Studying at a UK university can be immensely challenging, especially if your first language is not English. Taught at our Newton Park campus, our Pre-sessional English Language course can help you gain the skills you need to progress on to Bath Spa University’s degree programmes.
The Pre-sessional English Language course will help you understand the teaching styles and expectations of UK university study.
You'll improve your:
You'll gain confidence and learn to actively engage in the learning environment.
“The Pre-sessional English Language course was really helpful – it prepared me for writing essays and reports on my MA degree course.”
Mao Takata, postgraduate international student
On successful completion of the course you'll have gained:
On successful completion of the course, you'll be able to progress on to your undergraduate or postgraduate degree at Bath Spa University.
You'll be assessed in all four skills (reading, writing, listening and speaking).
We adopt a communicative, interactive approach to teaching and learning, encouraging you to become active learners and move towards autonomy.
There is an emphasis on independent research and you are encouraged to develop your own academic-subject related interests. Class activities require you to work collaboratively in teams, small groups and pairs as well as individually.
This teaching and learning approach may be very different from your past experience. However, most students find this approach exciting and rewarding, and generally rise to face the new challenges with enthusiasm.
The Pre-sessional Programme is for students whose first language is not English or who have not studied at a UK university environment before. Equally, we also accept candidates who want to improve their current level of English language.
In addition to meeting the academic requirements of your chosen degree of study at Bath Spa University, you also need to meet the required level of English language. This will normally be specified on your letter of admission when you apply for a Bachelors or Masters degree at Bath Spa. You can find more information on our English language requirements page.
If you require IELTS 6.0 or equivalent in your undergraduate or postgraduate degree:
If you require IELTS 6.5 or equivalent in your undergraduate or postgraduate degree:
Students studying online will be required to:
6-week course: fees £1,970
10-week online course: fees £3,300
12-week course: fees £3,950
16-week course: fees £4,720
Fees include:
Fees don't include:
Once you've applied for your main course, our Admissions team will contact you about a place on an English Pre-sessional Language course if this is required.
All courses will run subject to a minimum number of students applying and being accepted.
For any enquiries about the Pre-sessional English course, please contact the International Admissions team who will be happy to assist you: internationaladmissions@bathspa.ac.uk.
If you receive an offer of a place on a full-time programme, you will need to pay a tuition fee deposit to confirm your place. The deposit for 2024/25 will be a minimum of £3,000 rising to 100% of the tuition fee. The deadline for the tuition fee deposit is 3 weeks before your course start date.
In all cases, the deposit will need to be paid prior to the issue of a Certificate of Acceptance for Studies (CAS), which is the first step in the process to obtain a student visa for the UK.
Payment of any pre-sessional fee (where applicable) must be paid in full before commencement of the course.
Please note that we do not accept Bank Transfer, and any payment received via this method will be returned. Please only use the approved payment methods provided on this page.
International students joining the University are required to pay the remaining balance (full tuition fee for the first year of the course minus the deposit paid) before arrival and commencement of the course.
We recommend that the balance of fees is paid before leaving your home country as your bank may need to verify your bank password, or may need to text message a confirmation code and this will not be received if you are in the UK and have changed your mobile SIM to a UK network.
The balance of tuition fees must be paid in full by 18 September for those students commencing courses in September and 31 January for those courses starting in February.
Bath Spa University has officially partnered with Flywire to accept payments from over 240 countries and territories, in more than 130 currencies. Millions of students, parents, and sponsors world-wide trust Flywire to facilitate payment of student fees.
By making your payment using Flywire you can:
Pay by credit or debit card, bank transfer or by e-wallet.
One off debit or credit card payment can also be made online.
We have a network of international partners with offices worldwide. This means that we can support your application and guide you through the process wherever you are in the world. Find a representative in your country, or contact us if your country is not listed.
International offices
"The Pre-sessional English Language course taught me how to build a framework for an essay. and what the academic writing style is all about."
Jing Cai, postgraduate international student
Student feedback shows that the pre-sessional course is very useful. It not only develops language and academic skills, but also helps students to get to know the new culture and become more confident and happier in the new learning environment.
Yes. Some of our students already have the required English language and academic background for direct entry to their degree course, but they find the pre-sessional course is an excellent way to develop their skills and confidence.
If you have an unconditional offer, you don't need to pass any assessments to progress onto your degree. You simply need to attend the course and participate in class. You'll receive a certificate of course completion at the end of the pre-sessional.
As well as excellent teaching, we pride ourselves on providing a highly supportive, happy and nurturing environment for our students. Tutors are always there to give additional support where required. All students will have individual tutorials with their tutors, who are there to guide them towards success.
The pre-sessional course is intensive. You'll normally have 20 contact hours a week. You'll have assignments to do, so there will also be a lot of self-study time outside the classroom. We have an excellent attendance rate, over 95%.
The pre-sessional course is short and intensive. You need to arrive in time for the first day of induction. If you experience a delay with your visa or any other problem that means you are likely to miss the start of the course, please contact Bath Spa University as soon as possible to discuss your situation.
We aim to keep student numbers to a maximum of 16 per class. We know all of our students personally.
No. If you successfully complete the pre-sessional course, you do not need to take an IELTS or any other English Language test.
Yes. There are four assessments that you need to pass (testing your reading, writing, speaking and listening).
If you fail an assessment, you'll have the opportunity to resit that assessment at the end of the pre-sessional course.
You need to pass the pre-sessional to progress on to your degree course. However, the pass rate on the pre-sessional course is very high. Approximately 98% of our pre-sessional students pass.
Yes. We offer in-sessional courses, individual tutorials and drop in sessions. All our support is free. For more information please visit the English Language Unit (ELU) webpages.