ANU English Language Requirements: Which Test, What Score, and How the Postgraduate Course Differs

How ANU frames the requirement

ANU treats English proficiency as an entry condition and separates the requirements for undergraduate programs, postgraduate coursework and higher degree by research. The policy applies to all programs, but its English requirements apply only to entry to the University.

The undergraduate band covers the Diploma at AQF Level 5, the Advanced Diploma or Associate Degree at AQF Level 6, the Bachelor Degree at AQF Level 7 and the Bachelor Honours Degree at AQF Level 8. Postgraduate coursework has its own baseline and higher bands. A test recognised in one part of the policy is not necessarily accepted for every postgraduate band.

Accepted tests and excluded forms

ANU recognises IELTS Academic, including One Skill Retake, and IELTS UKVI Academic; TOEFL iBT, excluding the Home Edition; PTE Academic and PTE Academic UKVI, excluding PTE Academic Online; Cambridge C1 Advanced; the Michigan English Test; and LanguageCert Academic. The postgraduate coursework table also expressly names the TOEFL iBT Paper Edition.

The form of the result matters. IELTS results must be completed at an IELTS testing centre, and online IELTS results are not accepted. PTE Academic Online is excluded. The TOEFL iBT Home Edition is excluded, while the Paper Edition is named as a postgraduate option. More generally, results from any “at home” or remote test version are not accepted: tests must have been taken in person at an official test centre unless Table 2 specifies otherwise. The evidence names no separate online variant for the Cambridge C1 Advanced, Michigan English Test or LanguageCert Academic, but the general prohibition on remote results still applies.

If TOEFL iBT is completed on or after 21 January 2026, ANU accepts only TOEFL iBT Australia, reported on an overall scale of 0 to 120. Recognition of a test therefore does not remove the need to check its precise version.

Undergraduate minimum scores

For IELTS Academic—including One Skill Retake—and IELTS UKVI Academic, the undergraduate minimum is an overall score of 6.5, with Reading 6.0, Writing 6.0, Listening 6.0 and Speaking 6.0.

For study commencing prior to 1 January 2027, TOEFL iBT requires an overall score of 80, Reading 20, Writing 20, Listening 18 and Speaking 18. For study commencing on or after 1 January 2027, TOEFL iBT Australia requires an overall score of 81, Reading 16, Writing 19, Listening 16 and Speaking 19. The TOEFL institutional code for ANU is 0506.

For PTE Academic and PTE Academic UKVI, study commencing prior to 1 January 2027 requires an overall score of 64, with Reading 55, Writing 55, Listening 55 and Speaking 55. For study commencing on or after 1 January 2027, the overall score remains 64, while Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking each rise to 60.

For study commencing prior to 1 January 2027, Cambridge C1 Advanced requires an overall score of 176, with Reading 169, Writing 169, Listening 169, Speaking 169 and Use of English 169. For study commencing on or after 1 January 2027, Cambridge C1 Advanced requires an overall score of 169, Reading 163, Writing 170, Listening 163 and Speaking 179. The later score set does not list Use of English.

The Michigan English Test requires an overall score of 58, with Reading 55, Writing 57, Listening 56 and Speaking 48. LanguageCert Academic requires an overall score of 67, with Reading 60, Writing 64, Listening 57 and Speaking 70.

Postgraduate coursework bands

The postgraduate coursework table does more than repeat the undergraduate minimum. It sets a baseline band and two higher bands for several tests. The dated TOEFL and PTE baselines supplied in the policy are for study commencing prior to 1 January 2027. Separate post-1 January 2027 postgraduate coursework thresholds are not stated in the available table, so the changed undergraduate scores above should not be carried across.

IELTS

For IELTS Academic, excluding One Skill Retake, the baseline is an overall score of 6.5, with Reading 6.0, Writing 6.0, Speaking 6.0 and Listening 6.0. This is the same score pattern as the undergraduate minimum.

The first higher band requires an overall score of 7.0 while retaining component minima of 6.0 in Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening. The highest band requires an overall score of 7.0 and a score of 7.0 in every component. Thus, the first higher IELTS band raises the overall requirement without raising its component floor; the highest band raises both.

IELTS Academic One Skill Retake has a baseline overall requirement of 6.5, but it is marked “Not accepted” for both higher coursework bands. IELTS UKVI Academic likewise has a baseline overall requirement of 6.5 and is not accepted for either higher band.

The highest IELTS band has one explicit two-sitting rule. A minimum of 7.0 in every component may be met across two test sittings within a six-month period only if the overall score is 7.0 in both sittings and no component score is below 6.5 in either sitting. This permits two sittings within the IELTS requirement; it does not permit scores from different tests to be combined.

TOEFL

For study commencing prior to 1 January 2027, both the TOEFL iBT Paper Edition and TOEFL iBT excluding the Home Edition have a postgraduate baseline of overall 80, Reading 20, Writing 20, Listening 18 and Speaking 18.

The first higher band requires an overall score of 100, with Reading 22, Writing 22, Listening 22 and Speaking 22. The highest band also requires an overall score of 100, but its component requirements rise to Reading 24, Writing 27, Listening 24 and Speaking 23.

PTE

For study commencing prior to 1 January 2027, the PTE Academic baseline is an overall score of 64, with Reading 55, Writing 55, Listening 55 and Speaking 55. The first higher band requires an overall score of 70 and 65 in each communicative skill: Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking. The highest band requires an overall score of 70 and 70 in each of those four skills.

A separate PTE Academic UKVI row gives an overall score of 64, with 60 in Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking. The evidence does not provide higher coursework thresholds for PTE Academic UKVI, so that baseline score should not be treated as establishing eligibility for either higher band. PTE Academic Online remains excluded.

Other named tests

Cambridge C1 Advanced is not accepted for any postgraduate coursework band, despite having undergraduate score requirements. Its 2027 score change therefore does not create a postgraduate coursework alternative.

The Michigan English Test has a postgraduate baseline of overall 58, Reading 55, Writing 57, Listening 56 and Speaking 48. LanguageCert Academic has a postgraduate baseline of overall 67, Reading 60, Writing 64, Listening 57 and Speaking 70. The policy supplies no higher coursework score rows for either test, and both are expressly not accepted for higher degree by research. Their baseline scores therefore do not establish that they can satisfy the higher coursework bands.

Result validity and combining evidence

A qualifying English test must normally be taken within two years from the date of application. A result may be within four years of application where the student has subsequently completed the equivalent of one year of full-time education in English within the last two years.

ANU uses the most recent evidence of English proficiency unless the policy specifies otherwise. Results from multiple tests cannot be combined to meet a requirement unless Table 2 expressly permits it. The IELTS two-sitting provision is a specified exception involving two sittings of the same test, not authority to combine IELTS with TOEFL, PTE or another accepted test.

The University also reserves the right to request an English test in addition to any other evidence of proficiency supplied. The policy states that there are no waivers from its English requirements.

Conditional offers and visa requirements

An applicant who has not yet met every requirement, including ANU’s English requirement, may be considered for a conditional offer. An applicant applying directly to ANU may receive an offer conditional upon fulfilling specified academic or English language requirements. A conditional offer postpones satisfaction of the relevant condition; it does not remove the entry requirement, and the policy provides no waivers.

For international applicants, satisfying ANU’s admission requirement is only part of the process. They must also satisfy the Department of Home Affairs English language requirements for visa applications. Those visa requirements are separate from, and additional to, ANU’s admission requirements. Separately, all applicants must be assessed as Genuine Students before receiving a Confirmation of Enrolment.

The post-entry language assessment

From 1 January 2027, students admitted to ANU will undertake a post-entry language assessment, or PELA. It is expected to take place during orientation before a student’s first classes.

The PELA is intended to identify a potential risk indicator for academic progress and provide early intervention, guide students to appropriate English language support provided by ANU, and enable internal calibration and quality assurance for ANU’s English language admission requirements.

Its role is post-entry. The PELA has no impact on the admission decision and is not a substitute for the English evidence required for entry.

What to check before you apply

Re-read ANU’s official English Language Requirements page and Policy ANUP_000408: English language admission requirements and post-admission support for the precise test version, commencement date and applicable course band. Check ANU’s International applications / Assessment page for the status of any English condition, and consult the Department of Home Affairs English language visa requirements separately. Because several thresholds are intake-specific, the published policy should be checked again for the intended intake rather than relying on an earlier score table.