Application and Admissions FAQs

How should students apply for a Pre-Sessional English course?

Students should apply online through Universal Admissions and once they have received an offer for their main degree, their application will be processed by the Warwick Foundation Studies Admissions team. 

Applications for the Pre-Sessional courses opened on the 31 January 2023. Links to apply are available on the course pages linked above.

What is the deadline for applications? 

• 10-week Postgraduate Course: Monday 12 June 2023 
  
• 6-week Postgraduate/Undergraduate Online Courses (including WMG): Wednesday 26 June 2023
• 6-week Postgraduate Face-to-Face Courses (including WMG): Monday 10 July 2023

What are the deadlines for deposits, documents and accepting offers? 

These deadlines also reflect the programme start dates and towards the end of the application cycle, we may extend deadlines to allow students additional time to complete the relevant actions, where appropriate. 

• 10-week Postgraduate Course:
  • Document, Deposit and Accept Offer - Monday 19 June 2023
• 6-week Postgraduate/Undergraduate Online Courses (including WMG):
  • Document, Deposit and Accept Offer - Monday 3 July 2023
• 6-week Postgraduate Face-to-Face Courses (including WMG):
  • Document, Deposit and Accept Offer - Monday 17 July 2023

What are the entry requirements for students? 

You can find full details of all Pre-Sessional entry requirements here.

How many students enrol on to the PSE courses? 

We will be monitoring numbers for the PSE programmes carefully as there have been significant changes in the sector due to the pandemic. This is also the first time we are offering an online and face to face option.

We are asking departments to contact us if they would like to discuss reporting arrangements, whereby the PSE Admissions team can provide your department with regular updates about the number of your offer holders who have also applied and hold offers for the Pre-Sessional English courses.

Is there a fee? 

Yes, there is a fee for the courses as detailed below.  

10 Week Postgraduate Pre-sessional (face to face)	£3935.00
6 Week Postgraduate Pre-sessional (online and face to face)	£2375.00
6 Week Postgraduate Pre-sessional (WMG) (online and face to face)	£2375.00
6 Week Undergraduate Pre-sessional (online)	£2375.00

Students will be required to pay a £1000 deposit as one of the conditions of their Pre-sessional English offer. Deposits will be refundable, minus a £175 administration fee. Full details will be provided in the terms and conditions issued to students.

What is included in the fee?

The fee includes all tuition and support from professional services throughout the programmes. We also offer a wraparound programme which includes welcome and end of course events, and some social activities.

There is no difference in the course fees for student studying via the online delivery mode - they will still be accessing the same high-quality teaching and learning provision and will be able to join online social events, along with students who are on campus.

Students on-campus will be able to pay additional fees to join social events, such as day trips.

How will CAS work for Pre-Sessional English students?

Students studying on a face-to-face pre-sessional will receive either a Joint CAS covering both the Pre-Sessional English and their main Postgraduate course, or a Single CAS for just the Pre-Sessional English course.

If a student is holding an offer for their main Postgraduate course where English language is the only condition to meet, they will be eligible for a Joint CAS.

If there are still other conditions outstanding for the Postgraduate course by early June (for 10-week PSE) or early July (6-week PSE), students will need a Single CAS. In order to be eligible for a Single CAS, students must hold a valid 'IELTS for UKVI' certificate. Students who are issued with a Single CAS will receive their main degree course CAS upon successful completion of the Pre-Sessional English course and will be able to apply to extend their visa from within the UK.

Online students will not require a CAS for Pre-Sessional English as the programme is delivered online.

On-Course FAQs

How will the course be delivered?

For 2023 the Postgraduate 10 week Pre-sessional English classes will be delivered face-to-face.

The Postgraduate 6 week Pre-sessional classes will be delivered either online or face to face.

The Undergraduate Pre-sessional English course will be delivered online only.

Do students get accommodation? 

Accommodation will be available on campus in our University Halls of Residence, for all Postgraduate students. Packages are available for a range of week options, dependent on the length of Pre-sessional English course a student is studying.

Accommodation fees are payable separately. Accommodation bookings will open in May and students who are already holding Pre-sessional offers at this stage will be advised that they can now begin an accommodation application. This accommodation booking will be separate to any main course accommodation that a student requires - students will still need to apply for main course accommodation following the usual process.

What is the group size? 

The typical group size is 16 per class. Students are taught in the same group throughout the programme and have different teachers covering speaking and listening and text-based studies. 

Who teaches on the courses? 

Each year we recruit a large number of English Language Tutors to deliver the programme. All staff including returning staff from previous years must apply and undergo an interview. You can find out more about staff recruitment here. 

What happens upon completion of the course?

Students will be advised of the grades required to progress to their main degree programme prior to enrolment on to the Pre-sessional English course, and will receive regular feedback on their progression towards these grades throughout the programme.

If a student fails to achieve the required grades for progression onto their main degree course, a recommendation will be made to withdraw the student in line with the University's Regulations (Regulation Governing Student Registration, Attendance and Progress). Students in this situation will be unable to progress to their main course of study and any Student visa sponsorship will be withdrawn.

However, students will be provided with the opportunity to remedy their failure after the conclusion of the Pre-Sessional English Programme and prior to any possible recommendation of withdrawal. The means of remedying failure on the Pre-Sessional English programme will be determined by the Pre-Sessional Course Director and details of re-sit and/or remedy procedures will be shared with students prior to enrolment onto the programme.

Students who fail the Pre-Sessional English Programme may choose to complete an external re-sit by using a University approved English Language Test after the conclusion of the Pre-Sessional English course to meet their substantive course English language requirements. In such circumstances, evidence of passing an acceptable English Language Test that meets the published language requirements for the student's main course may be used to withdraw a recommendation of withdrawal, provided it is submitted before the latest start date of their substantive course.

What grades will students need to achieve to progress to their main degree programme?

The grades required to progress to a main degree programme have been determined by the Department's Director of Academic Literacies and Skills and the Pre-sessional English Course Director.

These grades have been mapped against the English language bands used for direct entry to courses at Warwick.

Postgraduate Students

At the end of the Pre-Sessional course, your prospective PG student will receive two grades covering two skills areas: (a) Written Project (integrated reading and writing skills); (b) Seminar Skills (integrated listening and speaking skills).

The grades are as follows: D = Distinction; HC = High Credit; C = Credit; P = Pass.

These grades are tied to the standard marking scheme used by the University, and also to IELTS or equivalent English test grades, as follows:

70% + Distinction (IELTS 7.5)

60% + High Credit (IELTS 7.0)

50% + Credit (IELTS 6.5)

40% + Pass (IELTS 6.0)

In terms of the language entry requirements for your department, the above grades can be converted as follows, depending on the Warwick Language Band for your course (see: https://warwick.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/apply/english/ ): 

Warwick Bands	IELTS scores	PSE equivalent
Warwick BAND A	Overall IELTS 6.5 (minimum component not below 6.0)	Overall Credit (no component below Pass)
Warwick BAND B	Overall IELTS 7.0 (minimum component scores of two at 6.0/6.5 and rest 7.0 or above)	Overall High Credit (no component below Credit/Pass)
Warwick BAND C	Overall IELTS 7.5 (minimum component scores of two at 6.5/7.0 and rest 7.5 or above)	Overall Distinction (no component below High Credit/Credit)

There is a possibility that – on the basis of our Pre-sessional assessment - a particular student could fall short of the overall language grade required for progression to their degree course: this will be deemed a ‘Fail’, albeit a relative one. In this case we offer the student the opportunity to sit a language test in order to attempt to remedy their failure and achieve the entry level for your programme. We do not anticipate a high number of such cases.

Undergraduate Students

At the end of the Pre-Sessional course, your prospective UG student will receive two grades covering two skills areas: (a) Written Project (integrated reading and writing skills); (b) Seminar Skills (integrated listening and speaking skills).

The grades are as follows: D = Distinction; HC = High Credit; C = Credit; P = Pass.

These grades are tied to the standard marking scheme used by the University, and also to IELTS or equivalent English test grades, as follows:

70% + Distinction (IELTS 7.5)

60% + High Credit (IELTS 7.0)

50% + Credit (IELTS 6.5)

40% + Pass (IELTS 6.0)

In terms of the language entry requirements for your department, the above grades can be converted as follows, depending on the Warwick Language Band for your course.

Warwick Bands	IELTS scores	PSE equivalent
Warwick BAND A	Overall IELTS 6.0 (minimum 5.5 in each component)	Overall Credit (no component below Pass)
Warwick BAND B	Overall IELTS 6.5 (minimum 6.0 in each component)	Overall High Credit (no component below Credit)
Warwick BAND C	Overall IELTS 7.0 (minimum 6.5 in each component)	Overall Distinction (no component below High Credit)

There is a possibility that – on the basis of our Pre-sessional assessment - a particular student could fall short of the overall language grade required for progression to their degree course: this will be deemed a ‘Fail’, albeit a relative one. However, the UG Pre-sessional is delivered online and finishes three or four weeks before the start of the academic year (in order to allow students time to arrange their study visas). It is possible that, either during the programme or shortly afterwards, a student will take a secure English language test (SELT) and meet the language requirements for their programme via this route.