IELTS Score Required for a UK Student Visa: Nepal Guide

The short answer

There is no single IELTS score that the UK Student visa itself sets for everyone. The score you must hit is the one your chosen institution and course publish, because that is the score the university certifies on your CAS — and across the seventeen institution profiles we hold, the published bars run from 4.0 (a University of Liverpool International College Foundation Certificate) to 8.0 (MMU BSc Speech and Language Therapy).

So the honest answer to "what IELTS do I need for the UK?" is: it depends on the course, not the country. The most common bar for a bachelor's degree in this group is IELTS (Academic) 6.0 overall with 5.5 in each band. For a taught master's, 6.5 overall with 5.5–6.0 in each band is the common bar, though several institutions here sit at 6.0.

Three things override everything else: a course page always beats a university-wide figure; a UKVI-approved Secure English Language Test may be required depending on the course and provider; and most institutions expire the test at two years.

Use the free Master Reckoner to match a course to its entry and English requirement before you book a test date, and see the UK destination hub for fees and funds.

Ranked list: published bars for undergraduate and pathway entry

Lowest published bar first. These are the figures each institution publishes — read them as "the floor for that route", not as a promise for your specific course.

The Exeter warning, because counsellors get this wrong

Exeter's 5.5 is a university-wide minimum, not the bar for a competitive programme. Exeter is the most selective institution on this list and individual courses require materially more. Never quote 5.5 to a student as "Exeter's requirement", and note that undergraduate applicants must also meet the standard GCSE English Language requirement.

Published bars for taught master's entry

Research degrees sit higher again

MMU asks 6.5 with no less than 6.0 in any section for MRes, MPhil and PhD. Gloucestershire asks 6.5 overall with no less than 6.0 in writing and 5.5 in any other component for postgraduate research. UCA asks 7.0 overall with no less than 7.0 in writing and 5.5 elsewhere for PhD/MPhil, and 6.0 with 5.5 for its Pre-Doctorate.

Courses where the bar jumps — check before you book the test

These are the published exceptions. A student who books IELTS assuming 6.0 and then applies to one of these loses a test fee and a start date.

• MMU: BSc Physiotherapy 7.0 with no component below 6.5; BSc Speech and Language Therapy 8.0 with no component below 7.5; LLB 6.5; Bar Training Course 7.5 in all components.
• St Mary's: BSc Nutrition and BSc Physiotherapy 6.5 with no less than 6.0; MSc Physiotherapy 7.0 with no less than 6.5; MA Sports Journalism 7.0 overall with no less than 7.5 in writing.
• UCB: Adult Nursing 6.5 in reading, listening and speaking with 6.0 in writing; Physiotherapy 7.0 overall.
• Bradford: MSc Midwifery Studies 7.0 with no sub-test below 6.0.
• London Met: BSc Physiotherapy and BSc Dietetics 7.0 with no less than 6.5.
• Huddersfield: MA TESOL 6.5 with no element below 6.0; the with-Placement version needs 6.5 overall with 7.0 in Speaking. LLM International Law needs 6.0 overall with 6.0 in writing and no element below 5.5.

The catches that actually cause problems

IELTS Online and the Indicator are refused in writing by several institutions

Arden, Huddersfield London and London Met all state that IELTS Online is not accepted. Huddersfield London also excludes the Indicator test. London Met accepts PTE Academic at 59 in each component in person only — the online version is no longer accepted. If a student sits the wrong version of the right test, the score is unusable and the money is gone.

Test validity expires, and one institution measures it to a fixed date

Most institutions here expire the test at two years. Huddersfield London and Arden both state two years. UCB requires the IELTS award to be dated within two years of the course start. Exeter states tests are valid for two years before the programme start. St Mary's is the strictest to diary: the test must be no more than two years old by 1 September of the year the programme starts.

One Skill Retake is accepted in some places, not everywhere

City St George's accepts IELTS One Skill Retake for one sub test if taken within 60 days of the previous test and all other components plus the overall score are already met. St Mary's accepts it. Huddersfield London accepts it at 6.0 with no component below 5.5, and also accepts Password Skills Plus at the same level. Do not assume a retake is accepted where it is not stated.

You may not need IELTS at all

London Met and UWL both publish approved national-qualification lists for Nepal. UWL's Nepal country page states that country-specific qualifications may be accepted instead of a test — worth checking before booking IELTS. Arden accepts International GCSE English as a 2nd Language at grade B/5 (only up to the IELTS 6.5 level, valid five years), and a degree-level qualification taught or researched in English that meets or exceeds a UK bachelor's, master's or doctorate. Arden also runs its own English test, graded like IELTS, with results in a couple of days.

If your score is below the direct-entry bar

Direct entry to a UK bachelor's degree typically needs UKVI IELTS 6.0 with at least 5.5 in all skills. The pathway route exists precisely for students who are short.

• UoLIC (Kaplan, feeding the University of Liverpool): the Foundation Certificate takes a student from as low as UKVI IELTS 4.0 and gets them to degree entry. Academically it needs at least 11 years of education for a Foundation Certificate, or 12 years for an International Year One. Foundation Certificate (Business/Law/Social Sciences) is £22,640; the Pre-Master's (Business/Economics/Finance) is £25,210. That fee buys the preparation year only — University of Liverpool degree fees follow for the remaining years.
• UCB International Foundation Diploma: £11,000, entry at UKVI IELTS 5.0 with no less than 4.5 in any band.
• Bradford: a Pre-Sessional English Language Programme (PREP) is available if the student falls short.
• Plymouth and UWL both run pre-sessional English courses in-house.

Compare fees and English bars side by side in the Master Reckoner, and read more UK guides on the blog.

What the visa checks alongside English

English is one document. These are the others that decide the outcome.

Maintenance is 9 months maximum regardless of course length, and it is in addition to the tuition shown on your CAS. The single most common refusal point is not the IELTS score — it is the bank statement. The maintenance amount must be held for 28 consecutive days, and the end of that 28-day period must be within 31 days of the visa application date. If the funds are not in the student's own name, you need relationship evidence, the sponsor's consent letter and the sponsor's bank statements. Check whose name the account is in before you submit.

Common questions

Is there one IELTS score required for the UK Student visa?

No. The requirement is set by the institution and the course, and it is certified on your CAS. Across the institutions covered here the published bars run from 4.0 for a pathway Foundation Certificate to 8.0 for MMU BSc Speech and Language Therapy. Anyone quoting you a single "UK score" has not read your course page.

Is IELTS 6.0 enough for a master's in the UK?

For some institutions, yes. Bradford, Ulster, Gloucestershire, London Met, UCB, Arden and both Huddersfield campuses publish 6.0 overall with no component below 5.5 for taught postgraduate study. MMU, UCA, Plymouth and St Mary's publish 6.5, and St Mary's requires no less than 6.0 in each section.

Can I use IELTS Online for a UK university application?

Not at every institution. Arden, Huddersfield London and London Met state in writing that IELTS Online is not accepted, and Huddersfield London also excludes the Indicator test. Check the institution's own English language page before you book, because a refused test version cannot be salvaged.

How long does my IELTS score stay valid?

Most institutions here treat the test as valid for two years. UCB requires the award to be dated within two years of the course start, and Exeter states two years before the programme start. St Mary's measures it to 1 September of the year the programme starts — treat that as a real deadline, not a formality.

Official sources

• University of Exeter — https://www.exeter.ac.uk/
• Ulster University — https://www.ulster.ac.uk/
• Manchester Metropolitan University — https://www.mmu.ac.uk/
• Keele University — https://www.keele.ac.uk/
• City St George's, University of London — https://www.citystgeorges.ac.uk/
• University of Plymouth — https://www.plymouth.ac.uk/
• University of Huddersfield — https://www.hud.ac.uk/
• University of Huddersfield, London — https://london.hud.ac.uk/
• St Mary's University, Twickenham — https://www.stmarys.ac.uk/
• University of West London — https://www.uwl.ac.uk/
• University for the Creative Arts — https://www.uca.ac.uk/
• University of Gloucestershire — https://www.glos.ac.uk/

Always confirm the figure on the specific course page before paying a deposit or booking a test.