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United Arab Emirates

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 United Arab Emirates holding a Tawijihiyya (Secondary School Certificate) will be considered for a four-year course with foundation programme in their field of interest. Upon successful completion of the Foundation Year, students will automatically progress on to our three-year degree.

Alternatively, applicants can opt for a Foundation course for entry onto undergraduate programmes at Birkbeck.

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.

Postgraduate  entry requirements

For entry onto a Master’s degree, most Emirati students would need to have completed a Bachelor’s degree or equivalent from a recognised UAE institution and a minimum GPA of 2.8/4.0. For some courses, a 2:2 may be acceptable.

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.

Please note that all applications are considered on an individual basis and you may be admitted to a Master's programme with a lower-level degree if you have work experience relevant to the degree applied for.

Emirati degree classification:

  • CPGA: 3.60-4.00; letter: A; percentage: 90-100% (alternative name: Excellent; English translation or equivalent: 1st)
  • CPGA: 3.00-3.59; letter: B+/B; percentage: 80-89% (alternative name: Very good; English translation or equivalent: 2:1)
  • CPGA: 2.50-2.99; letter: C+; percentage: 75-79% (alternative name: Good; 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 university; schools may accept students with high grades in the undergraduate degree.

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

Find out about our international scholarships.