Pre-sessional English Course Overview

Learn more about our range of Pre-sessional English courses to help you prepare for admission onto your degree course at The University of Sheffield.

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Applications for our Summer 2024 Pre-sessional English courses and the Academic Literacy and University Culture programme are now open

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In-person Pre-sessional Courses

Our in-person pre-sessional English courses take place in face-to-face classroom based lessons in Sheffield.

Full-time In-person year round

Start Date: Various start dates throughout the year

End Date: Depends on course length

Entry Requirements: Approximately 1 to 2 IELTS bands away from the English requirements for your degree course (see Entry Requirements links for more details)

Hours: 15 hours of tutor-led classes, a 1 to 1 tutorial and at least 5 hours of guided independent study per week

Cost: Varies by course length and start date. £425 per week for courses starting between October 2023 and April 2024, and £459 per week for courses taking place in Summer 2024.

More Course DetailsTerm 3 April 2024 Entry RequirementsTerm 4 Summer 2024 Entry RequirementsApply Now

Full-time In-person 10 weeks - July 2024

Start Date: Monday 1 July 2024

End Date: Friday 6 September 2024

Application Deadline: Monday June 3 2024

Cost: £4,590 (£459 per week)

Entry requirements:

Your Overall IELTS score: No more than 1 IELTS band below the overall English language requirement for your degree course

Your Individual IELTS component scores (Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening):

  • No component below 5.0
  • A maximum of two components at 5.0
  • No component more than 1.5 bands below the overall IELTS requirements for your degree course
  • No component more than 1.0 below the minimum requirements for that component

You must also hold a conditional or unconditional offer to study a degree course beginning in September or October 2024 at The University of Sheffield before applying for this course.

More Course Details

Example Entry Requirements

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Full-time In-person 6 weeks - July 2024 

Start Date: Monday 22 July 2024

End Date: Friday 30 August 2024

Application Deadline: Monday June 24 2024

Cost: £2,754 (£459 per week)

Entry requirements:

Your Overall IELTS score: No more than half (0.5) an IELTS band below the overall English language requirement for your degree course

Your Individual IELTS component scores (Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening): 

At least 5.5 in every component and no more than half (0.5) an IELTS band below the minimum IELTS component requirements for your degree course

You must also hold a conditional or unconditional offer to study a degree course beginning in September or October 2024 at The University of Sheffield before applying for this course

More Course Details

Example Entry Requirements

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Accepted English Tests - In-person Pre-sessional Courses

We accept the following UK Visas & Immigration approved Secure English Language Test (SELT) results for entry onto our in-person pre-sessional courses:

  • IELTS for UKVI
  • Trinity Integrated Skills in English (ISE) taken in the UK
  • Pearson Test of English Academic UKVI (PTE Academic) 
  • LanguageCert International ESOL SELT

Entry requirements for each of our courses in IELTS (and LanguageCert International ESOL B2 & C1) can be found by clicking on the entry requirements link under the courses listed above. If you have a Pearson PTE result, you can convert it into an equivalent IELTS score to check your entry requirements using our test comparisons webpage:

English Language Test Comparisons

If you have a different test result, or are still unsure about the requirements for our pre-sessional courses, please send us an email containing your latest test result, and the IELTS requirements for your chosen University of Sheffield degree course and we can advise you on which courses you are eligible for.

Accommodation Information - In-person Pre-sessional Courses

Booking for University accommodation for the duration of our in-person Summer 2024 courses will open in 2024. Please visit the University Accommodation website to view further details about the accommodation that was on offer for Summer 2023, and for futher information about 2024 accommodation availability once the details have been confirmed:

ELTC Student Accommodation


Fully Online Pre-sessional Courses

Suitable for distance learners, our fully online pre-sessional courses can be studied from your home country and finish earlier in the Summer leaving enough time for you to make travel and visa arrangements before coming to Sheffield to start your degree course.

Full-time Online 10 Weeks - June 2024

Start Date: Monday 24 June 2024

End Date: Friday 30 August 2024

Application Deadline: Monday June 3 2024

Cost: £4,590 (£459 per week)

Entry Requirements: 

Your Overall IELTS score: No more than 1 IELTS band below the overall English language requirement for your degree course

Your Individual IELTS component scores (Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening):

  • No component below 5.0
  • A maximum of two components at 5.0
  • No component more than 1.5 bands below the overall IELTS requirements for your degree course
  • No component more than 1.0 below the minimum requirement for that component

You must also hold a conditional or unconditional offer to study a degree course beginning in September or October 2024 at The University of Sheffield before applying for this course

More Course Details

Example Entry Requirements

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Full-time Online 6 Weeks - July 2024

Start Date: Monday 8 July 2024

End Date: Friday 16 August 2024

Application Deadline: Monday June 17 2024

Cost: £2,754 (£459 per week)

Entry requirements

Your Overall IELTS score: No more than half (0.5) an IELTS band below the overall English language requirement for your degree course

Your Individual IELTS component scores (Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening): 

At least 5.5 in every component and no more than half (0.5) an IELTS band below the minimum IELTS component requirements for your degree course

You must also hold a conditional or unconditional offer to study a degree course beginning in September or October 2024 at The University of Sheffield before applying for this course

More Course Details

Example Entry Requirements

Apply Now

Accepted English Tests - Online Pre-sessional Courses

We can accept the following English language tests for entry onto our online pre-sessional courses:

  • IELTS for UKVI
  • Trinity Integrated Skills in English (ISE) taken in the UK
  • Pearson Test of English Academic UKVI (PTE Academic)*
  • LanguageCert International ESOL SELT
  • IELTS (Academic)
  • IELTS Indicator (taken after July 2020)
  • LanguageCert International ESOL B2 Communicator or C1 Expert (online version)
  • Pearson PTE Academic (non UKVI)*
  • Cambridge English C1 Advanced and C2 Proficiency
  • TOEFL iBT and Special Home Edition
  • NCUK English Language Test

* The online version of Pearson PTE Academic is not accepted.

We do not accept any other English language tests (such as Duolingo) for admission onto our online pre-sessional courses.

Entry requirements for each of our courses in IELTS (and LanguageCert International ESOL B2 & C1) can be found by clicking on the entry requirements link under the courses listed above. If you have a TOEFL iBT or Pearson PTE result, you can convert it into an equivalent IELTS score to check your entry requirements using our test comparisons webpage:

English Language Test Comparisons

If you have a different test result, or are still unsure about the requirements for our pre-sessional courses, please send us an email containing your latest test result, and the IELTS requirements for your chosen University of Sheffield degree course and we can advise you on which courses you are eligible for.


Academic Literacy and University Culture Programme

A 4 week full-time introduction to life as a student at the University of Sheffield, purposefully designed to familiarise you with academic methodology and British university culture, providing a head-start before you begin your degree programme in September 2024.

Full-time In-Person 4 Weeks - August 2024

Start Date: Monday 19 August 2024

End Date: Friday 13 September 2024

Application Deadline: Monday 22 July 2024

Cost: £1,836 (£459 per week)

Entry requirements

This programme is for students who have already met the English requirements for their degree course.

You must hold a conditional or unconditional offer to study a degree course beginning in September or October 2024 at The University of Sheffield which you have already met the English language requirements for in full before applying for this course.

More Course Details

Example Entry Requirements

Apply Now


Still need help?

If you're not sure which Pre-sessional Course is best for you then please get in touch and our Admissions Team will be happy to help:

eltc-admissions@sheffield.ac.uk


For more information on how we hold and process your personal data, please see the University's Privacy Notice for prospective, current and former students.

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