject.
Check which tests the page names before you book one. A test it does not name may not be accepted.
Look at the part scores, especially writing, before the overall one.
Book a UKVI version only if a university on your list asks for it.
Take the test early enough to retake it before your offer's deadline, but late enough that the result will still be valid when the course starts.
Check every requirement on the university's own page before you book — universities change their English requirements between years.
The not so fine print: what was excluded in this report
- Medicine, dentistry and veterinary courses
- Postgraduate English requirements, which are usually higher
- English requirements for courses below degree level, including foundation and pathway courses run by private providers
- The fees for each test, which the providers set by country
- Which nationalities each university exempts, which varies by university
- The Home Office's planned English Language Test (HOELT), which had not been introduced when we read the rules
Have a question? We'd love to hear from you — admin@telariq.com