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Saudi Arabia

ENGLISH LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS

The English language requirements for our courses are provided on individual course pages as minimum IELTS scores, however we accept many other tests and qualifications.

Please visit our English language requirements page for more information. 

Undergraduate Entry Requirements

Applicants from Saudi Arabia can apply directly for undergraduate entry with the following:

  • associate degree/undergraduate diploma with 3.0/4.0 or 3.5/5.0 or 75% (only students from public universities to be considered at the discretion of the department)
  • one or two years of a Bachelor's degree from a recognised public or private university
  • applicants with the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma or A-levels will be considered for direct admission to our undergraduate degree programmes. IB requirements range from 28 to 30, depending on the course.

Applicants from Saudi Arabia holding a Thanawiya (General Secondary Education Certificate) will normally require a Foundation course for entry onto undergraduate programmes at the university. These offer the opportunity for guaranteed progression onto Birkbeck’s Bachelor programmes.

Postgraduate Entry Requirements

Applicants from Saudi Arabia can apply directly for a Master’s degree with the following:

  • Bachelor’s degree from a recognised public or private university (for programmes requiring a UK 2:1, a minimum final grade of 75% or a GPA of 3.0/4.0 or 3.5/5.0 is required; for programmes requiring a UK 2:2, a minimum final grade of 70% or a GPA of 2.8/4.0 or 3.2/5.0.

Applications from private college graduates can only be considered if they have exceptionally high grades and excellent references.

If you do not meet these criteria, you can apply for OnCampus' Master's Foundation programme, which is available for two- or three-term progression onto a wide range of Master’s degrees at Birkbeck.

Saudi Arabian degree classification:

  • 5-point GPA scale: 4.50 (GPA 4.0: 3.60; percentage: 90%; English translation or equivalent: 1st)
  • 5-point GPA scale: 3.50 (GPA 4.0: 3.00; percentage: 75%; English translation or equivalent: 2:1)
  • 5-point GPA scale: 3.20 (GPA 4.0: 2.80; percentage: 70%; English translation or equivalent: 2:2).

Research degrees Entry Requirements

The usual entrance requirement for a research degree is a Master’s degree from a recognised public or private university with a minimum final grade of 75% or a GPA of 3.0/40 or 3.5/5.0.

Applications from private college graduates can only be considered if they have exceptionally high grades and excellent references.

Applicants are strongly urged to contact potential supervisors within the department before submitting a research application.

Find out about our international scholarships.