English language requirements

English language tests

We accept a wide range of English language tests. You can view the full list, along with the different levels required for our undergraduate, postgraduate taught and research degree courses, under the relevant sections.

You should have taken and passed the test within two years of starting your course at Brighton.

Check our course finder for specific English language requirements for your course.

Undergraduate

We have three main levels of English for undergraduate, depending on the course that you apply for: Standard, High and Advanced. 

Postgraduate taught

We have two main levels of English for taught postgraduate degrees depending on the course that you apply for: High and Advanced.

PhD

We have two levels of English for PhDs depending on the area of research you apply for.

If you are a national from one of the UKVI defined list of Majority English-Speaking Countries or have a bachelors degree or higher from one of these countries dated within the last three years, we can assess that your academic record demonstrates your ability to study and be examined in English.

Intro

Listed here are the English language qualifications that the university accepts, with the standard grades for most of our undergraduate and taught postgraduate courses.

For all of these qualifications (with the exception of specific African qualifications, which we accept without a time limit), you should have taken and passed the qualification within five years of starting your course at Brighton.

Check our course finder for specific English language requirements for your course.

PhD applicant?

Find out about specific English language requirements for our research candidates.

Worldwide English language qualifications

A-level or International A-level English Language, English Literature and Language, or English Literature

• Grade D overall.

GCSE English Language

• Overall grade of C/4.

IGCSE English Language

• If English is your first language: Grade C/4 overall
• If English is your second language: Grade B overall

International Baccalaureate

IELTS 6.0 courses

• English A: Higher and Standard Level at grade 4. 
• English B: Higher Level at grade 5, Standard Level at grade 6.

IELTS 6.5 courses

• English A: Higher and Standard Level at grade 5.
• English B: Higher Level at grade 6, Standard Level at grade 7.

IELTS 7.0 courses

• English A: Higher and Standard Level at grade 6 or above. 
• English B: Higher Level at grade 7.

Pearson Higher National Diploma

• Grade Pass or above, with evidence the method of instruction was English.

English qualifications in Africa

Please note: we will accept the majority of these qualifications with no time limit, where the qualification is equivalent to at least GCSE English language and where the medium of instruction of education is English.

Botswana General Certificate of Secondary Education Examination (BGCSE)

• Minimum grade of C in the English component.

Cameroon General Certificate of Education Ordinary Level

• Minimum grade of C in the English component.

Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education

• Minimum grade of C in the English component.

Malawi School Certificate of Education

• Minimum mark of 1–6 on the English component.

Namibia School Leaving Certificates

• Mark of 1–6 on the English component of the Cambridge School Certificate (CSC)
• Or a mark of A–C on the English component of the:
  • Namibia Senior Secondary Certificate (Ordinary Level)
  • Senior Certificate.

Nigeria Senior School Certificate awarded by the National Examinations Council (NECO)

• Minimum mark of A/1–C/6 on the English component.

South African National Senior Certificate

• Minimum mark of 3 (40%) in English Home Language.

Tanzania Secondary School Leaving Certificate/Certificate of Secondary Education

• Mark of A–C in the English component.

Uganda Certificate of Education

• Grade of 1–6 in the English component.

West African Senior School Certificate (WASSC) awarded by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC)

• Minimum mark of A1–C6 in the English component.

Zambian School Certificate/Secondary School Certificate/General Certificate of Education

• Undergraduate: Grade 6 or above in the English component of the Zambian School Certificate / General Certificate of Education.
• Postgraduate: Grade 6 or above in the English component of the Zambian Secondary School Certificate.

Zimbabwe General Certificate of Education

• Undergraduate: Minimum grade C or above in the English component of the Zimbabwe General Certificate of Education at Ordinary Level or minimum grade E on the General Certificate of Education Advanced Level.
• Postgraduate: Minimum grade C or above in the English component of the Zimbabwe General Certificate of Education at Ordinary Level or the General Certificate of Education Advanced Level.

English qualifications in Asia

Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE)

• Minimum grade 4 in the English component.

Indian Higher Secondary School Certificate/Standard XII    

We will accept a minimum grade of 65% in Higher Secondary Certificate / Standard XII English, if awarded by the central boards:

• Council for Indian School Certificate Examination – CISCE
• Central Board of Secondary Education – CBSE

or certain state boards:

• Maharashtra
• West Bengal
• Karnataka
• Tamil Nadu
• Kerala
• Andhra Pradesh
• Telangana.

We do not accept the following state boards: Punjab, Haryana, Gujarat, Uttarakhand.

Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia / Malaysia Certificate of Education (SPM) awarded by the Examinations Syndicate of the Ministry of Education Malaysia    

• Minimum mark of C/6 or above in the SPM English 1119.
• For qualifications awarded from 2021 onwards certificates should indicate an CEFR level of B2, C1 or C2.

Singapore / Cambridge GCE O-level and GCE A-level

We will accept a mark of 1–6 (A1–C6) on the English component of the:

• Singapore O-level
• Cambridge GCE O-level.

Or a minimum mark of A–D on the English:

• Singapore Cambridge GCE A-level. Note: this DOES NOT apply to the version of this qualification with ‘normal’ in title.

Sri Lanka A-level

• Grade C or above.

Medium of Instruction (MOI)

• We accept MOIs from certain institutions from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh – get in touch with the admissions team for more info.

English qualifications in Europe

Austrian Reifeprüfung     

• Minimum mark of 2 (Gut) on the English component of the Reifeprüfung.

Denmark School Leaving Qualifications    

We will accept a minimum mark of 7 on the English component of the:

• Bevis for Studentereksamen (STX)
• Bevis for Hojere Forberedelseseksamen (HF) – Higher Preparatory Examination Certificate
• Bevis for Hojere Handelseksamen (HHX) – Higher Commerce Examination
• Bevis for Hojere Teknisk Eksamen (HTX) – Higher Technical Examination Certificate

European Baccalaureate English language 1

• Overall grade 5.63 (out of 10) or above

European Baccalaureate Advanced English language 1

• Overall grade 6.76 (out of 10) or above

European Baccalaureate English language 2

• Overall grade 5.91 (out of 10) or above

European Baccalaureate Advanced English language 2

• Overall grade 6.30 (out of 10) or above.

German Zeugnis der Allemeinen Hochschulreife / Arbitur    

• Minimum grade of 10 / gut on the English language component of the Zeugnis der Allemeinen Hochschulreife / Arbitur provided it has been taken as an advanced subject (Hauptfach / Leistungskurs / Kurs mit erhohtem Anforderungsniveau.

Iceland Stúdentspróf (from Gymnasium or a Technical/Vocational School)    

• Minimum grade of 9 in the English component of the Stúdentspróf.

Irish Leaving Certificate

• Undergraduate: Minimum grade in the English component of O1–O4 (or A–C / A1–C3) achieved at Ordinary / Standard Level or H1–H7 (or A–D / A1–D3) achieved at Higher / Honours level.
• Postgraduate: Minimum grade of O1–O4 (or A–C / A1–C3) achieved at Ordinary / Standard Level or H1–H7 (or A–D / A1–D3) achieved at Higher / Honours level.

Malta Secondary Education Certificate    

• Mark of 1–5 on the English component.

Netherlands Voorbereidend Wetenschappelijk Onderwijs (VWO)  

• Minimum grade of 8 in VWO English Language.

Norway Vitnemål for Videregående Opplæring (VVO)    

• Minimum grade of 4 in the English component.

Sweden Högskoleförberedande    

• Minimum grade C or above in the English 7 subject.

English qualifications in the rest of the world

Australian High School qualifications    

• Capital Territory: Year 10 Certificate: acceptable provided grades A–C have been achieved or Year 12 Certificate: every subject passed (pass grade E)
• New South Wales Higher School Certificate: every subject passed (pass grade 50)
• Northern Territory Certificate of Education and Training: every subject passed (pass grade E/–7)
• Queensland Certificate of Education: every subject passed (pass grade VLA)
• South Australian Certificate of Education (SACE): every subject passed (pass grade 3/E)
• Tasmanian Certificate of Education: every subject passed, when studied at TQA Level 2 or above  (pass grade 1)
• Victorian Certificate of Education: every subject passed (no passmark)
• Western Australia Certificate of Education (WACE): every subject passed (pass grade D)

Bermuda School Diploma    

• Grade A–D in a 400 English course.

Canadian Secondary School Diploma    

We will accept any of the following results on the English language component:

• Alberta General High School Diploma – 50%/C
• British Columbia Certificate of Graduation – 50%/D
• Manitoba High School Diploma – 50%/D
• New Brunswick High School Diploma – 60%
• Newfoundland and Labrador High School Graduation Diploma – 50%/D
• Northwest Territories High School Diploma – 50%/D
• Nova Scotia High School Graduation Diploma – 50%/D
• Nunavut – must be studied as a first language – 50%/D
• Ontario Academic Courses – Level 1/50%, Ontario Secondary School Diploma – Level 1/50%, Ontario Secondary School Graduation Diploma/ Diplôme d'Etudes Secondaires – 50%
• Prince Edward Island High School Graduation Diploma – 50%
• Quebec Diplôme d'Etudes Secondaires at 60% and Quebec Diplôme d’Etudes Collegiales at passmark of 50% when studied in Anglophone schools
• Saskatchewan Transcript of Secondary Level Achievement – 50%
• Yukon Certificate of Graduation – 50%.

Caribbean Examinations Council Secondary Certificate    

• Grades One (I) to Three (III) at General Proficiency in the English Language component.

New Zealand School Leaving Qualifications    

We will accept grades of Achieved, Merit and Excellence in the English component of the:

• National Certificate in Educational Achievement Level 2 – equivalent to GCSE A*–C / 9–4 provided grade Achieved, Merit or Excellence has been obtained.   
• National Certificate in Educational Achievement Level 3 – equivalent to GCSE A*–C / 9–4 provided grade Achieved, Merit or Excellence has been obtained.

Or

• University Entrance Examination subjects: English and Alternative English are both considered equivalent to GCSE A*–C / 9–4 provided grade A, B or C (or 46% or above) has been obtained. 

USA High School Graduation Diploma (HSGD)    

We will accept a grade C average or above in English provided it has been taken from years 9–12.