English language requirement

Our English language requirements

To study with us, you will need to meet the required English language competency level for your course.

You can see which your chosen course requires on our course pages.

Find your course

How to meet our English language requirement

You can do this in one of the following ways:

• Achieve the minimum score in one of the tests or qualifications we accept
• Show that you are exempt from our English language requirements
• Pass the Imperial College London Pre-Sessional English Programme

The Business School no longer offers its own pre-sessional courses, or recognises other pre-sessional courses, as a means of meeting the English language requirement. If you have any questions about this, please contact the Business School directly.

Are you exempt?

You do not need to prove your knowledge of English if you’ve completed a qualification equivalent to a UK degree in one of the following countries:

• Australia
• Canada
• Guyana
• Ireland
• Malta
• New Zealand
• South Africa
• United Kingdom
• United States of America
• West Indies

* Please note that this exemption is not guaranteed if you are applying to the Business School.

You may also be exempt if:

• you studied a joint degree programme with a university based in one of the above countries. Your final degree needs to be awarded by a university based in one these countries and you must have a studied a minimum of one year including the final year in one of the countries list above (*if you are applying to the Department of Mathematics or Centre for Environmental Policy, you must have studied the full degree in one of the countries listed above)
• you hold full membership or fellowship by examination to one of the UK or Ireland's Medical Royal Colleges; or
• you hold registration with the UK General Medical Council

Student visa – proving your English language proficiency

If you need a student visa to study with us, you will need to prove your English language proficiency.

You can prove this to us with evidence that you have:

• sat one of our accepted English language tests; and
• met the relevant standard for your course.

We will confirm this in your Confirmation for Acceptance of Studies (CAS) which you can use in your visa application.

Pre-sessional English students

Pre-sessional English students, who are studying below degree level, will have to take a Home Office Approved English Language Test and provide evidence of this test with their visa application.

You can book an IELTS for UKVI test through the IELTS website.

Postgraduate research (doctoral) applicants

After fulfilling the English language entry requirement for admission, all doctoral students must also fulfil the Imperial College London Doctoral Academic Communication Requirement (DACR). This is done through taking Doctoral Academic Communication Requirement Assessment 1 (DACR A1). Depending on the result of this initial assessment (DACR A1), students may also need to have a progress check, referred to as Doctoral Academic Communication Requirement Assessment 2 (DACR A2). DACR A2 will form part of the Early Stage Assessment (ESA), which is carried out by the student’s host department.

To fulfil this requirement, students must take the first available DACR A1 after registering for their doctoral programme. This must be within 3 months of the registration date. This is because the aim of the Requirement is to identify as soon as possible those who may need to improve their writing competence, and to ensure they can access support in the first 9 months of their doctoral programme.

Find out more about the Doctoral Academic Communication Requirement.

Accepted English language tests and qualifications

You can find all of the English language tests and qualifications we accept here.

You only need to meet the relevant standard in one of the following.

Note for research (PhD) applicants

If you are applying for a postgraduate research degree and are asked to present formal evidence of English language ability, you will need to fulfill the Imperial College London Postgraduate English Requirement. This involves taking the Imperial College London initial English assessment (English Assessment 1) as soon as you start your PhD studies. After this assessment, internal classes (which are free of charge) may be recommended, and you may be reassessed at a later stage to evaluate your progress.    

The aim of this requirement is to help and encourage you to work on your English language skills and to ensure that you receive the necessary support to complete your PhD successfully and communicate your work in the wider academic community. For more information please see the Centre for Academic English website. 

While every effort has been made to ensure that this information is up-to-date, Imperial College London can accept no liability for any inaccuracies or alterations of which it may be unaware.