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Our Pre-sessional English Courses for Postgraduates improve your research skills and academic language skills to enable you to succeed in your future UCL degree.
They are available to study face-to-face or online and suitable if you hold a conditional UCL postgraduate degree offer.
The courses satisfy Levels 1-5 of UCL’s English language requirement. You can check the English language requirement of your future degree on your offer letter.
They are full-time and intensive and you must be fully available for the duration of the course. They are not compatible with working, studying other courses, or completing internships at the same time.
You must have finished your undergraduate degree course before your Pre-sessional course start date.
Courses, dates and duration
The course dates for 2025 entry are:
| Course | Start date | End date | Results day |
|---|---|---|---|
| Extended course | Monday 9 June | Monday 18 August | Thursday 28 August |
| Standard course | Monday 30 June | Monday 18 August | Thursday 28 August |
As a guide:
- the Extended course will involve nine weeks of teaching and up to one week of assessment
- the Standard course will involve six weeks of teaching and up to one week of assessment.
You must complete enrolment before or on the course start date, so that you can attend your first week's scheduled teaching events. You will be sent further information on enrolment during the application process.
If you either don’t complete enrolment or do not attend scheduled teaching events within the first five days, you will be withdrawn from the course.
IOE offer holders must take the IOE Preparation for Academic Studies in Higher Education course and cannot apply to these Pre-sessional English courses.
What will you learn?
On the course, you will conduct a research project related to your future degree using UCL Library tools, read and understand complex academic texts, produce academic writing, watch authentic lectures and contribute to seminar discussions.
In the lessons, you will work and collaborate with other pre-postgraduate students and your tutor to develop your understanding of academic English and improve your academic skills.
You will complete a variety of formative tasks and receive regular feedback from your tutor.
You will also participate in regular individual or group tutorials with your tutor.
Choosing between the face-to-face and online courses
You can choose to study the courses face-to-face or online.
Face-to-face course
If you choose to study face-to-face, you will have your lessons on UCL's main campus in Bloomsbury, central London.
The face-to-face course has been specially designed with activities and tasks that maximise the benefits of in-person study.
You will also experience the benefits of interacting in person with your tutor and other students in a UCL classroom.
Studying in London and on the UCL campus, you will have the opportunity to familiarise yourself with the city and campus (including access to UCL’s libraries and other facilities) before you begin your degree.
This means that you will have many more opportunities to practice and improve your English, both inside and outside the classroom.
Students who studied the face-to-face course in 2024 said the advantages included:
- Face-to-face communication
- Adjusting to and enjoying life in London
- Getting to know the UCL campus and its facilities
- Opportunities to practise English outside of the classroom
- More opportunities to communicate with their classmates and tutor
- Fewer technical issues.
What will my day look like?
On the face-to-face course, you will begin each day by participating in a three-hour class with your tutor and up to 15 students.
In the afternoons, you will conduct independent research for your project, as well as doing essential tasks to prepare for the following day’s lesson (for example, watching a lecture, reading a text, or writing an essay plan).
Online course
If you choose to study online, you will be taught remotely via UCL’s online platforms (such as Microsoft Teams).
The online course has been specially designed with activities and tasks that maximise the benefits of remote study.
You will be able to access all the UCL resources you need remotely, including the UCL Library catalogue. You will also have the benefit of being in your home country while studying, but this means you will need to motivate yourself to improve your English while you are not in class.
We recommend you choose to study online if it might be difficult for you to:
- book an accepted English language test (see entry requirements)
- obtain a visa in time for the course start date.
Students who studied the online course in 2024, said the advantages included:
- Rewatching recorded classes
- Saving money on rent and flights
- Being able to study anywhere
- Saving time on travelling to classes
- Support from family and friends when studying at home.
What will my day look like?
On the online course, you will begin every day by conducting independent research for your project, as well as doing essential tasks to prepare for that day’s lesson (for example, watching a lecture, reading a text, or writing an essay plan).
Then, you will participate in lessons with your tutor in a class of up to 15 students.
The online courses operate during standard UCL working hours, and the teaching and assessment schedule is fixed and cannot be changed. Please check the sample timetable.
Technical requirements for Pre-sessional courses
You must have a laptop to access electronic materials and engage in your lessons.
Please note the following minimum technical requirements for the Pre-sessional courses:
- a modern laptop (mobile devices such as tablets or phones are not appropriate)
- a headset or headphones (highly recommended) or functioning speakers and a microphone
- a working webcam
- Chrome and Firefox installed
- an internet connection with at least 40 MB/s download and 10 MB/s upload speeds.
Additionally, based on feedback from students studying online in 2024, we highly recommend the following for online students:
- a second/external monitor
- an external mouse and/or keyboard
- a wired ethernet connection
- a computer with an Intel i5 / M1 or equivalent processor and at least 16GB RAM
- broadband internet with at least 80 MB/s download and 20MB/s upload speeds.
We’ll provide training on how to use UCL’s online platforms (e.g. Microsoft Teams) at the start of the course. Technical support will be available during normal UK office hours (9am-5pm, Monday – Friday).
Timetable
The courses are full-time and intensive and cannot be combined with other study, employment or internships.
Your tutors
Your tutors will be introduced to you at the beginning of the course. They are approachable and dedicated Associate Lecturers and will prepare you for your studies at UCL.
Additionally, the Senior Team will also support you while you’re on the course and you can read more about them by following the link below.
Assessment
The assessment methods are the same for both the face-to-face and online courses.
To assess your skills in reading, writing, speaking and listening, you will be required to:
- engage with different tasks as part of an individual research project
- take two exams.
The assessments are covered in greater detail below.
As a conditional postgraduate degree offer holder, you must achieve a UCL English level 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 to meet the English-language requirement stated in your degree offer letter to progress to your chosen UCL degree.
All students enrolled on the course are required to complete all assessments.
Reading and Writing: Research Essay
You will produce an essay based on independent library research.
This essay will be based on a topic related to your future academic discipline, and you will receive support in finding and evaluating academic texts that you will use to construct the argument in your essay.
You will be required to provide evidence of your reading during the research process.
Speaking: Question and Answer Exam
You will attend a Question-and-Answer Exam based on your essay in which you will have the opportunity to explain and clarify aspects of your work.
Listening: Seminar Exam
You will participate in a small-group discussion based on the content of a lecture.
You will be assessed on your ability to understand the other students and to respond appropriately during the discussion.
Fees
The fees are:
- Extended: £8,075
- Standard: £7,450
See the how to apply page for further information on when and how you need to pay your course fee.