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We've put together the answers to some frequently asked questions about applying for the Pre-sessional English course and visas.
- What is the difference between PASHE and Pre-sessional?
The Preparation for Academic Studies in Higher Education (PASHE) are courses for applicants holding offers for degree courses delivered by the UCL Institute of Education.
The Pre-sessional courses are for students in all other UCL faculties.
Applications
- How do I apply for a Pre-sessional course?
You can apply online via the course website.
Please check the how to apply section before you start your application.
- When should I apply for a Pre-sessional course?
We recommend you apply as soon as you receive an offer for a UCL degree course and meet the English language entry requirements of the Pre-sessional course you want to attend.
You can find course application deadlines in the how to apply section, but applications for a course will close earlier if we have received enough applications.
We would expect to open waiting lists for later applicants.
- Can undergraduate applicants apply for the face-to-face or Extended courses?
No, undergraduate applicants are not eligible for either the face-to-face or Extended courses.
We will run an online Standard Pre-sessional specifically tailored to the needs of undergraduate applicants.
- Can I combine the results of two English language tests?
No, you must meet the entry requirements in a single test from the list of accepted tests on the Pre-sessional website.
Different tests are acceptable for each of the face-to-face and online courses. Please see our entry requirements page for more information.
- Can I apply if I am under 18?
As long as you hold an offer for a UCL degree programme, you can apply to do a Pre-sessional course.
Undergraduate offer holders can only be considered for the online Standard Course. Please see our entry requirements page for further information.
- Can students with unconditional offers apply for the Pre-sessional course and do unconditional offer holders need to do all the Pre-sessional assessments?
Students with unconditional offers are not eligible for the Extended or Standard Pre-sessional courses in 2024.
We have introduced a new course for unconditional postgraduate offer holders starting at UCL in September 2024.
Any student whose offer becomes unconditional during the Extended or Standard Pre-sessional course will be expected to complete all assessments in order to successfully complete the course.
- Can I apply for two or more Pre-sessional courses at the same time?
Please note that we will only make one Pre-sessional offer per applicant in 2024, so please submit only one application.
Only your first application will be considered, and you may not receive a refund for other applications you make.
- Can I apply with two different degree offers?
If you have applied for two UCL degree programmes and one of them has a higher English language requirement, you should make sure the Pre-sessional course you apply for is long enough for you to meet the higher English language requirement.
- How and when will I know if I have a place on the course?
Once we have checked your application and made sure you’ve submitted all the information we need and you meet the entry requirements, we will email you a formal offer of a place on the course.
- Can I transfer/switch my offer of a place to a shorter course?
Once an offer has been made, we will not consider requests for students to switch to shorter courses.
- Can I switch between the face-to-face and online course of the same length?
We will consider requests to switch from the face-to-face to the online course of the same length, or vice versa, provided that:
- the request is received no later than the face-to-face course application deadline and
- there is space in the course that the applicant wishes to switch to.
- Can I ask for a refund after I have paid my Pre-sessional course fee?
Our refund policy is as follows:
Full refunds of course fee will be made in the event of a visa application refusal where a further visa application is not possible. Claims must be supported by a Refusal of Entry Clearance letter.
Other refund requests must be received by the refund request deadline on the course website to be considered and are subject to a 10% administration charge. Refund requests must be submitted by email to presess@ucl.ac.uk. You can check the deadline for refund request on the course webpage.
In 2024, the refund request deadlines for the Pre-sessional courses are the same as the application deadlines. Please note that because of the very tight schedule we have to adhere to, no refund requests received after the relevant deadlines will be considered.
Visas
- I am attending the face-to-face Pre-sessional, how do I get my CAS and when will I get it?
CLIE will issue CASs two to three months before your Pre-sessional course starts, or as soon as possible after that. You do not need to request a CAS – it will be sent to you automatically. The CAS is an electronic document and will be emailed to you from the course email address: presess@ucl.ac.uk
- Will my CAS cover both my Pre-sessional course and my main programme of study?
UCL can only issue CASs covering both the Pre-sessional course and the degree programme at UCL if the applicant already holds an unconditional offer for their degree course. Nearly all students attending the face-to-face and online Pre-sessionals will have conditional offers, so if you need a CAS it will almost certainly only cover the Pre-sessional course.
- When will I receive my CAS for my degree programme?
Once you have completed the Pre-sessional course, your results will be forwarded to Admissions at UCL and, if you have met the English language condition and any outstanding academic conditions, they will first change your offer to unconditional and will then issue a CAS covering your degree course. You should normally expect your CAS within one to two weeks of the Pre-sessional results being issued.