UCT International Students Language Requirements

By | September 18, 2021


UCT International Students Language Requirements

The medium of instruction and examination at UCT is English.

International applicants for whom English is a second language are required to submit one of the following:

  • a recent score (obtained within 3 – 5 years before application for admission) of at least 570 (paper-based test) or 230 (computer-based test) on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)
  • a recent overall band score of 7.0 (with no individual element of the test scoring below 6.0) on the International English Language Testing System (IELTS).
  • or, noting that this may only be written at certain designated venues within South Africa, a score of at least 65% on the university’s Placement Test in English for Educational Purposes (PTEEP).

Information on the TOEFL is available from [email protected] or www.toefl.org.



Information on the IELTS is available through the British Council at the British consulate or embassy in your country.

The UCT English Language Centre offers year-round English courses, as well as exam preparation courses for IELTS and TOEFL. They also offer English for Academic Purposes (EAP) courses in the afternoons for students who wish to improve their academic English literacy. To find out more, visit their website.