Qualifications advice for international advisers

Universities accept a wide range of qualifications

Your students may worry about whether their qualifications will be accepted by universities in the UK. The good news is that universities will accept a wide range of global qualifications.

Universities set their own entry criteria for their courses and can accept any qualification which they feel is relevant, and at the appropriate level for, the course being offered. There is no list of ‘accepted qualifications’ because each university will have different entry requirements for their courses.

Information on accepted academic qualifications should be visible on the course or country pages on the university website.

Due to the wide range of qualifications available around the world, universities may not be able to list every international qualification in their entry criteria. If in doubt, your students should always contact the university directly to find out if their qualification is accepted for the course they wish to study. The best person to speak to is the admissions team or the regional manager (in the international team) for your region of the world.The university will also be able to give guidance on the type of grades your students will need to achieve to obtain a place.

Inputting international qualifications

Here you can find detailed run-throughs of how to input a variety of global qualifications. You can access the full document here, or you can choose the relevant section below. 

'Global' refers to qualifications which are taken across the world – examples of this include International A Levels, or the International Baccalaurate.

Please note: Open the document related to the country's curriculum that you're studying. For example, if you're at an American Curriculum school, but based in Nigeria, please download North America not Africa.

We're hoping to add more countries, and more specific regions in the future. 

English language qualifications

For many courses, if a student does not speak English as their first language, they may be required to prove their skills. They may also need to take a particular type of test – a Secure English Language Test (SELT) – if they require a student visa. 

IELTS and Trinity’s ISE (if taken at a Trinity SELT centre in the UK) are both approved as a SELT and accepted for UK study visa purposes.

Other English language tests, such as the Pearson Test of English (PTE), TOEFL and Cambridge Assessment English C1 Advanced, and C2 Proficiency tests are widely accepted by UK higher education providers. The pass level will differ according to your study topic.

Many universities will also be able to accept regional qualifications such as the WAEC, Standard XII, CAPE and many more in the place of a formal English language test, so make sure to check with the university if your qualification can be considered. 

Language entry requirements are usually listed under each course.   

The UCAS Tariff tables

• The Tariff tables help universities to compare the wide range of UK qualifications they see on applications.
• They do not contain international qualifications (with the exception of the Irish Leaving Certificate).
• The IB Diploma – despite being taught internationally – is also included in the Tariff Tables because it is regulated in the UK. Universities can choose to accept Tariff points for the IB Diploma from both UK and international applicants.
• Some universities list their entry requirements in Tariff points. However, this does not mean they do not accept international qualifications.
• If your students wish to study at a university which lists entry requirements in Tariff points, they should speak to the university directly to find out if their international qualification is accepted.

How universities manage international applications

Universities have well-established processes for managing applications from students applying from outside the UK.

When your student applies to a university in the UK, if they receive an offer, they will need to provide evidence of their qualifications to the university. Depending on the university this may be:

• The university will ask your student to send them a copy of their transcript or certificate. They'll likely have a team of international qualification experts on their staff who'll advise on whether the qualifications meet the entry criteria for the course being applied for.
• If the university does not have a good enough understanding of the qualification, they may ask your student to obtain a Statement of Comparability from UK ENIC.