IELTS University & Visa Score Checker
Enter your IELTS band score and see at a glance which well-known universities and major visa categories you qualify for — across the US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Singapore, Hong Kong, and the Netherlands. Every requirement links to its official source.
With overall 6.5 and lowest section 6.5, you meet 34 of 46 requirements listed here.
Guidance only — always verify. These are published standard minimums, last reviewed July 2026. Individual programmes often require higher scores, and governments change visa rules. Always confirm the current requirement on the official page linked next to each entry before making decisions.
IELTS requirements for universities
Standard published minimums for undergraduate admission at well-known English-speaking universities. “Each section” is the minimum required in every one of the four components (Listening, Reading, Writing, Speaking) — falling below it in a single section means the requirement is not met, even with a high overall band.
University minimums (IELTS Academic) — last reviewed July 2026
| Institution / Visa | Overall | Each section | Notes & source |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of OxfordUnited Kingdom | 7.0 | 6.5 | Standard level; many courses require the higher level of 7.5 overall (7.0 per component). ox.ac.uk — English language requirements |
| University of CambridgeUnited Kingdom | 7.5 | 7.0 | Undergraduate admissions. cam.ac.uk — Entrance requirements |
| Imperial College LondonUnited Kingdom | 6.5 | 6.0 | Standard requirement; some departments ask for the higher 7.0 (6.5 per component). imperial.ac.uk — English language requirements |
| University College London (UCL)United Kingdom | 6.5 | 6.0 | UCL's Level 1 (minimum) requirement; many programmes sit at Level 2 or higher (7.0 overall, 6.5 per component). ucl.ac.uk — English language requirements |
| University of EdinburghUnited Kingdom | 6.5 | 5.5 | Standard undergraduate requirement; some degrees (e.g. medicine, law) require 7.0+. ed.ac.uk — English language requirements |
| London School of Economics (LSE)United Kingdom | 7.0 | 6.5 | Standard undergraduate requirement. lse.ac.uk — English language requirements |
| King's College LondonUnited Kingdom | 7.0 | 6.5 | Requirement band for most undergraduate courses; some programmes sit a band higher or lower. kcl.ac.uk — English language requirements |
| University of ManchesterUnited Kingdom | 6.5 | 6.0 | Typical undergraduate requirement; varies by course. manchester.ac.uk — Language requirements |
| University of WarwickUnited Kingdom | 6.5 | 6.0 | Standard band for most undergraduate courses. warwick.ac.uk — English language requirements |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)United States | 7.0 | — | Minimum 7.0, with 7.5+ recommended for undergraduate applicants. No published per-component minimum. mitadmissions.org — Tests & scores |
| Columbia UniversityUnited States | 7.5 | — | Undergraduate admissions minimum. No published per-component minimum. columbia.edu — Standardized testing |
| Cornell UniversityUnited States | 7.0 | — | Undergraduate admissions minimum; some colleges within Cornell expect higher sub-scores. cornell.edu — International applicants |
| New York University (NYU)United States | 7.5 | — | Typical competitive score for undergraduate admission. No published per-component minimum. nyu.edu — Standardized tests |
| University of Southern California (USC)United States | 7.0 | — | Undergraduate admissions minimum. No published per-component minimum. usc.edu — International students |
| University of California, BerkeleyUnited States | 6.5 | — | UC system-wide minimum; admitted applicants typically score 7.0+. berkeley.edu — English language proficiency |
| University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)United States | 6.5 | — | UC system-wide minimum; admitted applicants typically score 7.0+. ucla.edu — International applicants |
| University of MichiganUnited States | 6.5 | — | Minimum for undergraduate admission; 7.0+ recommended to be competitive. umich.edu — International students |
| Boston UniversityUnited States | 7.0 | — | Typical expectation for undergraduate admission. No published per-component minimum. bu.edu — International applicants |
| Carnegie Mellon UniversityUnited States | 7.5 | — | Recommended score for undergraduate applicants — treated as the competitive benchmark rather than a hard cutoff. cmu.edu — Standardized testing |
| Duke UniversityUnited States | 7.0 | — | Recommended score for undergraduate applicants. No published per-component minimum. duke.edu — Application requirements |
| University of TorontoCanada | 6.5 | 6.0 | Undergraduate admissions (IELTS Academic). utoronto.ca — English language requirements |
| University of British ColumbiaCanada | 6.5 | 6.0 | Undergraduate admissions (IELTS Academic). ubc.ca — English language admission standard |
| McGill UniversityCanada | 6.5 | 6.0 | Undergraduate admissions (IELTS Academic). mcgill.ca — English language proficiency |
| University of WaterlooCanada | 6.5 | 6.0 | Writing and Speaking require 6.5; Reading and Listening require 6.0. uwaterloo.ca — English language requirements |
| McMaster UniversityCanada | 6.5 | 6.0 | Undergraduate admissions (IELTS Academic). mcmaster.ca — English language proficiency |
| Queen's UniversityCanada | 6.5 | 6.0 | Undergraduate admissions (IELTS Academic). queensu.ca — English language requirements |
| Western UniversityCanada | 6.5 | 6.0 | Undergraduate admissions (IELTS Academic). uwo.ca — English language requirements |
| University of MelbourneAustralia | 6.5 | 6.0 | Standard undergraduate requirement; some courses require 7.0. unimelb.edu.au — English language requirements |
| University of SydneyAustralia | 6.5 | 6.0 | Standard requirement; some degrees (e.g. education, health) require 7.0–7.5. sydney.edu.au — English language requirements |
| Australian National UniversityAustralia | 6.5 | 6.0 | Standard undergraduate requirement. anu.edu.au — English language requirements |
| Monash UniversityAustralia | 6.5 | 6.0 | Standard undergraduate requirement; some courses require 7.0. monash.edu — English language requirements |
| University of New South Wales (UNSW)Australia | 6.5 | 6.0 | Standard undergraduate requirement; some programs require 7.0+. unsw.edu.au — English language requirements |
| University of Queensland (UQ)Australia | 6.5 | 6.0 | Standard undergraduate requirement. uq.edu.au — English language requirements |
| University of Western Australia (UWA)Australia | 6.5 | 6.0 | Standard undergraduate requirement; some courses (e.g. law, medicine) higher. uwa.edu.au — English competency |
| University of AdelaideAustralia | 6.5 | 6.0 | Standard undergraduate requirement. adelaide.edu.au — English language requirements |
| University of AucklandNew Zealand | 6.0 | 5.5 | Undergraduate admissions; postgraduate typically 6.5 (6.0 per component). auckland.ac.nz — English language requirements |
| University of OtagoNew Zealand | 6.0 | 6.0 | Undergraduate admissions (IELTS Academic). otago.ac.nz — English language requirements |
| National University of SingaporeSingapore | 6.5 | 6.5 | Undergraduate admissions — 6.5 in Reading and Writing specifically. nus.edu.sg — Admission requirements |
| Nanyang Technological University (NTU)Singapore | 6.0 | — | Undergraduate admissions minimum; competitive applicants typically score higher. ntu.edu.sg — Admission guide |
| University of Hong Kong (HKU)Hong Kong | 6.5 | 5.5 | Undergraduate admissions minimum; some faculties (e.g. law) require 7.0. hku.hk — International qualifications |
| Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST)Hong Kong | 6.0 | 5.5 | Undergraduate admissions minimum. hkust.edu.hk — Admission requirements |
| Delft University of Technology (TU Delft)Netherlands | 6.5 | 6.0 | English-taught bachelor programmes (IELTS Academic). tudelft.nl — English language requirements |
| University of AmsterdamNetherlands | 6.5 | 6.0 | English-taught bachelor programmes; some programmes require 7.0. uva.nl — Application and admission |
| University of GroningenNetherlands | 6.5 | 6.0 | English-taught bachelor programmes (IELTS Academic); some programmes require higher Writing. rug.nl — Admission and application |
| Trinity College DublinIreland | 6.5 | 6.0 | Undergraduate admissions. tcd.ie — Admission requirements |
| University College Dublin (UCD)Ireland | 6.5 | 6.0 | Standard undergraduate requirement; some programmes (e.g. medicine) require 7.0. ucd.ie — Entry requirements |
IELTS requirements for visas
Minimum scores for major study and work visa categories. Note the test version matters: UK visas require IELTS for UKVI, Canada's Express Entry requires General Training, and universities require Academic.
Visa minimums — last reviewed July 2026
| Institution / Visa | Overall | Each section | Notes & source |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK Student Visa (degree level)United Kingdom | 5.5 | 5.5 | CEFR B2 — requires IELTS for UKVI (Academic). Below degree level, B1 (4.0 per component) applies. gov.uk — Student visa: knowledge of English |
| UK Skilled Worker VisaUnited Kingdom | 4.0 | 4.0 | CEFR B1 — requires IELTS for UKVI. Also applies to the Health and Care Worker visa. gov.uk — Skilled Worker visa: knowledge of English |
| Canada Express Entry — Federal Skilled WorkerCanada | 6.0 | 6.0 | Minimum CLB 7 = IELTS General Training 6.0 in all four abilities. Higher scores earn substantially more CRS points (CLB 9 = L 8.0 / R 7.0 / W 7.0 / S 7.0). canada.ca — Language testing for Express Entry |
| Canada Express Entry — Canadian Experience Class (TEER 2/3)Canada | 5.0 | 4.0 | Minimum CLB 5 = IELTS General Training L 5.0 / R 4.0 / W 5.0 / S 5.0. TEER 0/1 jobs require CLB 7 (6.0 in each). canada.ca — Express Entry language requirements |
| Australia Skilled Visas — Competent EnglishAustralia | 6.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 in each component. 'Proficient' (7.0 each) earns 10 points and 'Superior' (8.0 each) earns 20 points toward skilled migration. homeaffairs.gov.au — English language requirements |
| Australia Student Visa (subclass 500)Australia | 6.0 | — | 6.0 overall as the standard minimum; 5.5 or 5.0 possible when packaged with an English language (ELICOS) course. homeaffairs.gov.au — Student visa (subclass 500) |
| New Zealand Skilled Migrant CategoryNew Zealand | 6.5 | — | 6.5 overall (IELTS Academic or General Training). No per-component minimum published. immigration.govt.nz — English language requirements |
How to read IELTS score requirements
- Overall vs. per-section:most requirements set both. An overall 6.5 with a 5.5 in Writing fails a “6.5 overall, 6.0 each” requirement.
- Programme-level variation: the university-wide minimum is a floor. Medicine, law, education, and journalism programmes frequently require 7.0–7.5.
- Score validity: IELTS results are valid for 2 years for both admissions and visa purposes.
- Rounding never helps here: requirements compare your reported bands directly — a 5.5 section score is a 5.5, and no institution rounds it up.
- One test, two goals:if you need the score for both a university offer and a visa, check both requirements and take the version that satisfies the stricter one (usually the university's Academic requirement).
Frequently asked questions
What IELTS score do I need for university admission?+
Most universities in the UK, Canada, Australia, and Ireland ask for an overall band of 6.5 with a minimum of 6.0 in each section for undergraduate study. Highly selective institutions ask for more — Cambridge requires 7.5 overall (7.0 per component) and Oxford requires at least 7.0 (6.5 per component). Requirements also vary by programme, so always confirm on the university's official admissions page.
What IELTS score do I need for a UK Student visa?+
For degree-level study the UK requires CEFR B2, which corresponds to IELTS for UKVI (Academic) 5.5 in each of the four components. In practice your university's own requirement is usually higher and satisfies the visa requirement automatically. Below degree level, B1 (4.0 in each component) applies.
What IELTS score do I need for Canada Express Entry?+
The Federal Skilled Worker program requires a minimum of CLB 7, which equals IELTS General Training 6.0 in all four abilities. Higher scores earn significantly more Comprehensive Ranking System points — CLB 9 (Listening 8.0, Reading 7.0, Writing 7.0, Speaking 7.0) unlocks the top language points bracket.
What is 'Competent English' for Australian skilled visas?+
'Competent English' means IELTS 6.0 in each of the four components and is the minimum for most Australian skilled visas. 'Proficient English' (7.0 in each) adds 10 points to your skilled migration score, and 'Superior English' (8.0 in each) adds 20 points.
Do universities look at the overall band or the section scores?+
Both. Almost every university publishes an overall minimum plus a per-section minimum (typically 0.5 below the overall). If even one section falls below the per-section minimum, you don't meet the requirement — which is why this checker asks for your lowest section score as well as your overall band.
Is IELTS Academic or General Training required?+
Universities require IELTS Academic. Work and migration visas (Canada Express Entry, Australian skilled visas) generally accept — and for Canada require — General Training. UK visas require the special IELTS for UKVI version of the test, in Academic or General Training form depending on the route.
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