Entry requirements • City, University of London

To gain entry to an accredited course at City, University of London you must meet the entry requirements for that course.

Requirements vary between programmes and full details are published on each of our course pages. However all entry requirements are based on similar principles.

Here you will find details of our common entry requirements for our Undergraduate degrees, including International qualification equivalences, Postgraduate courses, Research degrees, and our English Language requirements. You will also find some additional entry requirements for some courses within the School of Health & Psychological Sciences.

Undergraduate courses

To enter a degree course at City, you must satisfy City's general minimum requirement of passes in two subjects at GCE A-level or equivalent. We accept a wide range of equivalent qualifications to A-levels.

You must also meet the specific requirements of the course you're applying for, which may be higher than City's minimum requirements.

Finally, you must be accepted by the course admissions tutor.

When you make your application, the actual offer you receive may differ from the requirement listed on the course page. As many of our courses are very competitive, possessing the minimum requirement does not guarantee admission.

International qualification equivalences

We accept a range of international qualifications for entry. The following are City's equivalences to UK GCE A-level grades for undergraduate entry requirements.

Postgraduate master’s courses

Applicants for all postgraduate degrees should normally hold a university Honours degree or equivalent qualification in an appropriate subject.

If you don't hold an Honours degree or equivalent but you have suitable experience and/or professional qualifications, you may still be accepted for a Master's or Postgraduate Diploma at the discretion of the relevant department.

We offer pre-Master’s programmes for international students, delivered by our partners INTO City, University of London. In addition, we recognise other pre-Master’s programmes, in particular those provided by Kaplan International College London.

Before registration, you will need to submit original certificates or certified copies of your relevant degrees and other qualifications.

The closing date for applications is determined by each department and may be as early as February for a course starting in September. Alternatively, some courses will not have a set closing date for applications. It is advisable to apply as early as possible as competition for places on many courses is extremely strong and they may be fully subscribed well before the closing date.

Postgraduate research courses

Before submitting a formal application to undertake a research degree at City, University of London, you are advised to explore the research interests of our academic colleagues to ensure that we can support your proposed research. This will enable you to identify potential supervisors.

You can expect to have some informal discussion about your research proposal, in particular with the member of academic staff who may be best placed to offer you supervision.

Entry requirements for research degrees are detailed on our research degree pages.

English language requirements

If you're a national of a majority English-speaking country, or have previously completed a university degree (or equivalent) in one, you will not need to prove your knowledge of English to apply for a course at City. The government provides a list of recognised majority English-speaking countries.

Otherwise, City accepts the following as minimum English requirements for entry.

Some courses have higher English language requirements for entry than these minimums. You should check course pages to confirm requirements. City cannot accept any other tests or qualifications in addition to those below.

Accepted tests

IELTS Academic and SELT (UKVI): Minimum 5.5 in each of the test areas. The test needs to have been taken no longer than two years from the date that the CAS is generated. City is currently accepting IELTS from all test centres and not just those identified by UKVI on the SELT list. City also accepts IELTS Online Test with minimum scores listed above.
Pearson Test of English (PTE) Academic: 59 in each area (writing, speaking listening and reading). City is also accepting Pearson Test of English (PTE) Academic Online test. The test needs to have been taken no longer than two years from the date that the CAS is generated. PTE General is not currently accepted.
Trinity College (Integrated Skills): ISE11 – pass in each of the areas. The test needs to have been taken no longer than two years from the date that the CAS is generated.
Cambridge English Advanced (also known as Certificate in Advanced English): Minimum score of 162 or above in all areas (Level B2). The test needs to have been taken no longer than two years from the date that the CAS is generated.
Cambridge English Proficiency (also known as Certificate of Proficiency in English): Minimum score of 162 or above in all areas (Level B2). The test needs to have been taken no longer than two years from the date that the CAS is generated.
TOEFL iBT and TOEFL at home solution: 72 overall with no less than 17 in Writing and Listening, 18 in Reading and 20 in Speaking. The test needs to have been taken no longer than two years from the date that the CAS is generated.
LanguageCert International ESOL SELT B2: B2 Communicator High Pass (minimum Listening: 33/50; Reading: 33/50: Writing: 33/50; Speaking: 33/50). The test needs to have been taken no longer than two years from the date that the CAS is generated.
LanguageCert International ESOL online test: B2 Communicator Pass (minimum Listening: 25/50; Reading: 25/50: Writing: 25/50; Speaking: 25/50) – combined written and oral test. The test needs to have been taken no longer than two years from the date that the CAS is generated.
Oxford Test of English (OTE): 120 Overall with at least 111 in each component. The test needs to have been taken no longer than two years from the date that the CAS is generated.
Skills for English (SELT): Pass with grade B2 or above and B2 in all sub-skills.

Accepted qualifications

INTO City Pre-sessional English and English Language as part of International Foundation and International Graduate Diploma: Pass and at least 5.5 in each area of testing (for Pre-sessional students). At least 55% in each area (for Foundation and International Graduate Diploma students).
Kaplan English language as part of foundation certificate: At least 55% in each area.
GCSE A level or Scottish Higher qualification from an OFQual (or devolved administration equivalent regulator) in English language or literature, gained through education undertaken while they were aged under 18 and in a UK school.
iGCSE (CIE/CAIE): iGCSE English as First Language CIE/CAIE (Syllabus 0500, 0522 & 0990) and iGCSE English as Second Language CIE/CAIE (Syllabus 0510, 0511, 0991 & 0993) – Grade B or above. The test needs to have been taken no longer than two years from the date that the CAS is generated.
iGCSE (OxfordAQA): English Language and English as a Second Language – Grade 6 or above. The test needs to have been taken no longer than two years from the date that the CAS is generated.
iGCSE (Pearson): English as a Second Language – Grade B/6 or above. Speaking part must be separately endorsed on the certificate. The test needs to have been taken no longer than two years from the date that the CAS is generated.
IB: English taken at 'Standard Level' with 5 points, or English taken at 'Higher Level' with 4 points. The test needs to have been taken no longer than two years from the date that the CAS is generated.
French Baccalaureate: Minimum score of 14 for English. The test needs to have been taken no longer than two years from the date that the CAS is generated.
European Baccalaureate: L1 English component minimum pass 7 or L2 English component minimum pass 7.5. The test needs to have been taken no longer than two years from the date that the CAS is generated.
Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE) English Language Examination: Minimum Level 3 or above. The test needs to have been taken no longer than two years from the date that the CAS is generated.
Bellerbys Academic English Skills as part of the Foundation Programme: Minimum 50% in all areas. The test needs to have been taken no longer than two years from the date that the CAS is generated.
Norwegian English Vitnemål fra den Videregående Skole (VVO): Minimum Level Grade 4 or above in English. The VVO qualification needs to have been taken no longer than two years from the date that the CAS is generated.
Malaysian Certificate of Education (Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia): Minimum Level Grade C+ or above in English. The SPM qualification needs to have been taken no longer than two years from the date that the CAS is generated.

Additional entry requirements for the School of Health & Psychological Sciences

If you are applying for a programme at City's School of Health & Psychological Sciences, you may be required to meet additional entry requirements. The specific requirements for each course are stated on individual course pages.

These requirements may include the following:

Occupational Health Checks

Will I need an Occupational Health check?

All students commencing a healthcare programme at City, University of London are required to undergo an Occupational Health check.

City, University of London is committed to equal opportunities for all. We welcome applications from people with disabilities and would be pleased to discuss this with you further.

Occupational Health checks at City

At City, University of London we work with specialist provider OHWorks and have a dedicated Nurse working exclusively with students on a healthcare programme at City. If you would like to discuss your occupational health status in confidence, please email city@ohworks.co.uk or call 020 7040 5824.

New students are required to attend an Occupational Health during induction to ensure you have health clearance to attend clinical placement.

Prior to this all offer holders will be issued with details of the online pre-course health screening questionnaire that must be completed prior to the commencement of the course along with the OH overview and frequently asked questions guide.

Through the information provided in the pre-course health screening questionnaire it may be deemed necessary for you to attend an appointment at City prior to the start of the course.

Students on the following programmes are required to undergo occupational health clearance at the commencement of the course:

BSc (Hons) / PGDip Midwifery
BSc (Hons) / MSc Nursing (all fields)
BSc (Hons) Radiography (Diagnostic Imaging)
BSc (Hons) Radiography (Radiotherapy & Oncology)
BSc (Hons) / MSc in Speech and Language Therapy

Clearance forms will also require completing; these are 'an assessment on fitness to undertake study' and 'fitness for clinical placement'. You must ensure that forms must be completed promptly and that you retain a copy of all documents you submit during this process.

Vaccinations

In preparation for the assessment for fitness to clinical placement you must have received the following vaccinations:

Hepatitis B vaccination - this is a course of three immunisations, which can be provided upon commencement of the course. The second vaccination is given one month after the first and the third is given six months after the first.
MMR vaccination - You are required to have documentary evidence of two MMR vaccinations. Most people will have received these in childhood. If you have not your GP should provide these to you before the commencement of the course. Your GP should not charge you for this.
You will need to provide your documentation as evidence of vaccination, we cannot accept a verbal history of vaccination from you.
Chickenpox (Varicella) - Please ask your GP whether you have had chickenpox. We require documentary evidence (if this is available) from your GP to confirm that you have had the infection. We recognise that some people will not have had chickenpox.
If you do not have documentary evidence of previous infection we will take a blood test from you at the commencement of your course to confirm this before we provide you with vaccination to protect you against chickenpox.
Tuberculosis (TB) - please ask your GP to document whether you have been vaccinated with the BCG vaccine. If you have not, you will require this as part of your course if skin testing indicates you have are susceptible to TB.
If your GP is able to offer you skin testing (a mantoux test) and vaccination (if this is required), this would be helpful. Otherwise we will screen and immunise you at the commencement of your course.
Tetanus and polio - please ask your GP to ensure you are up to date with your tetanus and polio vaccination.

Any students requiring any of the above vaccinations will be able to undertake these upon the commencement of the course.

A Guide to Immunisation, Screening & Health Clearance

Covid-19 vaccination

Whilst Covid-19 vaccination is not mandatory, we strongly recommend our students to be fully vaccinated.

Some clinical placement environments may require students and staff to be vaccinated due to the vulnerability of the patients and this may limit opportunities for unvaccinated students. However, all students will be supported to complete the clinical hours required to graduate.

Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) enhanced check (formerly CRB)

Will I need a DBS check?

All applicants for the School of Health & Psychological Sciences Undergraduate, Pre-Registration and Postgraduate courses are required to complete a DBS (formerly CRB) check. Further information will be sent out to the applicants a few weeks before the start of the course.

About the DBS enhanced check

All pre-registration programmes are exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, under the provisions of the Exemptions Order 1975. This means that you will be obliged to declare all previous criminal convictions, cautions and reprimands as a condition of admission on to the programme.

Having a previous criminal conviction or caution will not necessarily prohibit you from studying to be a Nurse, Midwife, Optometrist, Radiographer, Radiotherapist or Speech and Language Therapist.

It is however important for City, University of London to establish a balanced and objective view about a candidate's suitability to train.

In order to verify this we use the Disclosure and Barring Service checks. It is therefore a mandatory condition of entry on to any pre-registration Healthcare programme in Speech and Language Therapy, Radiography, Optometry, Midwifery or Nursing that an applicant must have a satisfactory Enhanced DBS clearance.

This will document information in the form of a criminal record certificate as described under either section 113 or section 115 of the Police Act 1997.

City, University of London welcomes applications to courses from all members of the community but cannot consider applications for specific health care programmes from those individuals who have committed offences under the provisions of the Protection of Children Act 1999 and the Criminal Justice and Court Services Act 2000.

It should also be noted that this prohibition also extends to individuals who have had their name included on:

The Protection of Vulnerable Adults (POVA) List
Protection of Children Act (PoCA) List as held by the Department of Health
List 99 as held by the Department of Education, Skills and Employment.

To do so would be a criminal offence under the aforementioned acts. Furthermore, in receiving an application from any such individual, The School is obliged to inform the Police that an application from a prohibited individual has been received.

In order to make informed decisions about an individual's suitability to train, a Countersignatory will invite the applicant to submit a DBS application form before further advancement of the individual's application to study.

The covering letter will explain that in observance of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (ROA 1974), The School is inviting the applicant to submit a DBS form so that the relevant staff can make an informed decision about the suitability of an individual to train.

If necessary an interview would be held prior to induction, which will allow the individual to put the information revealed in a Disclosure into context.

Policies

In accordance with the DBS code of practice, City, University of London has the following policies on the recruitment of ex-offenders and the use, storage, retention and destruction of DBS disclosure information.

References

Given the nature of School of Health & Psychological Sciences, it is vital that we receive two supporting references.

You should provide one Academic Reference from a current or former Tutor and one Character Reference from a current or former employer.

Each referee needs to have known you for at least one year, however two years is preferred.

Referees cannot be a family member, friend, neighbour or relative.

Please note that we do not obtain references on your behalf.

If your application contained an Academic Reference from your current or former tutor, your second reference must be a Character Reference from a current or former employer.

However, if your application contained a Character Reference from your current or former employer, your second reference must be an Academic Reference from your current or former tutor.

Please follow the instructions on the Reference Form and forward to your referee for completion.

We must receive this by 29th July 2022.

If you have any questions please contact the Admissions Office on 020 7040 5000 or email: health@city.ac.uk.

The application process for some courses also includes a selection day interview which you will need to complete in addition to meeting entry requirements.

Undergraduate courses

International qualification equivalences

Zimbabwe

Visa requirements

Zambia

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Vietnam

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Uzbekistan

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Ukraine

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Uganda

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USA

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UAE

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Turkey

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Tunisia

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Thailand

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Tanzania

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Taiwan

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Switzerland

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Sweden

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Sri Lanka

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Spain

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South Korea

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South Africa

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Slovenia

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Slovakia

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Singapore

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Serbia

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Saudi Arabia

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Rwanda

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Russia

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Romania

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Qatar

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Portugal

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Poland

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Pakistan

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Oman

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Norway

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Nigeria

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Netherlands

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Morocco

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Mexico

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Mauritius

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Malta

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