IELTS Band Requirements by University
Find the minimum IELTS score you need for 100+ universities across the UK, USA, Canada, Australia, and beyond.
Why requirements vary: Each university and faculty sets its own language policy. A general engineering program and a medical school at the same university can have IELTS requirements a full band apart.
Overall vs per-skill minimum: Many universities set a floor on individual skill scores. Reaching the overall band is not enough if any single skill falls below the stated minimum.
Higher requirements for regulated programs: Medicine, nursing, law, pharmacy, and teaching programs routinely require 7.0–7.5, often driven by professional body registration requirements rather than the university alone.
Always verify officially: Requirements change. Use this page as a reference starting point, then confirm on the official admissions or international students page before applying.
IELTS Requirements at Top Universities
Filter by country, study level, or IELTS minimum band. Click Overall Band to sort the table. Band colours: amber = 6.0, amber-green = 6.5, green = 7.0, dark green = 7.5+.
Showing 85 of 85 universities
| University | Country | Level | Overall Band | Min Per Skill | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American University of Sharjah | UAE | Undergrad | 6.0 | 5.5 each | — |
| Australian National University | Australia | Undergrad | 6.5 | 6.0 each | — |
| Boston University | USA | Undergrad | 6.5 | 6.0 each | — |
| Columbia University | USA | Postgrad | 7.0 | No stated min | — |
| Delft University of Technology | Netherlands | Undergrad | 6.0 | 5.5 each | — |
| Durham University | UK | Undergrad | 6.5 | 6.0 each | Law requires 7.0 |
| Erasmus University Rotterdam | Netherlands | Postgrad | 6.5 | 6.0 each | RSM MBA: 7.0 |
| Harvard University | USA | Postgrad | 7.0 | No stated min | Varies by school |
| Heidelberg University | Germany | Postgrad | 6.5 | No stated min | — |
| Imperial College London | UK | Undergrad | 6.5–7.0 | 6.0 each | Engineering typically 6.5; Medicine higher |
| Imperial College London | UK | Postgrad | 6.5–7.0 | 6.0 each | MBA: 7.0 |
| Johns Hopkins University | USA | Postgrad | 7.0 | No stated min | Public Health: 7.0 |
| King's College London | UK | Undergrad | 7.0 | 6.5 each | Health programs require 7.0 per skill |
| King's College London | UK | Postgrad | 7.0 | 7.0 each | Health: 7.5 |
| Leiden University | Netherlands | Undergrad | 6.5 | 6.0 each | — |
| LMU Munich | Germany | Postgrad | 6.5 | 6.0 each | English-taught programs |
| London School of Economics | UK | Undergrad | 7.0 | 6.5 each | Some programs require 7.5 |
| LSE | UK | Postgrad | 7.0 | 6.5 each | — |
| Macquarie University | Australia | Undergrad | 6.0 | 6.0 each | — |
| McGill University | Canada | Undergrad | 6.5 | 6.0 each | Medicine: 7.0+ |
| McGill University | Canada | Postgrad | 7.0 | 6.5 each | — |
| McMaster University | Canada | Undergrad | 6.5 | 6.0 each | Health Sci: 7.0 |
| MIT | USA | Postgrad | 7.0 | No stated min | Recommended; some depts require TOEFL |
| Monash University | Australia | Undergrad | 6.5 | 6.0 each | Medicine: 7.0 |
| Monash University | Australia | Postgrad | 7.0 | 6.5 each | — |
| Nanyang Technological University | Singapore | Undergrad | 6.0–6.5 | 6.0 each | — |
| National University of Singapore | Singapore | Undergrad | 6.0–6.5 | 6.0 each | — |
| New York University | USA | Undergrad | 7.0 | 6.5 each | Varies by school |
| Newcastle University | UK | Undergrad | 6.5 | 5.5 each | — |
| Northeastern University | USA | Undergrad | 6.5 | No stated min | — |
| Purdue University | USA | Undergrad | 6.5 | 6.0 each | — |
| Queen Mary University London | UK | Undergrad | 6.5 | 6.0 each | — |
| Queens University | Canada | Undergrad | 6.5 | 6.0 each | — |
| RMIT University | Australia | Undergrad | 6.0 | 6.0 each | — |
| Simon Fraser University | Canada | Undergrad | 6.5 | 6.0 each | — |
| Stanford University | USA | Postgrad | 7.0 | No stated min | Some programs prefer TOEFL |
| Trinity College Dublin | Ireland | Undergrad | 6.5 | 6.0 each | — |
| TU Munich | Germany | Postgrad | 6.5 | 6.0 each | — |
| UC Berkeley | USA | Postgrad | 7.0 | No stated min | Some programs: 6.5 |
| UCL | UK | Postgrad | 7.0 | 6.5 each | Many programs 7.5 |
| UCL (University College London) | UK | Undergrad | 6.5–7.5 | 6.0–7.0 | Varies widely by faculty |
| UCLA | USA | Undergrad | 7.0 | No stated min | — |
| University College Cork | Ireland | Undergrad | 6.0 | 5.5 each | — |
| University College Dublin | Ireland | Undergrad | 6.5 | 6.0 each | — |
| University of Adelaide | Australia | Undergrad | 6.0 | 6.0 each | — |
| University of Alberta | Canada | Undergrad | 6.5 | 6.0 each | — |
| University of Amsterdam | Netherlands | Undergrad | 6.5 | 6.0 each | — |
| University of Auckland | New Zealand | Undergrad | 6.0 | 5.5 each | Medicine: 7.0 |
| University of Birmingham | UK | Undergrad | 6.5 | 5.5 each | Nursing requires 7.0 |
| University of Bristol | UK | Undergrad | 6.5 | 5.5 each | Medicine requires 7.5 |
| University of British Columbia | Canada | Undergrad | 6.5 | 6.0 each | Some programs: 7.0 |
| University of British Columbia | Canada | Postgrad | 7.0 | 6.5 each | — |
| University of Cambridge | UK | Undergrad | 7.5 | 7.0 each | Some courses require 8.0 overall |
| University of Cambridge | UK | Postgrad | 7.5 | 7.0 each | Some require 8.0 |
| University of Chicago | USA | Postgrad | 7.0 | No stated min | Booth MBA: 7.0 |
| University of Dubai | UAE | Undergrad | 5.5 | 5.0 each | — |
| University of Edinburgh | UK | Undergrad | 6.5 | 5.5 each | Medicine requires 7.5 overall |
| University of Exeter | UK | Undergrad | 6.0–6.5 | 5.5 each | — |
| University of Glasgow | UK | Undergrad | 6.5 | 6.0 each | Medicine requires 7.0+ |
| University of Leeds | UK | Undergrad | 6.0 | 5.5 each | PG Business 6.5 |
| University of Manchester | UK | Undergrad | 6.5 | 5.5 each | Some PG programs require 7.0 |
| University of Melbourne | Australia | Undergrad | 6.5 | 6.0 each | Medicine: 7.0; Education: 7.5 |
| University of Melbourne | Australia | Postgrad | 7.0 | 6.5 each | — |
| University of Michigan | USA | Postgrad | 7.0 | No stated min | — |
| University of New South Wales | Australia | Undergrad | 6.5 | 6.0 each | Law: 7.0 |
| University of Nottingham | UK | Undergrad | 6.0–6.5 | 5.5 each | — |
| University of Otago | New Zealand | Undergrad | 6.0 | 5.5 each | Health: 6.5 |
| University of Ottawa | Canada | Undergrad | 6.5 | 6.0 each | — |
| University of Oxford | UK | Undergrad | 7.5 | 7.0 each | Varies by course; some require 7.5 in all skills |
| University of Oxford | UK | Postgrad | 7.5 | 7.0 each | Most grad programs |
| University of Pennsylvania | USA | Postgrad | 7.0 | No stated min | Wharton: TOEFL preferred |
| University of Queensland | Australia | Undergrad | 6.5 | 6.0 each | — |
| University of Sheffield | UK | Undergrad | 6.0 | 5.5 each | Some programs 6.5 |
| University of Southampton | UK | Undergrad | 6.5 | 5.5 each | — |
| University of Sydney | Australia | Undergrad | 6.5 | 6.0 each | Law: 7.0 |
| University of Sydney | Australia | Postgrad | 7.0 | 6.5 each | — |
| University of Toronto | Canada | Undergrad | 6.5 | 6.0 each | Engineering: 7.0 |
| University of Toronto | Canada | Postgrad | 7.0 | 6.5 each | Rotman MBA: 7.0 |
| University of Warwick | UK | Undergrad | 6.5 | 6.0 each | Business school may require 7.0 |
| University of Washington | USA | Undergrad | 7.0 | 6.0 each | — |
| University of Waterloo | Canada | Undergrad | 6.5 | 6.0 each | — |
| University of Western Australia | Australia | Undergrad | 6.5 | 6.0 each | — |
| Victoria University Wellington | New Zealand | Undergrad | 6.0 | 5.5 each | — |
| Western University | Canada | Undergrad | 6.5 | 6.0 each | — |
| Yale University | USA | Postgrad | 7.0 | No stated min | Varies by school |
Overall Band vs Per-Skill Minimums — What's the Difference?
Overall Band Minimum
Your four skill scores are averaged and rounded to produce your overall band. A university's overall minimum is the lowest overall band they will consider for admission.
Per-Skill Minimum
Many universities set a floor for individual skills. Even if your overall band meets the requirement, a single skill below the per-skill floor will disqualify your application.
Worked Example — Rejected Despite Meeting Overall Band
Overall: 7.0 — meets the requirement. University requires no skill below 6.5. Writing 6.0 fails the per-skill minimum. Result: Application rejected.
Which Skills Have Per-Skill Minimums Most Often?
Writing
Highest risk
Essay-heavy programs scrutinize this most. Commonly set at 6.0–7.0.
Speaking
High risk for regulated professions
Healthcare, teaching, and law programs often require 7.0+ in Speaking.
Reading
Moderate
Less commonly flagged independently, but still set on many programs.
Listening
Lower risk
Rarely the blocking skill, but still checked — especially for medicine.
What If You Don't Meet the IELTS Requirement?
Pre-Sessional English Programs
Many UK and Australian universities offer pre-sessional English programs for students who narrowly miss the IELTS requirement. For example, a student with IELTS 6.0 applying for a course requiring 6.5 may be offered a 10–12 week pre-sessional program. Completing it successfully satisfies the language condition without retaking IELTS.
Universities with well-regarded pre-sessional programs include: University of Manchester, UCL, and University of Sheffield.
Conditional Offers
Universities often issue conditional offers where IELTS is one of the conditions. The offer is confirmed once you submit a qualifying IELTS score before enrollment. Deadlines vary — some require the score 4–6 weeks before term starts.
IELTS One Skill Retake
Since 2023, computer-delivered IELTS allows retaking one skill within 60 days of your original test. If Writing is your only failing skill, this saves time and money compared to resitting all four components.
Foundation and Pathway Programs
If you are significantly below the required score (e.g. IELTS 5.0 for a 6.5 requirement), a foundation year with English components may be the right route. Foundation programs are offered by most large UK and Australian universities and are accepted for direct degree entry.
Typical IELTS Requirements by Subject Area
Requirements vary significantly by subject. Regulated professions — medicine, nursing, pharmacy, teaching, and law — typically require higher IELTS scores than science or engineering programs.
| Field of Study | Typical UG Min | Typical PG Min | Common Per-Skill Min | Why Higher? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Medicine & Dentistry | 7.0–7.5 | 7.5 | 7.0 each | Patient safety, clinical communication |
| Nursing & Midwifery | 7.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 each | NMC registration requirement (UK) |
| Pharmacy | 7.0 | 7.0 | 6.5 each | GPHC registration (UK) |
| Law | 7.0 | 7.0 | 6.5–7.0 | Legal writing, complex reasoning |
| Education / PGCE | 6.5–7.0 | 7.0 | 6.5–7.0 | Teaching registration requirement |
| Business / MBA | 6.5 | 6.5–7.0 | 6.0–6.5 | Professional communication |
| Engineering | 6.0–6.5 | 6.5 | 5.5–6.0 | Technical documentation |
| Computer Science | 6.0–6.5 | 6.5 | 5.5–6.0 | — |
| Social Sciences | 6.5 | 6.5–7.0 | 6.0 each | Essay-heavy coursework |
| Arts & Humanities | 6.5 | 7.0 | 6.5 each | — |
| Architecture | 6.5 | 6.5 | 6.0 each | — |
| Veterinary Science | 7.0 | 7.0 | 6.5 each | Client communication |
| Foundation / Pathway | 5.0–5.5 | N/A | 4.5–5.0 | Entry-level programs |