Pre-sessional English language courses 2024/25 entry
We offer a range of pre-sessional academic English courses for international students.
Please note our summer 2023 pre-sessionals are now closed. Applications for summer 2024 will open in the Autumn term.
Our pre-sessional programmes focus on developing your academic skills and English. The skills that you learn on these programmes will help you to establish a good foundation for your degree programme, as well as settle you into the University of York so that you are ready to get the most out of your degree programme from the moment you start it.
These courses are for any international students who either need to meet language criteria for their degree, or who have already met their language requirements and would like to better prepare themselves for their degree programme. Our courses are available both online and in-person.
Need to meet language entry criteria?
International students who need to meet language requirements can come on one of our 16, 12 or 6-week programmes, which are streamed depending on your future degree programme into:
- Arts, Humanities and Postgraduate Language Teaching
- Postgraduate Management
- Social Sciences
- Science, Engineering and Maths.
Have an unconditional offer?
International students who have met their language requirements and would like to better prepare themselves for academic study, as well as settle into the University before their degree programme starts, can come on our 4-week pre-sessional for unconditional offer holders.
How to apply
Applications for our pre-sessionals can be made through your You@York portal once you have an offer for a degree programme.
Online pre-sessional courses
Meet your English language requirements from the comfort of your own home. You can study any of our pre-sessionals online as long as you have a laptop or computer with a good internet connection and a quiet place to study.
On-campus pre-sessional courses
You can complete our pre-sessional courses on our beautiful green campus, here in York.
Applicants that have not applied to study at York
Our pre-sessional courses are also open to applicants who have applied to degree courses at other UK universities or have not yet applied for a degree course.
If you have applied to another university, you will need to check with them to see if they will accept our pre-sessional course as a way of meeting their English language entry requirements.