Frequently Asked Questions

We offer year-round courses from October to June (English for University Study 1, 2 and 3) and Pre-Sessional courses over the summer from July to September.   As a general guide, you can hope to improve your IELTS score by half a band with each of our 10 week courses.  

How many weeks of English do I need?

IELTS 2.0 below your degree offer  -   40 weeks   
IELTS 1.5 below your degree offer  -   30 weeks   
IELTS 1.0 below your degree offer  -   20 weeks   
IELTS 0.5 below your degree offer  -   10 weeks

If you need to improve your IELTS score by 0.5 (overall or an individual skill) then you should take our Pre-Sessional 10 course.  If you have already achieved the necessary IELTS scores (overall and individual skills) for your degree course then you may wish to consider our Pre-Sessional 5 or Pre-Sessional English for Management course. 

The University of Surrey will accept successful completion of our 10-week pre-sessional course as a condition of entry provided that:
• you have achieved an overall IELTS score 0.5 below the minimum for your degree programme and
• each skill is no less than 0.5 below the individual component score required for your degree programme
 

Example  

If you have a different combination of scores, you may be able to take PS10 but would have to retake IELTS at the end of the course and meet the conditions of your degree offer.
 

Please contact us for information regarding alternative English qualifications.

If you need to improve your TOEFL score to meet the requirements of your degree programme (overall or an individual skill) then you should take our Pre-Sessional 10 course if you meet the minimum requirements in the table below. If you have already achieved the necessary TOEFL scores (overall and individual skills) for your degree programme, then you may wish to consider our Pre-Sessional 5 or Pre-Sessional English for Management course.
The University of Surrey will accept successful completion of our 10-week pre-sessional course as a condition of entry provided that:
• you have achieved an overall TOEFL score of 84 and
• each skill is at least 19 (21 in the case of Speaking) if you are required to meet TOEFL 92 overall (equivalent to IELTS 6.5).
 

Example

If you have a different combination of scores, you may be able to take PS10 but would have to retake TOEFL or IELTS at the end of the course and meet the conditions of your degree offer.
Please contact us for information regarding alternative English qualifications.

We would advise you to apply as soon as possible as places fill up quickly.   The deadline for application is 4 weeks before the start of the course.

You will need to retake IELTS if your degree course offer is conditional (unless you meet the requirements to take and successfully complete our Pre-Sessional 10 course).  The University of Surrey is an IELTS test centre.  You can take the test here subject to available places. Early booking is advisable.

It may be possible to arrive up to two nights early and move into University accommodation.  Students on English Language courses normally arrive the day BEFORE their course starts.  Students leave on the day AFTER their course finishes.  It is possible to arrange your own accommodation locally.  Please visit the University accommodation web page.

University accommodation for the Presessional courses is reserved only up to the week BEFORE the end of the Presessional course.  Students will move over on "changeover day" on the weekend before the end of the course.  It is not possible to remain in the same room for both the Presessional and degree course.

You must leave accommodation the week before the end of your Presessional course if your degree programme is not at the University of Surrey or you have not requested University accommodation for your University of Surrey degree programme.

You must move to your University of Surrey degree progamme accommodation for the last week of the Presessional course and up to the start of your degree programme provided that you have completed the accommodation procedure and University degree accommodation has been allocated to you.

There will not be an airport pick up for your English Language course.  If you would like a taxi to take you from the airport to the University, it is advisable to pre-book your taxi before you arrive at the airport.  Only a few authorised taxis are allowed to operate within the airports (and therefore these tend to be very expensive).  However, any taxi may pick up a passenger if this has been pre-arranged. The fee for the journey is agreed at the time of booking. You can contact

Beeline Cars, Weyford House, Woodbridge Meadows, Guildford, Surrey  GU1 1BA 

Tel: (0044) 1483 823232
Fax: (0044) 1483 572211  

http://www.beeline-cars.co.uk   Email: bookings@beelinecars.com

Fees Heathrow to Guildford approx £47
Gatwick to Guildford approx £52

We regret that we are unable to book the taxi for you.

You can also travel by public transport to the University.  The easiest way to find out HOW TO GET TO THE UNIVERSITY is to go into the Internet.  If you go  to http://www.surrey.ac.uk/about/visitors/travel/ it will explain how to get to Woking from Heathrow Airport.  There is an airport link bus which stops at each Terminal (the information desk at the Terminal will show you where the stop is) to collect passengers to go to WOKING.  From Woking you can take the train to Guildford mainline station and then a taxi to the Campus.  The taxi fare is about £5.00.   Large luggage is no problem with the link bus.  If you prefer to take a taxi from Woking to the University Campus, it will probably cost about £15.00.  If you would really prefer to be met at the airport, you could contact Beeline as above.

There are two types of English language courses:

1. English Language courses for students who need to improve their English Language ability either BEFORE starting a degree course at an English speaking University or for their business/career.  These courses are FEE PAYING.
2. English Language Support Programme (ELSP) courses for students on degree courses at the University of Surrey who would like/need help with their English Language at the same time as studying on their degree courses.  ELSP classes run from September to May each year.  ELSP classes are generally free to University of Surrey full-time students.