English for Academic Purposes Presessional

Presessional English courses

Start date
2020-21 entry: Please see course details
Duration
Between 6 and 41 weeks, please see course details
Course Type
Postgraduate, Presessional English, Undergraduate, Presessional English

Presessional English courses offered during term-time and the summer with flexible entry points. The length of course you attend will depend on your current level of English (English Language test score) and the requirements of your main University of Birmingham offer.

COVID-19

Please rest assured that we will make all reasonable efforts to provide you with the courses, services and facilities described. However, it may be necessary to make changes due to significant disruption, for example in response to COVID-19.

Information for future students and applicants

Special measures due to the COVID-19 outbreak

If you have applied, or intend to apply to our Pre-sessional English programmes please note that we have put in place more flexible arrangements due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Due to the impact of COVID-19 on test centres the following English language qualifications will also be accepted for Presessional English courses taken online or for when an integrated CAS can be issued for on-campus courses.

IELTS Academic (non-UKVI) qualifications can also be accepted in the same way.

  • TOEFL “At Home” Test
  • Duolingo English Test
  • Chinese College English Test (CET-6)

The CET-6 will be accepted in conjunction with a BIA Speaking test. At least a 6 week Presessional English course must be completed.

Updated 20 August 2020 - Due to the current global COVID-19 situation, our presessional English courses starting in October and November 2020 will be offered online during the autumn term. Campus-based courses will also start from November 2020. 

Autumn term Presessional English course dates:

  • 41 week – starts 5 October 2020 - ends 17 September 2021 - On line until December 2020, on campus from January 2021. This course is suitable for students with offers for main programmes starting in September 2021.
  • 31 week (STSV) – starts 5 October 2020 - ends 2 July 2021 - On line until December 2020, on campus from January 2021. This course is suitable for students with offers for main programmes starting in September 2021.
  • 21 week - starts 5 October 2020 - ends 26 March 2021 - On line until December 2020, on campus from January 2021. This course is suitable for students with offers for PhD study starting in April 2021.
  • 10 week – starts 5 October 2020 - ends 11 December 2020 - On line. This course is suitable for students with offers for main programmes starting in January 2021
  • 6 week - starts 2 November 2020 - ends 11 December 2020 - On line and on campus options offered. This course is suitable for students with offers for main programmes starting in January 2021. Our on-campus option will be delivered with a mixture of face-to-face classes and online classes and tasks.

Spring term Presessional English course dates:

  • 31 week – starts 11 January 2021- ends 17 September 2021 - On campus. This course is suitable for students with offers for main programmes starting in September 2021.
  • 21 week - starts 11 January 2021 - 2 July 2021 - On campus. This course is suitable for students with offers for main programmes starting in September 2021; short term study visa option available.
  • 11 week - starts 11 January 2021 - ends 26 March 2021- On campus. This course is suitable for students with offers for PhD study starting in April 2021

Summer term Presessional English course start dates will be released later in the year.

 Find the right length presessional course for you

 

Presessional English Pathways is for international students who hold a conditional offer to study at the University of Birmingham, but who do not currently meet the English language requirements. The Presessional English for Academic Purposes programme is tailored to your level of English and allows you to meet the English language requirements without retaking an English language test. These courses are suitable for: Undergraduate and Foundation students; Postgraduate students (taught and research); PhD students; and Study Abroad students.

Autumn term Presessionals are ideal for students holding offers for programmes with a January start option.  

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

I’d recommend taking a BIA programme rather than re-taking an IELTS test because the Presessional is more interesting. We had some fascinating discussions in class and there is no better way to improve your English fluency than exchanging points of view with people from different cultures."

Violaine Bucchiotty (France), International student studying at Birmingham International Academy

Why Study this Course?

The Presessional courses are designed to help you improve your English language and academic skills in a relatively short period of time, developing your accuracy and fluency in English for academic study. You will be taught by qualified tutors, experienced in teaching English for Academic Purposes.

Frequently Asked Questions for our Presessional English online courses

 

Coronavirus (COVID-19) latest updates and FAQs for future students and offer-holders

Visit our FAQs

Fees

Fees

You will need to pay the full balance of the course fee by the end of the first week of the course:

Fees by course length
Course lengthFees
41 weeks £15,375
31 weeks £11,625
21 weeks £7,875
20 weeks £7,500
15 weeks £5,625
11 weeks £4,125
10 weeks £3,750
6 weeks £2,250

 

How to pay these fees is detailed on the Methods of Payment for the Presessional English Courses page.

Cancellations and refunds: for details of the Presessional refund policy, please go to: www.birmingham.ac.uk/international/bia/presessional/refund-policy.aspx

Additional Course Costs

There are no additional course costs.

How To Apply

 

For Presessional English courses starting in the autumn term and spring term, application deadlines run one week prior to each on start date for online courses and 4 weeks prior to each course start date for campus-based courses.

Please note that the University reserves the right to close applications earlier in the event that the course is full.

Due to high demand for Presessional English courses you are advised to apply as early as possible.

Before applying please read the following:

Important information about presessional courses at the University of Birmingham

Apply now for our 41 and 31 week presessional courses

Apply now for our 21, 10 and 11 week presessional courses

Apply now for our 6 week presessional course

When clicking on one of the Apply Now buttons above you will be directed to an application specifically designed for the programme you wish to apply for where you can create an account with the University application system and submit your application and supporting documents online. 

If you have any queries please contact: presessional@contacts.bham.ac.uk


Entry requirements

You must have a conditional offer for a course (undergraduate or postgraduate) at the University of Birmingham.

The minimum English Language score you need for this course depends on the required English Language score for the degree or course you wish to study next. If you have an offer letter from the University of Birmingham, it will tell you the required English Language test score for your chosen course.  This is usually a test score for IELTS (UKVI), TOEFL or Pearsons Academic.

Due to the impact of COVID-19 on test centres the following English language qualifications will also be accepted for Presessional English courses taken online or for when an integrated CAS can be issued for on-campus courses.

IELTS Academic (non-UKVI) qualifications can also be accepted in the same way.

  • TOEFL “At Home” Test
  • Duolingo English Test
  • Chinese College English Test (CET-6)

The CET-6 will be accepted in conjunction with a BIA Speaking test. At least a 6 week Presessional English programme must be completed.

 

Find the right length presessional course for you

 

Please note that in order to meet UKVI entry requirements all Presessional applicants for our campus based courses (10 and 6-week) who need a Student Routevisa must provide a valid official Secure English Language Test (SELT) certificate, attaining at least a B1 level of English in all skills.

Due to the current global COVID-19 situation, our presessional English courses starting in October and November 2020 will be offered online during the autumn term. Campus-based courses will also start from November 2020.  Campus-based courses starting in the autumn term will be delivered with a mixture of face-to-face classes and online classes and tasks.

You can be assured that our Presessional English online programme will be run to the same high standard as our campus-based programme. The courses are designed to help you 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.

  • They will include 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 will be fully supported throughout your course and will receive regular 1-1 tutorials by video to discuss your progress and answer any questions.
  • You will be assessed using a mixture of coursework and online tests.
  • Timetabled sessions will take into account the needs of students studying in different time zones.

 

Student views

Jia Sue (China)

"I developed my skills and learned how to write and reference a good essay, how to summarise and paraphrase ideas and how to collect information for an essay. It was all extremely useful for my current studies. The people on my course who had not done this Presessional found it more difficult so I would recommend doing a Presessional course instead of re-taking IELTS."

Contact Hours

Typical timetable

Timetabled sessions for online courses will take into account the needs of students studying in different time zones.

Live online classes will take place on Zoom scheduled between the hours of 8.00 a.m. and 2.00 p.m. GMT. Online live classes will be scheduled for a minimum of 15 hours per week in groups of no more than 16 students with additional 1-1 tutorials. Students will also undertake pre- and post-class activities and complete coursework amounting to approximately 10 hours per week.

We will deliver a 6-week Presessional English couse on-campus option in the autumn term, starting 2 November 2020. This will be a mixture of face-to-face classes and online classes and tasks. There will be 5 hours of class contact per week face-to-face with 10 hours of online classes plus face-to-face 1-1 tutorials weekly.

There is no teaching on Saturday or Sunday. There is a one week teaching break between 5 to 9 July 2021. 

The University closes for 15 days in each academic year, from 1 October to the following 30 September. Eight of these days are public holidays: Christmas Day, Boxing Day, and New Year's Day holidays; Good Friday and Easter Monday; May Day; Whit Monday; August Bank holiday Monday.

For all bank holidays and University-closed days please click here. 

Assessment Methods

Course assessment

This content is currently being updated.

Progression

The requirements for successful completion of your English presessional programme are:

  • The achievement of the appropriate final mark for all assessed work (examinations and assessed coursework)
  • A minimum of 90% attendance
  • Meet the appropriate Contact Points (a UKVI regulation) for your course - applicable to campus-based courses only
  • Fulfilment of the university requirements for reasonable diligence

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Our unique careers guidance service is tailored to your academic subject area, offering a specialised team (in each of the five academic colleges) who can give you expert advice. Our team source exclusive work experience opportunities to help you stand out amongst the competition, with mentoring, global internships and placements available to you. Once you have a career in your sights, one-to-one support with CV’s and job applications will help give you the edge. In addition, our employer-endorsed award-winning Personal Skills Award (PSA) recognises your extra-curricular activities, and provides an accredited employability programme designed to improve your career prospects.

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