Pre-sessional English language courses
We have courses to help you improve your English language and academic study skills so you are well-prepared for your degree at Surrey.
If you are an international student planning to study on a degree course with us, but don't meet our initial English language requirements, you may benefit from our pre-sessional English language courses.
How it works
There is a four-step process to be followed below:
- Receive your offer to study your degree with us
- Choose the pre-sessional course that best suits your language requirements
- Join us on-campus or online for your pre-sessional course
- After successful completion, move directly onto your degree without having to take any other language tests.
Hear from our students
Why choose a course with us?
As well as developing your English language and academic study skills before your degree, by joining one of our pre-sessional courses you will find the following benefits:
- Start building your Surrey community: Our courses are a great way to meet new friends
- Guaranteed accommodation: For all on-campus course attendees
- 97 percent pass rate: For our courses over the last five years
- Learn from the best: We have experienced and well-qualified tutors
- Cuts down visa requirements: No extra requirements needed for your visas or CAS application.
Even after the course ended, I stayed in touch with many of the friends I made, and having this support network made my university experience much more enjoyable and reassuring.Haehyeon Kim (Haley), Surrey Business School
Because of this course, I handled my first assignment of writing a 2,000-word essay with satisfaction and have a clear mindset for my coming group presentation assignment.Chaoxin Xie (Susie), Psychology
Find a course
We are excited to offer both online and on-campus Pre-sessional English (PSE) courses, tailored to meet your individual language proficiency needs.
Our courses are designed to help you improve your English skills and prepare for academic success, whether you choose to study from the comfort of your home or immerse yourself in an on-campus experience.
English language requirement
| Course | IELTS overall grade* | IELTS individual skills grades* |
|---|---|---|
| 11 week pre-sessional course | No more than 1.0 band below the IELTS grade required for your degree course. | No more than 1.0 band below the IELTS grade required for your degree course in each individual skill. |
| 8 week pre-sessional course | No more than 0.5 band below the IELTS grade required for your degree course. | No more than 0.5 band below the IELTS grade required for your degree course in each individual skill. |
*Or equivalent in another test – explore all the English language tests which we accept.
**If the PSE course is taught on campus, and you require a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) for a Student visa, you will need to supply an UKVI IELTS (Academic) or UKVI PEARSON (Academic) result taken within the last two years.