Nottingham, UK
Nottingham Trent University: English test requirements
NTU sets one IELTS Academic grade for each school or course on a single page, with a separate table for applicants who need a Student visa. Other tests are listed as equivalents to IELTS 6.0 or 6.5 only; Duolingo is not accepted.
Checked on 31 Oct 2026 against the university's own pages. Universities change their requirements, and some courses ask for more. Always confirm on the university's page before you book a test or apply.
Applicants from Pakistan
Medium of Instruction letters are not accepted as evidence of English in general. For Pakistan the page lists named institutions whose full four-year Bachelor degree plus such a letter may be considered case by case. The page says: “may be considered as evidence of English on a case by case basis”
Applicants from India
Standard XII at 70/100 or 160/200 is listed, awarded by CBSE and select State Boards (the page says to contact NTU about State Boards), or a full-time degree from a short list of named Indian universities. Part-time, distance-learning and Hindi-medium degrees are not accepted.
Applicants from Nigeria
NECO or WAEC Senior School Certificate with grade C6 or 6 in English is listed as an accepted qualification.
IELTS
UG from 6.0
PG from 6.5
PhD 6.5
TOEFL iBT
UG from 4.0 / 72
PG from 4.5 / 81
PhD Not on the list
PTE Academic
UG from 59
PG from 62
PhD Not on the list
Duolingo English Test
UG Not accepted
PG Not accepted
PhD Not accepted
Undergraduate
Grades are for applicants who need a Student visa; the page gives a second table without component minimums for those who do not. Results must be within two years of the course start. Other tests are listed only as equivalents to IELTS 6.0 or 6.5, and for the courses with higher bars only the tests named below are accepted.
| Course group | IELTS | TOEFL iBT | PTE Academic | Duolingo English Test |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nottingham School of Art & Design (Year One entry), School of Animal, Rural and Environmental Sciences, School of Science and TechnologySource for this group | 6.0no component below 5.5Year One entry only for Nottingham School of Art & Design; Year Two or final year entry needs IELTS 6.5 with 5.5 in each component. Four fashion courses need 6.5 (see next group). | 4.0 (tests from 21 Jan 2026) / 72 (tests before)new: no component below 4.0; old: Reading 18, Listening 17, Speaking 20, Writing 17Taken from the alternative-tests table, which says these grades are acceptable in most cases for courses at this IELTS level. | 59no element below 59PTE Academic Online is not accepted. Taken from the alternative-tests table, which says these grades are acceptable in most cases for courses at this IELTS level. | Not on the list |
| IELTS 6.5: Nottingham Business School, School of Architecture, Design and the Built Environment, Nottingham Institute of Education, Nottingham Law School, School of Social Sciences, and Art & Design fashion coursese.g. BA (Hons) Fashion Management, BA (Hons) Fashion Marketing & Branding, BA (Hons) Fashion Communication & Promotion, BA (Hons) International Fashion BusinessSource for this group | 6.5no component below 5.5 | 4.5 (tests from 21 Jan 2026) / 81 (tests before)new: no component below 4.0; old: Reading 18, Listening 17, Speaking 20, Writing 17Taken from the alternative-tests table, which says these grades are acceptable in most cases for courses at this IELTS level. | 62no element below 59PTE Academic Online is not accepted. Taken from the alternative-tests table, which says these grades are acceptable in most cases for courses at this IELTS level. | Not on the list |
| Journalism coursese.g. Journalism coursesSource for this group | 7.0Reading 6.0, Writing 6.0, Speaking 5.5, Listening 5.5 | Not on the list | Not on the list | Not on the list |
| Nursing (BSc Hons)e.g. BSc (Hons) NursingSource for this group | 6.5Speaking 6.0, Writing 6.0, Listening 5.5, Reading 5.5 | Not on the list | Not on the list | Not on the list |
| Occupational Therapy (BSc Hons)e.g. BSc (Hons) Occupational TherapySource for this group | 7.0no component below 6.5 | 5.0 (tests from 21 Jan 2026) / 100 (tests before)Tests before 21 Jan 2026: 100 overall; Reading 19, Listening 19, Speaking 22, Writing 23. Tests from 21 Jan 2026: 5.0 overall; 4.5 in Reading and Writing; 5.0 in Listening and Speaking. | Not acceptedOnly IELTS and TOEFL iBT are accepted for this course. | Not on the list |
| Social Work (BA Hons)e.g. BA (Hons) Social WorkSource for this group | 7.0no component below 6.5 | 5.0 (tests from 21 Jan 2026) / 91 (tests before)Tests before 21 Jan 2026: 91 overall; Reading 19, Listening 19, Speaking 22, Writing 23. Tests from 21 Jan 2026: 5.0 overall; 4.5 in Reading, Listening and Speaking; 5.0 in Writing. | 68no element below 62 | Not on the list |
| Test | Overall | Each part | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duolingo English Test | – | Not acceptedThe page says it does not accept Duolingo. |
“We accept IELTS Academic as an English Language qualification.”
English language requirements
Postgraduate taught
Grades are for applicants who need a Student visa; a second table on the page drops component minimums for those who do not. Nottingham Business School asks for different component minimums on 2-year Masters. The Barristers Training Course has its own bar.
| Course group | IELTS | TOEFL iBT | PTE Academic | Duolingo English Test |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IELTS 6.5: Art & Design, Animal Rural and Environmental Sciences, Science and Technology, Business (1-year Masters), Architecture Design and the Built Environment, Institute of Education, Law, Social SciencesSource for this group | 6.5no component below 5.5 | 4.5 (tests from 21 Jan 2026) / 81 (tests before)new: no component below 4.0; old: Reading 18, Listening 17, Speaking 20, Writing 17Taken from the alternative-tests table, which says these grades are acceptable in most cases for courses at this IELTS level. | 62no element below 59PTE Academic Online is not accepted. Taken from the alternative-tests table, which says these grades are acceptable in most cases for courses at this IELTS level. | Not on the list |
| Nottingham Business School (2-year Masters)Source for this group | 6.5Speaking 6.0, Listening 6.0, Reading 5.5, Writing 5.5 | Not on the list | Not on the list | Not on the list |
| Journalism coursese.g. Journalism coursesSource for this group | 7.0Reading 6.0, Writing 6.0, Speaking 5.5, Listening 5.5 | Not on the list | Not on the list | Not on the list |
| Nursing (MSc) and MSc Clinical Exercise Physiologye.g. MSc Nursing, MSc Clinical Exercise PhysiologySource for this group | 6.5Speaking 6.0, Writing 6.0, Listening 5.5, Reading 5.5 | Not on the list | Not on the list | Not on the list |
| Occupational Therapy (MSc)e.g. MSc Occupational TherapySource for this group | 7.0no component below 6.5 | 5.0 (tests from 21 Jan 2026) / 100 (tests before)Tests before 21 Jan 2026: 100 overall; Reading 19, Listening 19, Speaking 22, Writing 23. Tests from 21 Jan 2026: 5.0 overall; 4.5 in Reading and Writing; 5.0 in Listening and Speaking. | Not acceptedOnly IELTS and TOEFL iBT are accepted for this course. | Not on the list |
| Social Work (MA)e.g. MA Social WorkSource for this group | 7.0no component below 6.5 | 5.5 (tests from 21 Jan 2026) / 91 (tests before)Tests before 21 Jan 2026: 91 overall; Reading 19, Listening 19, Speaking 22, Writing 23. Tests from 21 Jan 2026: 5.5 overall; 5.5 in Reading, Listening and Speaking; 6.0 in Writing. | 68no element below 62 | Not on the list |
| Barristers Training Course (BTC)e.g. Barristers Training CourseSource for this group | 7.57.5 in each component | 5.5 (tests from 21 Jan 2026) / 103 (tests before)Tests before 21 Jan 2026: 103 overall; Reading 25, Listening 24, Speaking 26, Writing 28. Tests from 21 Jan 2026: 5.5 overall; 5.5 in Reading, Listening and Speaking; 6.0 in Writing. | 7373 in each component | Not acceptedOnly IELTS, PTE Academic, TOEFL iBT and KTE are accepted for the BTC. |
| Test | Overall | Each part | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duolingo English Test | – | Not acceptedThe page says it does not accept Duolingo. |
“We accept IELTS Academic as an English Language qualification.”
English language requirements
Postgraduate research
One grade for all postgraduate research degrees.
| Test | Overall | Each part | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| IELTS Academic | 6.5 | no component below 6.0 | AcceptedThe page adds "or equivalent" without listing other scores for research degrees. |
| TOEFL iBT | – | Not on the list | |
| PTE Academic | – | Not on the list | |
| Duolingo English Test | – | Not acceptedThe page says it does not accept Duolingo. |
Other tests the university lists
- Cambridge C1 Advanced (169 for IELTS 6.0 level, 176 for IELTS 6.5 level) and C2 Proficiency
- LanguageCert Academic and LanguageCert Academic SELT (65 for the 6.0 level, 70 for the 6.5 level)
- Oxford Test of English (120 / 130)
- Kaplan Test of English (KTE)
- Trinity ISE III or IV
- International and European Baccalaureate, GCSE, IGCSE, A and O levels
- Occupational English Test (OET, paper version, Nursing courses only)
The page says these are not accepted
- Duolingo English Test
- IELTS Online
- IELTS Indicator
- PTE Academic Online
- TOEFL Essentials
- TOEFL MyBest scores
- EF
- ELLT
“Not on the list” means the test does not appear on the university page we checked. It does not mean the test is refused: the course page or the admissions office may still accept it, so ask them.
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