Entry Requirements

Entry requirements are listed under each course description and are generally given in terms of GSCE and A Levels. These are the UK standard qualifications that are awarded at the end of a student's time at school.

We are happy to consider qualifications from other countries for entry onto our courses and an assessment will be made of their equivalence to UK qualifications.

For example, students who have taken the West African Certificate of Education or the Senior School Certificate from such countries as Nigeria, The Gambia and Ghana will be considered to have GSCE A-C passes in all subjects where a score of 6 or more is awarded.

Qualifications at GCSE level will generally be acceptable for entry onto Further Education courses.

For Higher Education courses students will be expected to have qualifications to the equivalent of UK A'Levels.

In all cases students are asked to provide, with their Application Form, copies of certificates as evidence of their academic qualifications. Certificates that are in a language other than English must be given with certified translations.

The admissions officers at Colchester Institute will do a check on the UK equivalence and any offers made will be for the course at the most appropriate level.

For more information about UK equivalence please visit the UKNARIC website at www.naric.org.uk

English language ability

Students whose first language is not English need to provide evidence of their English language ability. This is a requirement for all students and provides an indication of a student's ability to succeed on a course. Colchester Institute requires an IELTS score, or equivalent, of:

IELTS 5.5 for Further Education courses

IELTS 6.0 for Higher Education courses

If your English is not currently at this level, and you are studying towards an IELTS score in your home country, then you may be made a conditional offer dependant on you achieving the required IELTS score before the start of your course.

If you are not studying English in your home country then you may wish to consider taking an English as a Foreign Language course (EFL) at Colchester Institute.

Click here to find out more about EFL at Colchester Institute