Year-round pre-sessional English courses

Course overview

• Target audience: Anyone preparing to study a degree at The University of Sheffield.
• Duration: Year-round delivery across four terms (up to 40 teaching weeks per year).
• Start dates: Join at the beginning of any term (Term 1: October, Term 2: January, Term 3: April).
• Weekly hours: 16.5 hours of tutor-led classes (15 hours in Term 4), a 1-to-1 tutorial, and at least 5 hours of guided independent study.
• Tuition fee: £525 per week for courses beginning between April 2026 and October 2026 - includes all tuition and course material.
• Level & class size: CEFR B1 to C1. Maximum 16 students per class (Terms 1–3) or 18 students (Term 4).
• Study format: Available on-campus or fully online. Minimum age is 18 (exceptions considered subject to guardianship arrangements).
• Apply: Apply Now

Our highly qualified and experienced tutors will also support you with improving your English language and academic study skills in lively and interactive classes, which will help you succeed when you join your degree programme.

The course can also help you settle into life as a student in the UK, even if you’ve already met the English language requirements for your prospective degree programme.

Course structure and study plan

Our year-round pre-sessional English courses build your basic language skills gradually before expanding into academic preparation. Your entry level determines how many terms you study (up to 4 terms / 40 weeks for students up to 2.0 IELTS bands away from degree requirements). If you have a lower level of English you may need to join one of our longer pre-sessional courses. 

• Term 1 (University English): Focuses on General Language Development within a university context for students with lower starting English levels, alongside a Basic Academic English module.
• Term 2 (EAP Option): Continues language development with an increased focus on academic tasks like essay writing, presentations, and seminars.
• Term 3 (EAP Higher): Expands on academic skills and continues broadening your range of language abilities.
• Term 4 (EAP Final): Focuses entirely on academic literacy and final course assessments across all four skills.
• Academic & spoken focus: Covers academic writing (paraphrasing, summarising, synthesis) and spoken communication (presentations, seminars). Undergraduate preparation includes an additional focus on reading skills.

Assessment and degree progression

To progress to your degree at the University of Sheffield, you must complete and pass he pre-sessional course assessments. These evaluate your reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills through integrated tasks (such as essays, seminars, and presentations).

Progression to university also depends on:

• Attendance of teacher-led lessons
• Engagement with your personal tutor
• Completion of set tasks and assessments

Please note: Results from our pre-sessional courses are valid for two years and are only accepted by the University of Sheffield. They can be used for entry onto a degree course at the start of the academic year immediately following Term 3 and 4, or the following academic year should you choose to defer the start date of your degree course. 

Example timetable

Monday to Friday - daily schedule:

• 9.30am - 11am: Lesson 1
• 11.30am - 1pm: Lesson 2

Please note these are example times and may be subject to change before or during the course. All times are UK local time (GMT/BST)

1-to-1 tutorials

You will have a personal tutor assigned to you in each term. You will meet them regularly to discuss your work and progress on the course. These tutorials will typically take place at a time between 2pm and 3pm.

Guided independent study

There will typically be 60 minutes per day of required guided independent study, including readings, lectures, language practice activities, writing tasks and preparation for speaking tasks.

Student benefits and campus access

As a year-round pre-sessional English student, you'll receive:

• Access to 24-hour Library and Computing facilities at the University.
• A University UCard for facility access and local travel/shop discounts.
• Membership to the University of Sheffield Students' Union.
• ELTC Exclusive Social Programme, including educational visits to nearby cities, museums, and historical sites (Available for Terms 1 to 3).

Fees, accommodation and travel

For pre-sessional courses starting between April 2026 and October 2026 the tuition fee is £525 per week.

This fee includes:

• All tuition and course materials
• Course assessments
• Regular 1 to 1 tutorials with your personal tutor
• Individual feedback
• Lectures by University of Sheffield academic staff
• Access to online course materials and virtual learning environment

Payment methods

Detailed guidance on how to make payments or process sponsored funding is available on our how to pay your ELTC tuition fee page. We can also accept payments from sponsors.

Tuition fees for sponsored students

Accommodation

Tuition fees do not cover housing or transport. Options and guidance are available on our accommodation and travel information webpage.

Entry requirements and length of study

The course lengths depends on your starting English level and your target degree requirements. 

Long courses (Up to 40 weeks / 4 Terms): Suitable for students up to 2.0 IELTS bands below degree entry requirements (e.g. a student with IELTS 5.0 overall, with at least 4.0 in every component who needs to reach IELTS 7.0 overall, with at least 6.0 in every component).

If you join one of our longer Pre-sessional courses you may initially be placed into a General English class to help you reach an appropriate ability level for Academic English study.

As your language skills improve you will be able to progress into an Academic English class later in your Pre-sessional course.

Degree offer requirements

• Courses 28 weeks or longer: Do not require a conditional degree offer prior to application to the pre-sessional English course.
• Courses under 28 weeks: Require an accepted conditional offer for a degree programme at the University of Sheffield before we can make you an offer for our pre-sessional English course.

Entry requirements

Please select your preferred start date below to view the entry requirements, fees and dates for the various Pre-sessional English courses starting in that period:

• Term 1 - October 2026
• Term 2 - January 2027
• Term 3 - April 2027

Visas and UKVI SELT requirements

SELT evidence
Applicants generally require a UKVI-approved Secure English Language Test (SELT) to join a pre-sessional English course. (e.g., IELTS for UKVI at CEFR B1 / 4.0 minimum in all components) to secure a Student Visa. 

If you plan on joining a course at a British University after finishing your Pre-sessional Course then you will need to submit an UKVI Approved Secure English Language Test (SELT) result, such as IELTS for UKVI, as evidence of your English level when submitting your application. A UKVI SELT at CEFR Level B1 or above (which is equal to an IELTS score of 4.0 in every component - Reading, Writing, Speaking, Listening and Overall) is required to apply for a Student Visa for an English language course.

Combined CAS
Eligible postgraduate applicants taking qualifying in-person courses (such as 10- or 6-week options) may be issued a single Combined CAS, allowing one visa for both the Pre-sessional course and degree programme.

For more information please read the the University's main combined CAS information webpage.

Alternative routes
If you are unable to obtain an UKVI approved SELT certificate, you can join our online Pre-sessional courses or you may still be able to join our University English (General English) course on a Short Term Student Visa (if your course is over 6 months but less than 11 months) or a Visitor Visa (if your course is less than 6 months). Please contact us or visit our University English webpage for more information.

How to apply and technical requirements

To apply for a pre-sessional course you need to submit your application through our online form. Before submitting your application please read and take note of the following information:

Deadlines
We recommend applying at least six weeks before the start of the course to allow for visa processing. The final application deadline for in-person study is one month before the course start date. 

Technical requirements
Online students require a desktop or laptop computer with a webcam, microphone, and broadband internet connection (minimum 5 Mbps recommended) to access Blackboard Collaborate. Equipment is not provided.

Applicants under 18
The standard minimum age for our pre-sessional courses is 18. Applicants under 18 are considered on an individual basis subject to approved guardianship arrangements. View our Under 18s Policy for details.

Further application guidance

You can find further information about how to complete an application to a Pre-sessional English course on our how to apply webpage:

Apply Now - Pre-sessional English

Please read our Terms and Conditions before submitting your application.

For more information on how we hold and process your personal data, please see the University's Privacy Notice for prospective, current and former students.