To be considered for admission to a postgraduate research programme, applicants should have met both the minimum academic and English language requirements.
You should be aware that some other factors are also important for your application.
The following will be considered when making an offer:
- Academic performance during the undergraduate and postgraduate study
- Research papers published in international academic journals
- Quality of the research proposal
- Research potential and attitude
- English proficiency
Academic requirements
If you apply for a Postgraduate research programme, you will generally need to hold at least a UK honours bachelor degree at the second class upper division (2:1), and/or a master degree at merit level or above in a relevant subject from a British university.
For applicants with a degree from the USA, the minimum GPA sought is 3.0 out of 4.0.
For applicants with a degree from China, the minimum weighted average score varies from 78 to 83 , depending on the university where they studied.
When applying, please provide your final grade in the format used by the previous university attended (e.g. 80/100, 3.0/4.0, 7.5/10 or 10/12). There is no need to convert your result into its UK equivalent.
Please note that admission to UNNC is very competitive and that meeting the minimum entry requirements does not guarantee an offer of a place.
For particular requirements regarding certain programmes, please refer to the department/school page.
English language requirements
Students whose first language is not English or their entry qualifications were not obtained from a country/region where English is the native language, are required to provide satisfactory evidence of their proficiency in English.
Check the grades/scores normally required for entry
Faculties and qualification requirements
Qualifications | English Studies, Education, Professional Doctorate in Education (EdD) | Science and Engineering*(Apart from Geographic Science) | Business, Humanities and Social Sciences, Geographic Science |
IELTS |
7.0 (minimum 6.0 in all elements) |
6.0 (minimum 5.5 in all elements) |
6.5 (minimum 6.0 in all elements) |
PTE academic |
76 (minimum 65 in all elements) |
65 (minimum 59 in all elements) |
71 (minimum 65 in all elements) |
TOEFL(IBT) |
100 (minimum 19 in Writing and Listening, 20 in Reading and 22 in Speaking) |
80 (minimum 17 in Writing and Listening, 18 in Reading, 20 in Speaking) |
90 (minimum 19 in Writing and Listening, 20 in Reading and 22 in Speaking) |
Cambridge Proficiency/Advanced test (CAE) |
190 with no element below 169 |
169 with no element below 162 |
184 with no element below 169 |
*IELTS 6.5 (minimum 6.0 in all elements) or its equivalent is required for Faculty of Science and Engineering (FoSE) scholarship applicants.
We accept IELTS One Skill Retake. Your grades/scores for the above tests should be obtained within two years prior to the date of registration.
We do not accept qualifications from an IELTS online test, the TOEFL home edition, or a PTE Academic online test. We do not accept ‘best scores’ i.e. the best scores in each element across a number of tests.
Preferably you should have already met the English requirement when your application is submitted. If you submit your application without an English test score report, your application will still be reviewed by the academic school/department should you have met or are predicted to meet the academic requirements. Offers of admission are conditional on provision of a satisfactory English qualification by 15 July 2025 for September 2025 entry.
It can take a long time to obtain a qualified English language test score, so you should arrange to take a test as early as possible. Please do not delay the English language test until you are admitted.
Policy for waiving English language requirements
-
Alumni from Nottingham UK, Nottingham Ningbo China and Nottingham Malaysia are NOT required to submit any further evidence of English language ability.
- Applicants from the following countries or have studied for a degree there (excl. split site degree programmes) are NOT required to submit any further evidence of English language ability: Antigua and Barbuda; Australia; The Bahamas; Barbados; Belize; Canada; Dominica; Grenada; Guyana; Jamaica; New Zealand; St Kitts and Nevis; St Lucia; St Vincent and the Grenadines; Trinidad and Tobago; United Kingdom; United States of America.
-
Candidates who have successfully completed degree level study from the list in the following box are not required to submit any further evidence of English language ability.
Country | Level of ‘vouching’ for English equivalent to B2 level: |
Anguilla
|
All institutions on recognised institutions list
|
Barbados
|
All institutions on recognised institutions list
|
Bermuda
|
All institutions on recognised institutions list
|
Botswana
|
All institutions on recognised institutions list
|
Cayman Islands
|
All institutions on recognised institutions list
|
Europe
|
Selected institutions only
|
Gambia
|
All institutions on recognised institutions list
|
Ghana
|
All institutions on recognised institutions list
|
India
|
Selected institutions only
|
Kenya
|
All institutions on recognised institutions list
|
Lesotho
|
All institutions on recognised institutions list
|
Liberia
|
All institutions on recognised institutions list
|
Mauritius
|
All institutions on recognised institutions list
|
Montserrat
|
All institutions on recognised institutions list
|
Nigeria
|
All institutions on recognised institutions list
|
Pakistan
|
Selected institutions only
|
Seychelles
|
All institutions on recognised institutions list
|
Sierra Leone
|
All institutions on recognised institutions list
|
Singapore
|
Selected institutions only
|
South Africa
|
All institutions on recognised institutions list
|
Tanzania
|
All institutions on recognised institutions list
|
Uganda
|
All institutions on recognised institutions list
|
Virgin Islands (British & US)
|
All institutions on recognised institutions list
|
Zambia
|
All institutions on recognised institutions list
|
Zimbabwe
|
All institutions on recognised institutions list
|
- Graduates who have studied in multiple countries
If you have completed a degree course which was split between multiple countries or universities, the following rules will apply:
-
- If you completed the final two years of your course in an English-speaking country or university meeting one of the criteria above, and your degree was awarded by that university, we will accept this as meeting our English language entry requirements.
- If you completed a degree course in an English-speaking country or university meeting one of the criteria above, which included a year abroad in a non-English speaking country, we will accept this as meeting our English language entry requirements.
- If you have only completed a single year or less in an English speaking country or university – for example, on a student exchange or study abroad programme – and the rest of your degree course in a non-English speaking country, this will not meet our requirement.
- If you obtained your degree from a university where the medium of instruction is in English but it is not listed as one of the universities where English requirement is exempted, please email to Admissions@nottingham.edu.cn for enquiry and we will evaluate your application on a case by case basis.
Pre-sessional programme
Centre for English Language Education (CELE) provides programmes for students who aim to go on to postgraduate study at The University of Nottingham Ningbo China (UNNC). Applicants who have not met the language requirement for direct entry, or would like to further develop language and research skills, can choose the most suitable course for needs. For details, please refer to Pre-Sessional Programme .