Dubai Presessional English courses: frequently asked questions

You can choose to study a Presessional English course online via our Virtual Learning Platform (Canvas). We run courses throughout the summer. 

We offer two online courses: the Presessional English 10-week online course and the Presessional English 6-week online course. 

For more details about the courses, when they run and how to apply, visit our Dubai Presessional English course page.

Vist our Presessional English course page

Our course dates and last application dates can be found on our Dubai Presessional English course page. 

Please note that the University reserves the right to close applications early if courses are full. 

If you decide to withdraw your application, you will be entitled to a refund if you cancel within 14 days of accepting your offer.

Visit our Presessional English course page to apply

If you are 16 years or older and meet our entry requirements, you can apply for the Presessional English course. 

All tuition fees should be paid before the start of the course. 

Information on how to pay your fees can be found on the Dubai Presessional English course page.

Visit our Presessional English course page

If an organisation is paying some or all your tuition fees, please email a copy of your course specific sponsorship letter to: psfees@contacts.bham.ac.uk 

Your sponsor will receive an invoice for payment. 

You do not need a sponsorship letter if:

• Your course is being paid for by a family member or friend
• You are paying for your course with a bank loan 

If we do not receive payment from your financial sponsor, you will be liable for payment of the tuition fees.

Canvas is the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) used at University of Birmingham. You can use Canvas to do the following:

• Access your course materials online 24/7
• Submit assignments
• Access grades and feedback
• Find lecture recordings
• Access multimedia content and resources for learning outside of the lecture
• Discuss and share ideas

The Presessional English Online course is usually taught from 9am to 1pm BST (British Summer Time) Monday to Friday using Zoom.

You will be assessed using a mixture of coursework and online tests. All your assessments will be completed using Canvas. Some assessments will be completed throughout the course and others at the end. You will be given more information on this as the course progresses.

You can be assured that all online courses are run to the same high standard as our campus-based courses. The courses are designed to develop your English language and academic skills in preparation for your studies at the University of Birmingham. They are produced by our own academic staff at the University and are delivered using our own virtual learning environment (Canvas VLE) as well as by video conference using Zoom.

• The course includes a mixture of interactive, class-based discussion and listening tasks set by your dedicated class tutor, as well as guided reading and written tasks with feedback to develop your skills.
• You are fully supported throughout your course and will receive regular 1-1 tutorials by video to discuss your progress and answer any questions.
• You are assessed using a mixture of coursework and online tests.
• Timetabled sessions consider the needs of students studying in different time zones.
• Many classes are live streamed and recorded. We will make these classes available for you to view.
• There are pre-class and post-class activities that you will need to complete before and/or after your lessons

Find your Presessional English course 

You will need access to a computer with administrator rights to install software that meets the following:  

• Windows 11 or 10 (includes x86 32 and 64bit processors and ARM 64bit processors using x86 emulation) - not Windows SE and not Windows S mode.
• Apple Mac: macOS 10.15 to 14.0+.
• ChromeOS: Updated to most recent stable version available via Google’s ChromeOS channel
•  iPadOS: 12.0+ (iPad only) - external keyboard recommended with iPads.

For distance learning students:

• Ensure that you can participate in the live sessions. You will need a minimum of 2 Mbits/sec bandwidth, please check your internet speed and bandwidth: you can use online tools for this or contact your provider.
• You will also need a microphone and speakers: most computers have these built in. However, we recommend that you use a separate headphone with a built in microphone that has a USB connection.

We do not recommend using smartphones for taking part in classes. 

If you have a slow internet connection check with your provider to see if they can increase your bandwidth. Make sure you switch off all other internet dependent devices, you do not have any applications running on your computer use the webcam only when necessary.

Timetabled sessions will take into account the needs of students studying in different time zones. Live online teaching takes place on Zoom and is scheduled between 08:00 and 14:00 GMT. Recordings can be accessed on Canvas. Live classes are of 45 minutes duration with 18 sessions per week (13.5 hours total weekly). Up to 20 hours per week should be allowed for completion of all pre and post-class activities and coursework. 

An interactive classroom atmosphere will be maintained as we will be using live streaming for many sessions.

As a pre-sessional student studying remotely, you will be part of our online student community, and will be able to attend our online social activities.

If you retake IELTS and meet your language requirements, admissions are not guaranteed to give you an unconditional offer. 

You should remain on your Presessional English course. 

Even if you withdraw, you will still be liable to pay your full fees.