Entry requirements
Before you apply for the Birmingham International Summer School, please check our general entry requirements. Also, ensure you read the academic entry requirements for any programme-specific requirements.
You must
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Be studying an undergraduate programme at a university outside the UK or be registered as an international student at a UK university.
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Be aged 18 years or over at the start of the programme.
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Demonstrate a suitable level of English proficiency. Please refer to the information below.
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Demonstrate relevant academic-specific requirements. Please check below for further information.
English language requirements
English language requirements
Please demonstrate a suitable level of English proficiency. For this programme, we require one of the following:
IELTS 5.5 overall with no less than 5.5 in each band
TOEFL IBT 72 overall with a minimum of 18 in listening, 18 in reading, 20 in speaking and 17 in writing.*
Pearson Test of English (PTE) 59 with no less than 59 in all four skills.
Language Cert Academic 60 in all skills
Alternative English language qualifications may also be accepted.
- For TOEFL tests taken from January 2026, there will be a requirement of 4 in all skills.
Alternative English language qualifications
| Qualification | Minimum grade requirement |
| GSCE English (or Edexcel IGCSE English) | Grade C |
| GCE O Level English | Grade C |
| Cambridge International Examinations (CIE) IGCSE English: First Language | Grade C |
| Cambridge International Examinations (CIE) IGCSE English: Second Language | Grade C |
| International Baccalaureate English: Standard/Higher Level, First/Second Language | Grade 5 |
| ESOL Cambridge Certificate in Advanced English (CAE) / C1 Advanced | 169 with no less than 162 in any component |
| CET Level 4 | Grade 530 |
| CET Level 6 | Grade 500 |
| TEM Level 4 | Grade 60 |
| HKDSE | Level 3 with a minimum of 3 in each band |
For more information about English language requirements, please contact the BISS team.
Academic requirements
Academic requirements
To be accepted onto the following BISS programmes, students must demonstrate relevant subject background as detailed below with a transcript in English:
Biomedical Science, Clinical Care, and Population Health
Students must demonstrate relevant subject background in any of the areas: Biomedical Science, Clinical Care, and Population Health, Medicine, Dentistry, and Nursing. Academic backgrounds in biosciences, biochemistry, bioengineering, public health, pharmaceuticals and medicine will be considered.
Data Science in Economics and Business
International students aged 18+ with English proficiency (minimum B2) and some prior coding experience in at least one programming language (for example, R, Python, MATLAB, Julia, C++, C, C#, Java, Fortran, Stata). Students must bring their own laptops with R pre-installed.