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English language requirements
How to demonstrate your proficiency in English
Depending on your educational background and country of origin, you may need to provide evidence of your English proficiency to be able to study with us.
It’s important to have a good level of English to comfortably cope with lectures, tutorials, assignments and examinations. That's why our courses require a certain level of English proficiency (individually specified on each course page).
If English is your first language, you need to have citizenship or permanent long-term residency (minimum ten years) and completed secondary or higher education (tertiary) studies in an English-speaking country as listed below.
If English isn't your first language, you’ll need to provide proof of your English proficiency before you can commence your studies at the University.
You can do this by showing that you have completed certain secondary or tertiary qualifications, by taking an English language skills test, or by completing a relevant English language course at the University’s Centre for English Teaching (CET) – visit the CET website for more information, including how to package your degree with your language studies.
English language skills tests we accept include:
- IELTS Academic (International English Language Testing System Academic)
- TOEFL iBT (Test of English as a Foreign Language: internet-based)
- Pearson Test of English (PTE) Academic
- Cambridge English C1 Advanced (formerly CAE) and Cambridge English C2 Proficiency (formerly CPE)
To convert scores between these tests, use our concordance table (pdf, 55KB).
If English is not your first language, you need to provide evidence of English language proficiency through one of these three methods:
1. Undertake secondary or higher education (tertiary) studies in English
You can demonstrate the above requirement through a record of satisfactory achievement in:
- an accepted secondary education (high school) qualification, or
- at least one year of full-time study (or part-time equivalent) in a bachelor’s degree or other approved higher education qualifications (including an AQF diploma/advanced diploma) from a recognised institution.
The above secondary or higher education studies must be undertaken within five years* of the date on which you will commence your course and:
- in an English-speaking country: American Samoa, Australia, Botswana, Canada (excluding Quebec), Fiji, Ghana, Guyana, Ireland, Jamaica, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Singapore, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, United Kingdom (including Northern Ireland), United States of America, Zambia, Zimbabwe, or
- where the instruction for your studies (teaching, assessment and examination) was entirely in English. Some examples of secondary education qualifications that would be accepted are the GCE Advanced Level and International Baccalaureate.
*Some faculties/schools have additional requirements for students applying on the basis of tertiary studies completed in English, as detailed below:
Sydney Nursing School
You need to have a record of satisfactory achievement in:
- at least one year of full time university study in an English-speaking country (as identified above), within the past two years at the time of commencement or
- where the instruction for your studies (teaching, assessment and examination) was entirely in English, within the past two years at the time of commencement.
2. Complete a specific subject in a recognised secondary education qualification
If your qualification was not conducted entirely in English, you may still be eligible if you have completed a particular subject (usually English or a humanities subject) in a recognised qualification such as those listed below, within two years of the date on which you will commence your course.
- Denmark Studentereksamen
- Finland Upper Secondary School Certificate
- Germany Abitur
- Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education
- Hong Kong A Levels
- International Baccalaureate Diploma (not undertaken in English)
- Netherlands VWO
- Norway Vitnemal
- Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia
- Sweden Avgangsbetyg/Slutbetyg.
Please refer to the concordance table (pdf, 96.30KB) to see the subject and grade required for your course.
3. Take an English language skills test
The University's standard English language proficiency requirement is set an IELTS overall score of 6.5 with no band below 6.0, however some faculties and courses have different requirements. Find out the requirements specific to your course on our Find a Course website.
For other English tests accepted by the University, please refer to the concordance table (pdf, 55KB) to convert the IELTS requirements to TOEFL iBT, PTE, Cambridge C1 Advanced or Cambridge C2 Proficiency scores.
All IELTS and PTE requirements refer to the academic test. Non-academic tests are not accepted. All English tests need to be no more than two years old at the date of course commencement.
International students applying for a student visa are advised to check with the Department of Home Affairs on separate English requirements that may apply to your student visa application.
If English is not your first language, you need to provide evidence of English language proficiency through one of the following methods:
1. Undertake higher education (tertiary) studies in English
Undertake higher education studies in English within five years of the date on which you will commence your course. You can demonstrate the above requirement through a record of satisfactory achievement in at least one year of full-time (or equivalent part-time) tertiary study in a bachelor’s degree or other approved tertiary qualifications undertaken:
- in one of the following English-speaking countries: American Samoa, Australia, Botswana, Canada (excluding Quebec), Fiji, Ghana, Guyana, Ireland, Jamaica, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Singapore, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, United Kingdom (including Northern Ireland), United States of America, Zambia, Zimbabwe, or
- where the instruction for your qualification (teaching, assessment and examination) was entirely in English.
Some faculties/schools have additional requirements as detailed below:
- Sydney School of Architecture, Design and Planning: You need to have successfully completed a minimum of two years of full-time university study.
- Sydney Nursing School: You need to have a record of satisfactory achievement in:
- a three-year tertiary degree, completed no more than five years before commencement or
- a tertiary degree of two or more years' duration, completed no more than three years before commencement.
2. Take an English language skills test
The University's standard English language proficiency requirement is set at an overall IELTS score of 6.5 with no band below 6.0, however some faculties and courses have different requirements. Find out the requirements specific to your course on our Find a Course website.
For other English tests accepted by the University, please refer to the concordance table (pdf, 55KB) to convert the IELTS requirement to TOEFL iBT, PTE, Cambridge C1 Advanced or Cambridge C2 Proficiency scores.
All IELTS and PTE requirements refer to the academic test. Non-academic tests are not accepted. All English tests need to be no more than two years old at the date of course commencement.
International students applying for a student visa are advised to check with the Department of Home Affairs on separate English requirements that may apply to your student visa application.
3. Be eligible for assessment of English proficiency based on work experience
If English is not your first language and you have lived and worked in an English-speaking country (as listed above) continuously for at least five years prior to the date on which you will commence your course, we may be able to assess your English proficiency based on your work experience. You will need to provide a work reference letter on a company letterhead with clear information on the nature of work, dates of employment and contact details for a supervisor.
If you hold current registration with a professional accreditation body that has an English language requirement equivalent to or higher than the minimum required for your course, we may be able to consider your English proficiency based on the evidence of accreditation.
