Undergraduate Degrees - English Requirements

To study an undergraduate degree at the University of Aberdeen, you'll need to demonstrate that your English language skills meet our entry requirements.

You can meet our English language requirement in several ways, including through your nationality, school qualifications, university studies, or a recognised English language test.

Our Undergraduate English Language Requirements

Follow the steps below to find out which option applies to you.

Step 1 - Check if you're already exempt

You do not need to provide additional evidence of English language proficiency if you are:

A national of one of our recognised English-speaking countries:

Antigua and Barbuda
Australia
The Bahamas
Barbados
Belize
Canada
Dominica
Grenada
Guyana
Ireland
Jamaica
Malta
New Zealand
St Kitts and Nevis
St Lucia
St Vincent and the Grenadines
Trinidad and Tobago
The United States of America

Step 2 - Check if you already have an accepted qualification

You may already meet our English language requirement if you have:

An approved high or senior school qualification
Please note that the qualification must have been obtained within the last 10 years. View the full list of accepted high school qualifications, minimum grades and the countries they apply to. If yes, then all we require is a copy of your transcript and certificate.
An honours degree equivalent from one of our recognised countries
Antigua and Barbuda Australia The Bahamas Barbados Belize Dominica Grenada Guyana Ireland Jamaica Malta New Zealand St Kitts and Nevis St Lucia St Vincent and the Grenadines Trinidad and Tobago The United Kingdom The United States of America If yes, then all we require is a copy of your transcript and certificate.
Completed three A Levels or the International Baccalaureate (IB) taught in English
These qualifications must have been obtained within the last 10 years. If this applies to you, simply upload your certificate or transcript with your application.
A degree taught and assessed entirely in English at an approved university
View the full list of approved MOI universities by country. If yes, then all we require is an official medium of instruction (MOI) letter from your university confirming that your degree was/is taught, assessed, and examined fully in English.

Step 3 - View accepted English language tests and requirements

If you've already taken an approved English language test from the list below, check that you've achieved the required score for your course.

If you haven't taken a test yet, you'll need to complete one of our accepted English language tests and achieve the required grade before you start your studies.

Please note certification must be within the two years prior to commencement of your course, unless otherwise stated.

University of Aberdeen Academic English Pre sessional programmes
Requirement: Pass Requirement for Medicine (MBChB): Pass Valid for one year. A refresher course may be offered if the result is out of date.
Pre-sessional Academic English Preparation Programmes undertaken at other UK universities
Requirement: Pass at an equivalent of 6 (B2) with B2 in all four skills Requirement for Medicine (MBChB): Pass at an equivalent of 6 (B2) with C1 in Speaking and B2 in the other skills Certification must be within one year prior to commencement of your course.
IELTS Academic or IELTS UKVI Academic
Requirement: Listening - 5.5 or above Reading - 5.5 or above Speaking - 5.5 or above Writing - 6.0 or above Overall - 6.0 Requirement for Medicine (MBChB): Listening - 5.5 or above Reading - 5.5 or above Speaking - 7.0 or above Writing - 6.0 or above Overall - 7.0 We DO NOT accept IELTS Indicator, IELTS General Training, or IELTS Online. We accept valid IELTS One Skill Retake test scores.
TOEFL iBT and TOEFL Home Edition (online)
For tests taken after 21 January 2026 Requirement: Listening - 4 or above Reading - 4 or above Speaking - 4 or above Writing - 4.5 or above Overall - 4 - 4.5 Requirement for Medicine (MBChB): Listening - 4 or above Reading - 4 or above Speaking - 4 or above Writing - 4.5 or above Overall - 4 - 4.5 For tests taken before 21 January 2026 Requirement: Listening - 17 or above Reading - 18 or above Speaking - 20 or above Writing - 21 or above Overall - 78 or above Requirement for Medicine (MBChB): Listening - 21 or above Reading - 22 or above Speaking - 28 or above Writing - 21 or above Overall - 100 We accept MyBest scores for the TOEFL iBT test in addition to TOEFL iBT scores from a single test date. TOEFL DI code is 0818.
LanguageCert Academic / LanguageCert Academic SELT
Requirement: Listening - 60 Reading - 60 Speaking - 60 Writing - 65 Overall - 65 Requirement for Medicine (MBChB): Listening - 60 Reading - 60 Speaking - 75 Writing - 65 Overall - 75
Cambridge B2 First or C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency
Requirement: Listening - 162 or above Reading - 162 or above Speaking - 162 or above Writing - 169 or above Overall - 169 Requirement for Medicine (MBChB): Listening - 162 or above Reading - 162 or above Speaking - 185 or above Writing - 169 or above Overall - 185
Oxford ELLT Digital - English Level Test Online
Requirement: Listening - 5.0 or above Reading - 5.0 or above Speaking - 5.0 or above Writing - 6.0 or above Overall - 6.0 Requirement for Medicine (MBChB): Listening - 5.0 or above Reading - 5.0 or above Speaking - 8.0 or above Writing - 6.0 or above Overall - 8.0
LanguageCert International ESOL B2 Communicator (online / in centre)
This test is not accepted for entry from September 2025 onwards. Requirement: Overall pass Listening, Reading and Speaking - 33 or above Writing - 38 or above This test is not accepted for Medicine (MBChB).
PTE Academic
Online test not accepted. Requirement: Listening - 59 or above Reading - 59 or above Speaking - 59 or above Writing - 59 or above Overall - 59 or above Requirement for Medicine (MBChB): Listening - 59 or above Reading - 59 or above Speaking - 70 or above Writing - 59 or above Overall - 70 or above
Trinity ISE - Trinity Integrated Skills in English
Requirement: Pass overall at ISE II with a distinction in writing and merit in the other three skills. Requirement for Medicine (MBChB): Pass overall at ISE III with a distinction in writing and merit in the other three skills.
Duolingo
Tests taken from 1st July 2024 onward. Requirement: Listening - 95 Reading - 95 Speaking - 95 Writing - 105 Overall - 105 This test is not accepted for Medicine (MBChB).
Skills for English: SELT
Requirement: B2 Pass Requirement for Medicine (MBChB): C1 Pass

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