Need to prove your English language competence in our admissions process?
Welcome! It's not unusual to apply to Christ's with English as an additional language, and we can reassure you that many of our current students speak English as a second or third language.
To study at Cambridge, a very high level of English is needed because teaching, exams and College activities will be in English. This page sets out the information and standards expected for interview selection as well as the evidence needed to meet offer requirements.
Application
Please provide details of your English language qualification(s) in the following places:
1. In your UCAS application
This is the first application form you complete and you should include any English language qualifications you have already taken and and the scores you've achieved along with your other exams in the Education section. You must also include exams you will be taking later in the academic year. These may include English language exams. About the UCAS application.
2. In your My Cambridge Application
When you've applied via UCAS, you get an email with log-in details for the second, Cambridge-specific form called My Cambridge Application. This includes a question on English language qualifications - please complete it! About My Cambridge Application.
3. In your transcript (if you're providing one).
Many international applicants need to upload a transcript as part of the My Cambridge Application. Your transcript should include reference to your English language scores or grades. About transcripts
| Important: If you are planning to include English language test scores as part of your application, please ensure that you sit the test early enough so that you have the scores by September so that you can include them in your application. |
Assessment of your English during the application process
As well as looking at qualifications and expected qualifications, we will also assess your English language competency directly during the application process. Throughout the process, interviewers and Admissions Tutors will be assessing your English language skills as well as your academic ability - they will look at your qualifications, any written assessment or essays you have been asked to upload, and your educational background. If you are selected to attend online interviews, your English language ability will also be assessed at interview.
Interview selection
You may have seen that selected applicants have online interviews in December as part of our admissions process. Before we shortlist for interview, we read and consider every application in full as well as taking into account admissions test results in some subjects. Selection for interview depends on a number of factors, but these include evidence that you have attained a sufficient level of proficiency in English to enable you to cope with an academic interview.
If you apply in Sept 2027, we are unlikely to select you for interview if you don't supply one of the proofs of English language competence listed in the links below. If you apply in Sept 2026, we may be more flexible but encourage you to meet the requirements for proof in the links below if you can - it will be an advantage if you are pooled for consideration by other Colleges.
| Click here for a list of qualifications that all Colleges (including Christ's) will accept as proof of competence to participate in an interview. | Click here for an additional list of qualifications that Christ's College ONLY will also accept as proof of competence to participate in an interview. |
If you have not yet finished school, Christ's College (only) can accept clear evidence that you are on track to achieve any of the school qualifications in the two lists above. This evidence would normally be in the form of predicted grades for your school qualifications from your referee, which should be included in the referee section of your UCAS application. There will be no disadvantage if the grades are predicted rather than achieved. About the reference and predicted grades.
Please be careful when reading this information above to ensure that you are aware of points that are only relevant for Christ's applicants.
Offer requirements
If your application is successful we may need further evidence to be sure that you have sufficient English language ability to thrive on a high-level fast-moving academic course, taught and examined in English, and we may also need to meet any requirements for your student visa, if you need one.
Your offer may or may not include an English Language condition - you will need to wait to receive your offer to find out, as we will only do our final assessment of whether a condition is needed at the point when we set your offer. Note that if we do set a requirement, the scores we may ask you for as an offer holder may be higher than those required as part of the interview selection in some cases. For example, the scores we look for in IELTS Academic are minimum 7.5 overall with no element lower than 7.0.
If there were concerns about your English language ability during any part of the application process, you may be asked to achieve an English language qualification at the relevant level as part of a conditional offer. We make our offers in late January, and you would then have until the following June to meet all the conditions of your offer.
Visa requirements
If you need a student visa to enter the UK and study here, the College and the University must demonstrate that you have sufficient English language ability to succeed on the course.
For some students, an English language qualification may be required in order for the university to issue the Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) that you will need from us to apply for your visa. Cambridge University is able to accept English language qualifications it deems suitable when sponsoring student visas, and if we need you to take a qualification, we will make this part of your offer conditions.
English language qualifications are only valid for visa purposes for two years from the date of the exam. If your previous English language qualification was taken more than two years before the start of your course, you may be asked for recent proof of English language ability as part of your offer.
Once you have met all of our offer conditions, the CAS that you will receive will confirm either
> that you are a national of a majority English speaking country (as defined by UK Visas and Immigration). You do not need to prove your knowledge of English if you are from one of the countries listed on the Gov.UK website.
> or that the University, as a Higher Education Provider, has assessed your English language ability and it is at the required level.
Further notes and questions
Can I update you with English language qualification scores received after submitting my application?
If you are planning to take an English language qualification it is important to ensure that you take it early enough to receive the scores and include them in your application. If you receive any English language scores during the application process, please save the test report safely on your computer and share them with us as soon as you can. We will not be able to consider proof of language competenece recieved after we have sent out invitations to interview.
Do you accept IELTS one-skill retakes?
Yes - we will consider one-skill retakes. If this is relevant to you, please ensure that you take the test early enough so that you get the result by September and can include it in your application.
