English Language Proficiency Requirements
Listed below are the English language proficiency requirements for entry for international and domestic applicants to academic programs at the University of Sydney.
The Australian Government requires applicants from certain countries to achieve a minimum IELTS score in order to issue a student visa. For more information, contact your nearest Australian Embassy, High Commission or visit the Department of Immigration and Citizenship website (www.immi.gov.au).
Undergraduate Applicants (including combined programs)
Applicants must provide evidence of English language proficiency through one of the following methods:
1. Minimum proficiency test results as outlined in Table 1 below. English language test scores must be less than 2 years old at the date of course commencement at the University of Sydney.**
English Language Proficiency Requirements for Undergraduate Courses (Table 1)
Faculty Degree Program IELTS Paper-based TOEFL Internet-based TOEFL (IBT) Overall Section
minimum+
Overall
Test of
Written
English Overall
Writing
section
All other
sections+
All Standard requirement 6.5 6 577 4.5 90 23 22
Higher requirements apply to the following undergraduate programs:
Architecture,
Design and
Planning
All programs (including combined
Architecture programs except courses
combined with Law)
7 6 600 4.5 100 23 22
Arts and
Social
Sciences
Bachelor of Arts (Media and
Communications)
7.5 7 637 5 110 25 24
Bachelor of Economics 7 6 600 4.5 100 23 22
Business All programs except Combined
Engineering, Law and Medicine
7 6 600 4.5 100 23 22
Education
and Social
Work
Bachelor of Education and all
combined Education degrees
7.5 7-R,W
8-S, L
637 5 110 25 27-L,S
24- R
Health
Sciences
Bachelor of Health Sciences
Bachelor of Applied Science
(Speech Pathology)
7 7 600 5 100 25 24
Bachelor of Applied Science
(Exercise and Sports Science) &
Master of Nutrition and Dietetics
Bachelor of Applied Science
(Exercise Physiology)
7.0 6.5 600 5 100 24 23
Law All combined Law degrees 7.5 7 637 5 110 25 24
Nursing All programs including combined
Nursing degrees
7 7 600 5 100 25 24
Science Bachelor of Science & Master of
Nutrition and Dietetics
7.0 6.5 600 5 100 24 23
Veterinary
Science
Bachelor of Veterinary Science 7 7 600 5 100 25 24
+IELTS and IBT Sections are: L-Listening, R-Reading, S-Speaking, W-Writing
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2. You have completed the International Baccalaureate provided you have met one of the following criteria:
- Completion of English A1 at Higher or Standard Level;
- Completion of English A2 at Higher or Standard Level;
- Completion of English B at Higher Level with a Grade of 4 or more;
- Completion of English B at Standard Level with a Grade of 5 or more
3. You have completed at least one year of full time university study in an English speaking country or in a
tertiary institution where the language of instruction (i.e. teaching, assessment and examination) was in
English.**
4. You have completed a qualification accepted by the University as proof of your proficiency in English as
specified in Table 2 below:
Table 2
Country/Qualification Standard
American Samoa Completion of accepted senior secondary/tertiary studies in English
Australia Completion of accepted senior secondary/tertiary studies in English
Canada Completion of accepted senior secondary/tertiary studies in English
Denmark Studentereksamen A grade of 8 or better for English A
A grade of 10 or better for English B, level B
Fiji Completion of accepted senior secondary/tertiary studies in English
Finland Upper Secondary School Certificate A grade of 8 or better in English or English A language
GCE Ordinary Level (Malaysia, Singapore,
United Kingdom)
B pass or better in the subject English
Germany Abitur A grade of 3 or better in Advanced Level English (LF)
Hong Kong A Levels B pass in Use of English
Ireland Completion of accepted senior secondary/tertiary studies in English
Kenya Completion of accepted senior secondary/tertiary studies in English
Malaysia STPM C pass in 920 English or B pass in 914 English
Netherlands VWO A grade of 8 or better for level 6 High School English
New Zealand Completion of accepted senior secondary/tertiary studies in English
Norway Vitnemal A grade of 4 or better for upper secondary school English
Papua New Guinea Completion of accepted senior secondary/tertiary studies in English
Singapore Completion of accepted senior secondary/tertiary studies in English
Solomon Islands Completion of accepted senior secondary/tertiary studies in English
South Africa Completion of accepted senior secondary/tertiary studies in English
Sweden Avgangsbetyg/Slutbetyg A grade of VG or better in Upper Secondary School English
United Kingdom Completion of accepted senior secondary/tertiary studies in English
United States of America Completion of accepted senior secondary/tertiary studies in English
Zambia Completion of accepted senior secondary/tertiary studies in English
** NOTE - For students from those countries (assessment levels 3 and 4) who are required by the Commonwealth
Government to provide IELTS or TOEFL results for a student visa, and who do not have a record of satisfactory
achievement in secondary/tertiary studies in an English-speaking country, this test result will be the primary
assessment tool used for determining admission.
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Postgraduate Applicants
Applicants for whom English is not their first language must provide evidence of minimum English language
proficiency through one of the following methods:
1. Applicants who can provide evidence of satisfactory achievement in tertiary studies* in which the language of the institution and of instruction, examination and assessment was English, may not be required to provide further evidence of English proficiency. Satisfactory achievement is determined by each faculty in accordance with the discipline concerned and their English test standards. The tertiary studies must have been undertaken no more than 5 years prior to the date of application for admission to the University of Sydney.
*Please refer to specific definitions of a satisfactory tertiary record for some faculties as given below:
For courses in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, the faculty has defined 'satisfactory achievement' as follows: To meet the requirements of 'satisfactory achievement', applicants must present evidence of one year full-time university study in which the language of the institution was English and the language of instruction, examination and assessment was English. To be
'satisfactory' the applicant must have a credit average if this qualification was not used to gain admission. In countries where English is not the official language, students will be required to provide a statement from the Registrar/Academic Affairs office or equivalent confirming English as the language of the institution and the language of instruction, examination and assessment For courses in the Business School, the faculty has defined ‘satisfactory achievement as follows: To meet the requirements of ‘satisfactory achievement’, applicants must present evidence of one year full-time university study in which the language of the institution was English and the language of instruction, examination and assessment was English. To be ‘satisfactory’ the applicant must have a credit average if this qualification was not used to gain admission. The study must have been undertaken at a recognized institution. Where a university has two official languages, one being English, proof must be received from the Registrar/Academic Affairs Office or equivalent that the applicant’s entire course was conducted in English.For courses at Sydney College of the Arts, the faculty has defined ‘satisfactory achievement as follows: To meet the requirements of ‘satisfactory achievement’, applicants must present evidence of one year full-time university study in which the language of the institution was English and the language of instruction, examination and assessment was English. To be
‘satisfactory’ the applicant must have a pass average if this qualification was not used to gain admission. The study must have been undertaken at a recognized institution. Where a university has two official languages, one being English, proof must be received from the Registrar/Academic Affairs Office or equivalent that the applicant’s entire course was conducted in English.
2. English proficiency test results as outlined in Table 1 below. English language test scores must be less than 2 years old at the date you apply to the University of Sydney.
English Language Proficiency Requirements for Postgraduate Courses (Table 3)
Faculty Degree Program IELTS
Paper-based
TOEFL
Internet-based
TOEFL (IBT)
Overall
Section
minimum+ Overall
Test of
Written
English Overall
Writing
section
All other
sections+
All Standard requirement 6.5 6 577 4.5 90 23 22
Different requirements apply for the following postgraduate programs:
Architecture,
Design and
Planning
All programs 7 6 600 4.5 100 23 22
Arts and
Social
Sciences
Masters, Graduate Diploma and
Graduate Certificate programs in:
Art Curatorship
Crosscultural Communication
Economics
Health Communication
Human Rights**
International Security
International Studies
Media Practice
Museum Studies
Political Economy
Professional Communication
Public Policy
Publishing
Strategic Public Relations
7 6 600 4.5 100 23 22
All coursework programs in
Translation Studies
7 7-S,W
6-L,R
600 5.0 100 25 22-L,R
24-S
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All coursework programs in
US Studies
7 6.5-S,W
6-L,R
600 5.0 100 24 23-S
22-L,R
All coursework programs in Creative
Writing and Arts (with English as a
specialisation)
7 7-W
6-L,R,S
600 5.0 100 25 22
Business All research programs 7 6.5 600 5.0 100 24 23
All coursework programs 7 6 600 4.5 100 23 22
Dentistry All postgraduate coursework programs
except Doctor of Dental Medicine
7 6.5 600 5.0 100 24 23
Doctor of Dental Medicine 7 6.0 600 4.5 100 23 22
Education
and Social
Work
Master of Teaching 7.5 8-L,S
7-R,W
637 5 110 25 27-L,S
24-R
Master of Social Work (Qualifying) 7.5 7.0 637 5 110 25 24
Graduate Certificate in TEFL 5.5 5 513 4 65 21 20
Health
Sciences
All coursework programs in:
Exercise and Sports Science,
Health Informatics,
Molecular Imaging,
Nuclear Medicine,
Diagnostic Radiography,
Radiation Therapy
7 6.5-S,W
6-L,R
600 5 100 24 23-S
22-L,R
All coursework programs in:
Physiotherapy,
Master of Occupational Therapy,
7 7-S,W
6-L,R
600 5 100 25 24-S
22-L,R
Master of Exercise Physiology,
Master of Speech Language Pathology
7 7 600 5 100 25 24
Law All programs except the Juris Doctor 7 6 600 4.5 100 23 22
Juris Doctor (JD) 7.5 7 637 5 110 25 24
Medicine All programs in:
Qualitative Health Research, Genetic
Counselling
7 6.5 600 5 100 24 23
All coursework programs in Clinical
Trials Research
7 7 600 5 100 25 24
Music Master of Music Studies
(Performance),
Graduate Diploma of Music
(Performance)
6 6 550 4.5 80 23 22
All research degrees
Graduate Diploma of Music
(Accompaniment)
Master of Music Studies (Conducting),
Master of Music Studies (Opera),
Graduate Diploma in Music (Opera)
7 6.5 600 5 100 24 23
Nursing All programs 7 7 600 5 100 25 24
Pharmacy All coursework programs 7 6.5 600 5 100 24 23
Science Doctor of Clinical Psychology 7 7 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
All coursework programs in Coaching
Psychology from 2012 onwards
7.5 6 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Master of Environmental Science and
Law
7 6 600 4.5 100 23 22
Master of Nutrition and Dietetics 7.5 6.5 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Veterinary
Science
All programs (except Veterinary Public
Health Management)
7 6.5 600 5 100 24 23
All coursework programs in Veterinary
Public Health Management
7 7-S,W 600 5 100 25 22-L,R
24-S
+IELTS and IBT Sections are: L-Listening, R-Reading, S-Speaking, W-Writing
**Please note that this does not include the Master of Human Rights and Democratisation which requires the standard entry
scores.
About Test Scores
All IELTS requirements refer to the Academic IELTS test. The General IELTS test will not be accepted.
The University of Sydney is an international IELTS testing centre. If you would like to book an IELTS test or to
find out more information, please visit our Centre for English Teaching (CET) at: http://sydney.edu.au/cet/
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English Courses
If you do not meet the English requirements for your chosen course and you need to improve your standard of
English before you commence your degree, English courses are available at the Centre for English Teaching
(CET) at the University of Sydney. For more information, visit: http://sydney.edu.au/cet/
Applicants who achieve the required grades in the "Direct Entry Course" at CET are not required to provide further
evidence of English proficiency. Students who do not enrol into the "Direct Entry Course" at CET, will need to
provide evidence of meeting the English requirements for their course as specified in the tables above. The English
course must have been completed no more than 2 years prior to the date of application.
Further Information:
International Students: Domestic Students:
International Office Student Centre
G02 Jane Foss Russell Building G02 Jane Foss Russell Building
University of Sydney, NSW 2006, AUSTRALIA University of Sydney, NSW 2006.
Email: io.mail@sydney.edu.au Email: direct.applications@sydney.edu.au
ABN 15 211 513 464 CRICOS Provider Code: 00026A
