We have the same minimum entry requirements for most of our taught and research programmes. Here we explain those requirements and the range of assistance available to help you meet them.

Some courses may have additional entry requirements, so please check the specific course you are interested in before submitting your application. If you are an international student you may need to provide evidence of your English language proficiency when you receive an offer to study with us.

Minimum entry requirements

  • A UK first or second class honours degree in a relevant subject area; or
  • An equivalent international qualification (find out whether your qualification meets our requirements by visiting our International Student page); or
  • Relevant work experience in combination with a degree below second class honours.

If you do not meet our formal entry requirements, but still feel you can demonstrate the ability to complete the course successfully, you may still be accepted onto a course. Each application will be considered on its merits.

English language requirements

To study for a formal award at Cranfield you will need to demonstrate that you can communicate effectively in English in an academic environment. You can meet this requirement in the following ways:

  • If you have previously obtained a higher education level qualification from a UK university and have been taught and assessed in English.
  • If you are a national of or have a obtained a higher education level qualification from a country on the UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) list of majority English speaking countries:

    Antigua and Barbuda Ireland
    Australia Jamaica
    The Bahamas Malta
    Barbados New Zealand
    Belize St Kitts and Nevis
    Canada* St Lucia
    Dominica St Vincent and the Grenadines
    Grenada Trinidad and Tobago
    Guyana United States of America


    * You will usually be required take an English test if your studies were not taught and assessed in English.
  • If you have been continuously employed in the UK for a minimum of five years immediately prior to the start of the course, providing you are able to supply a reference from your current employer which explicitly confirms you are able to communicate effectively in English.
  • By providing a satisfactory English test certificate that meets the requirement of the course you have applied for.

Approved English tests

The tests we accept and the University minimum requirements are detailed below. Some courses require a higher test score, please check the course page for details. Please note that:

  • We verify all test scores with the test providers.
  • We are only able to accept tests taken within two years of the course start date.
  • All elements of the test results must be demonstrated in one test, we are unable to accept a combination of scores across two or more tests.
  • In extremely rare circumstances we may reject a test score if one element of the test has a very low score. This would only occur if we believed this would impact on your ability to study with us or if the score did not meet UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) requirements to study in the UK.
  • Not all English tests are suitable for obtaining a Student visa for Pre-sessional study. You can check entry requirements on the Pre-sessional EAP course pages.

Test provider Tests accepted Minimum score requirements
IELTS IELTS Academic
IELTS Online
IELTS for UKVI Academic
IELTS Indicator - China only

We accept IELTS One Skill Retake tests. 		6.5 overall and 5.5 in all skill components.
TOEFL TOEFL iBT

We accept all 3 test options:
TOEFL iBT test
TOEFL iBT Home Edition
TOEFL iBT Paper Edition		 92 total and minimum skill component scores of
18 reading, 17 listening, 20 speaking and
17 writing.
Cambridge
Assessment
English		 Any Cambridge Assessment English test
meeting the required scores can be accepted.
The following are recommended as being
within the scale score range:

Cambridge C1 Advanced
Cambridge C2 Proficiency
Linguaskill General 		Cambridge English Scale score of 180 overall
and 160 in all skill components.
Duolingo Duolingo English Test 120 overall and minimum subscores of 95
literacy, 100 comprehension, 85 conversation
and 75 production.
Kaplan Kaplan Test of English

Formerly Kaplan International Tools for
English (KITE). Cranfield applicants and offer
holders are entitled to a 25% discount.
Book a test here to benefit from the discount.		 475 overall and 410 in all skill components.
LanguageCert LanguageCert Academic

Approved by UKVI as a SELT exam.		 70 overall and 60 in all skill components.
International ESOL B2 Communicator

Two separate exams are available: Written
(Listening, Reading, Writing) and Spoken
(Speaking). These exams can be taken
together or independently, however both
exams must be taken to meet our
requirements:
Written and Spoken exams together High Pass overall and 33 in all skill components.
Written exam High Pass overall and 33 in each skill component.
Spoken exam Pass overall and 33 in speaking skill component.
Password Password Skills Plus
 6.5 overall and 5.5 in all skill components.
Pearson PTE PTE Academic
PTE Academic Online
PTE Academic UKVI		 65 overall and 59 in all skill components.
Trinity College
London		 Integrated Skills in English - ISE III (C1) Overall Pass outcome.


What can I do if I don't meet the English language requirement for my chosen course?

If you have taken a test but not reached the required score you may be able to apply for one of our Pre-sessional English for Academic Purposes (EAP) courses. Please be aware that not all English tests are suitable for obtaining a Student visa for Pre-sessional study. You can check entry requirements on the Pre-sessional EAP course pages:

School of Management Pre-sessional EAP courses

Pre-sessional EAP for all other courses