What is IELTS for?

IELTS is a diagnostic exam, the result of which accurately determines the level of proficiency in British English. Therefore, it is on the IELTS certificate that the admission committees of universities, employers and migration services of English-speaking countries rely when considering an application from applicants, foreign candidates for vacancies and potential immigrants.

Passing IELTS for admission to a university abroad

Applicants planning to enter universities in the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, as well as some American educational institutions of the highest level of accreditation, need to provide the admission committee with an IELTS Academic certificate, among other documents. For admission to schools, colleges and pre-university training courses, IELTS General Training is often enough, but it is better to clarify this point in advance, because there are exceptions. For example, some professional colleges of medical and economic specialization require students to pass the Academic version of the test.

As of 2021, the IELTS certificate is recognized by more than 10,000 educational institutions in the world, including those located in non-English-speaking countries, but that provide students with the opportunity to study individual disciplines or entire courses in English. At the same time, each school, college, university has its own requirements for the level of English proficiency required for those who are not native speakers. In order to find out how many IELTS points are needed for admission, you can enter the name of the selected university in the field on the page at this link.This is the official database, which provides the most up-to-date information about the requirements of universities and preparatory courses for foreign applicants.


5,5 - 6,5	5,5 - 6,5	6,0 - 7,5	5,0 - 6,0	5,0 - 6,0	6,0 - 7,0	5,0 - 7,0

Average IELTS scores for admission to universities in English-speaking countries for bachelor's degree

How to enter a foreign university on a budget

Subject to certain conditions, a foreign student in Canada, the USA, the UK and a number of other countries can apply for grants and scholarships from specialized support funds. Each organization that is ready to fully or partially pay a foreigner for higher education has its own requirements for applicants. But all of them are similar in that the candidate for the scholarship must complete the first year on his own, have a high average score, preferably distinguish himself with special merits in the chosen field of activity, and also have the level of English proficiency as close as possible to the native speakers - from 7.0 IELTS points.

For admission to a foreign university with a claim to budget training, it is desirable for an applicant:

To learn at least a year in your country in the specialty
Pass IELTS not more than 6-12 months before the date of submission of documents
IELTS Academic exam with a score of not less than 7.0 for each block
Agree to pay the passage of the preparatory program at one’s own expense and/or passing entrance examinations,
Pass the interview and the entrance test with a high score
Send an application for a scholarship for funds or request the possibility of free education at the university (in state universities there is such a thing in many countries).

Special programs of pre-university training

The passage of a specialized program of pre-university training with the chosen university greatly simplifies the admission of students who come from non-English-speaking countries. As a rule, such programs have a fee and it is very difficult to get a grant for them, but with the successful passing of the final tests, the applicant can apply for partial coverage of his or her tuition expenses by the university- a scholarship. Such opportunities are provided even by the notorious Harvard College, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the Australian University and more than a thousand other world universities.

Getting to the preparatory course is always easier than immediately enrolling. On average, applicants are required to have an IELTS certificate of 5.5 and above, a high average score on the results of complete secondary education and the opportunity to obtain a student visa tier 4. The duration of the course is a full academic year. Students of the course are prepared not only directly for admission, but also adapted to a new environment, and pulled up in English.

General IELTS for Immigration

General IELTS is a version of the exam focused on assessing the general knowledge of the language necessary for living in an English-speaking environment. Therefore, for those wishing to immigrate to Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the UK, passing the IELTS test is a prerequisite for submitting documents. Some countries, such as Canada, offer an option of another national exam, but IELTS is the most widely chosen option. For points in the certificates, the applicant for citizenship receives immigration points, they are also awarded for higher education, the presence of real estate in the country, accumulated capital and other factors that indicate the reliability of the applicant. The more such points you can score, the higher the chances of obtaining an immigration permit.

Immigration Points	Speaking	Listening	Reading	Writing
4	6.5 - 9.0	7.5 - 9.0	6.5 - 9.0	6.5 - 9.0
2	5.5 - 6.0	5.5 - 7.0	5.5 - 6.0	5.5 - 6.0
1–2	4.0 - 5.0	4.5 - 5.0	3.5 - 4.5	4.0 - 5.0
0	до 4.0	до 4.5	до 3.5	до 4.0

Up-to-date information on how to score more immigration points, as well as on the current conversion rates of IELTS scores into immigration points, can be found on the Citizenship and Immigration Canada website.

When submitting documents to the migration service of Australia, you need to attach an IELTS certificate received no later than 5-6 months in time. At the same time, the accrual of immigration points occurs literally according to two criteria:

+25 if each IELTS General unit is passed for a score of 7.0–9.0;
+15 when each block is submitted for evaluation in the range of 5.0–6.5.

If you receive a smaller number of points in the language proficiency exam, immigration points are not accrued on it. Read more about this and other nuances of immigration to Australia on the website of the Department of Immigration (DIMIA) of Australia.

New Zealand requires potential immigrants to know the language at a level of at least 6.5 points on IELTS, otherwise the migration service will not consider the application. This is stated on the pages of the official website of the migration service.

The UK is the most flexible with migrants in matters of language - IELTS 6.0 is enough to submit documents. But here it is necessary to take into account that some employers in the country may have much higher requirements, and for employment before obtaining citizenship, the exam will have to be retaken. The list of requirements of different organizations of English-speaking countries to employees can be viewed on the database here and here.