IELTS entry scores

IELTS is recognised by more than 11,500 organisations across the globe as a true indicator of English language skills. It remains the gold standard of English language testing, enjoying acceptability across a wide range of sectors: From leading universities, training institutes and government departments to immigration agencies, employers, and professional and industrial organisations.

Whether you're submitting your IELTS score for educational or migration purposes, every organisation has its own IELTS entry score requirement that a test taker must meet to be considered eligible.

An IELTS entry score is the minimum you need to score on an IELTS test to be accepted by an organisation / institute. There is no 'one-size, fits all' rule when it comes to IELTS entry scores. Every immigration department and educational institute has its own unique set of criteria and assigns an entry score accordingly. Quite often it is determined by the outcome they wish for the applicant to achieve. For example, a university in UK might set a high entry score for an advanced English Literature programme to ensure students have the required proficiency to pass the course. You might find the same university offering admissions to other courses, such as accountancy, at lower entry scores. Therefore, it all comes down to the individual institute / organisation / programme. Typically, industrial benchmarks are taken into consideration when setting an entry score, but that is entirely the prerogative of the organisation.

IELTS is the only English proficiency test accepted for migration purposes by all four governments of Australia, UK, Canada and New Zealand. The minimum score requirements keep changing from time to time. In addition, some migration programmes also offer bonus points for higher scores. Let’s look at minimum IELTS score requirements for some popular migration destinations:

• Australia: The minimum IELTS entry score for migration to Australia is 4.5. 

• UK: The minimum IELTS entry score for migration to UK is from 4.0 to 7.0.  

• Canada: The minimum IELTS entry score for the Canadian Express Entry under Federal Skilled Worker Programme is 6.0. 

• New Zealand: The minimum IELTS entry score for migration to New Zealand is 3.5. 

As mentioned above, it is entirely the educational institute's prerogative to assign a minimum IELTS entry score for its different courses and programmes. We have compiled a summary of the typical scores accepted by top UK and Australian universities. If you are applying at university overseas, make sure to check their website for the latest information about their admission conditions, including the IELTS entry scores.

IELTS entry scores for Australian universities

IELTS entry scores for UK universities