Santander | British Council Online English Course 2025
Banco Santander and the British Council are launching the third call of the Santander | British Council Online English Course 2025, with 10,000 fully funded scholarships to study English online.
Applications for 2025/26 are closed.
If you are looking to strengthen your English, Santander Bank and the British Council are offering 10,000 places on an online English course, so that you can do so from home and at your own pace.
A range of levels is offered, from A1 to C1 .
Phase 1 of the course lasts 8 weeks (12 January - 8 March 2026).
Plus, if you are one of the 1,500 best-performing students in Phase 1, you will get an additional 20 weeks of training with live classes with teachers (starting 16 March 2026).
- 100% online and free of charge
- Flexible learning
- Content focused on social and professional English, grammar and pronunciation
- An opportunity to enhance your academic and career prospects
Learn more about this opportunity.
Santander | British Council Online English Course 2025 contact details
British Council
Santanderopenacademy@britishcouncil.org
Eligibility
Open to students from Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Germany, Mexico, Peru, Portugal, Poland, Spain, UK, US and Uruguay.
You should be a national or resident of Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Germany, Mexico, Peru, Portugal, Poland, Spain, UK, US, or Uruguay.
You must be 18+ at the time of registration. Applications are open to anyone of that age and above residing in the countries mentioned.
You don't need to have a university degree or be a Santander customer to apply.
You will need good internet facilities and a computer to complete the course. (Although it is possible to access on a mobile phone or iPad, it is recommended to use a computer).
How to apply
Application deadline: Tuesday 2 December 2025, 11.59pm GMT
The results will be emailed to all applicants (successful or unsuccessful) from 10 December 2025. Students will only have a few days to accept the place. If not accepted, will be awarded to another student on the waiting list. It is very important to regularly check your email from 10 December onwards.
How we allocate
Selection criteria for Phase 1:
- Compliance with the eligibility criteria
- Students with the best results from the assessment test (*) will be selected. This is not an English level assessment.
*Selection is based on the tests that you do, called psychometrics. These provide an objective, standardised, and resource effective method of assessment. These assessments have been designed by a company specialized in this area, and in line with best practice, meeting the standards set by the British Psychological Society and the European Federation of Psychologists Association.
We recommend that you take the test in your native language.
Selection criteria for Phase 2:
The British Council will consider the following performance indicators (in this order of importance):
- Progress made (total online exercises completed) during phase 1
- Dates and time of completion of the online exercise lessons
- Grades on online exercises
- Number of Live 25s attended