Online Presessional Programme

Why study a University of Leicester online presessional programme?

• Successful completion meets the English language requirement for all University of Leicester degree programmes. There is no need to take another English language test, such as IELTS, saving time and money.
• Improve study and academic as well as English skills, providing ideal preparation for a degree programme.
• Become familiar with UK study culture.

• Study at home without having to come to Leicester, saving on visa, travel and accommodation costs.

What are the advantages of the online course?

• More flexibility in the admissions process and entry requirements, such as the larger range of acceptable English language tests and exams (please see the chart opposite).
• Save money on accommodation, taking English tests and visa fees.
• Schedule the independent study at times convenient to you.

Features of the online presessional programmes

• 8 – 12 hours of live video classes per week through tutorials in small groups and 1-to-1 tuition. Attendance of these classes is compulsory.
• 25 hours of guided independent study per week, through structured online study materials and accompanying tasks. Students have the flexibility to complete this study at their convenience.
• A personal tutor to guide you through the module.
• Maximum class size of 16 – learn through interaction with the tutor and other students.
• Experienced, friendly and supportive tutors.
• High-quality and well-established materials delivered on the University’s online learning platform included in the tuition fee.
• Development and practice of reading, writing, speaking and listening skills.
• Develop knowledge of your academic area in the project course component and learn how to write an academic assignment.
• Learn about UK study culture, including learning how to reference and avoid plagiarism

Student Case Studies

Hear what our students have to say about their experience studying online at the ELTU.

Please note:

• The minimum age for enrolment on all programmes is 18.
• All study materials are included in the tuition fee.
• Course fees should be paid in full before the start of the course: information about fees payment and refunds

Choose your programme below, depending on your level of English.

For general enquiries about the Presessional Programme, email: pspadmissions@le.ac.uk

For Online Presessional, English tests and exams other than IELTS are acceptable. For more information, click here.

Fees Payment

Course fees should be paid in full before the start of the course. Students will not be able to complete online registration and start their studies until they have paid their course fees and the payment has been received by the university.

Payment can be made by any of the following methods:

• Online by Credit or Debit Card (MasterCard, Visa, Maestro and Delta)
• Electronic Bank Transfer
• Cheque / Banker's Draft

Full details are available on the Finance Office web pages.

Refunds

Presessional students are required to pay a non-refundable deposit to secure their place on the Presessional English Language course as set out in the relevant programme specification. If a student withdraws within 14 days of date the University received the non-refundable deposit to secure their place on the Presessional English Language the deposit paid will be returned in full. Otherwise it will not be refundable. Please click here for full details of the refund policy.

• If you start your course and then decide to leave before completing it, you may be entitled to a full or partial refund depending on the date of your withdrawal:
• If a student withdraws within 14 days of the course start date the fee liability is Nil (there will be a full refund);
• The fee liability is determined by the course tuition fee based on the number of weeks in attendance as a proportion of the number of weeks specified in the normal period of registration as set out in the relevant programme specification;
• A partially completed week is treated as a full week for the fee liability calculation.

Holidays and closure dates

Please find the dates when there will be no teaching here.

Course description

Our 30-week presessional programme will give you the English language and academic skills you need for successful study at a UK university.

Weeks 1-10 (Module B)

• Develop your vocabulary foundation for general English and academic study

• Continue to develop your speaking, listening and reading skills
• Stronger focus on writing, with special classes to develop this skill

Weeks 11-20 (Module C)

• Key skills for academic study: academic style in writing; reading skills for longer, more difficult texts; listening and note-taking; speaking skills for discussions and presentations
• Build your vocabulary for general and academic English
• Review key grammar points

Weeks 21-30 (Module D)

• Learn how to structure and write academic essays
• Develop reading skills to deal with long academic texts quickly and effectively
• Develop speaking skills for seminars, tutorials and presentations
• Build your academic and general English vocabulary across a range of topics
• Practise your note-taking by attending real lectures given by guest lecturers from departments across the University of Leicester
• Research and write a 1,500 word essay in your subject area, and learn key academic research and study skills such as referencing and how to avoid plagiarism

Programme materials

All materials are included in the cost of the programme and are carefully selected to prepare you for the level of language you will meet in in an English academic environment.

Assessment

At each stage of the programme there are exams to test your skills and check your progress in reading, writing, speaking and listening. You will also do regular written work, which will be marked by your teacher.

What happens after I finish the presessional programme?

Students who complete the Presessional Programme will receive a University of Leicester Assessment of English score. If the ULAE meets the language conditions of your offer, you will receive an unconditional offer for your academic programme.

After you start your degree, master's, or PhD, you can continue to receive help from the English Language Teaching Unit. The ELTU provides a range of support classes and tutorials for international students studying at both undergraduate and postgraduate level.

Student Case Studies

Hear what our students have to say about their experience studying online at the ELTU.

Course description

Our 20-week presessional programme will give you the English language and academic skills you need for successful study at a UK university.

Weeks 1-10 (Module C)

• Key skills for academic study: academic style in writing; reading skills for longer, more difficult texts; listening and note-taking; speaking skills for discussions and presentations

• Build your vocabulary for general and academic English
• Review key grammar points

Weeks 11-20 (Module D)

• Learn how to structure and write academic essays
• Develop reading skills to deal with long academic texts quickly and effectively
• Develop speaking skills for seminars, tutorials and presentations
• Build your academic and general English vocabulary across a range of topics
• Practise your note-taking by attending real lectures given by guest lecturers from departments across the University of Leicester
• Research and write a 1,500 word essay in your subject area, and learn key academic research and study skills such as referencing and how to avoid plagiarism

Programme materials

All materials are included in the cost of the programme and are carefully selected to prepare you for the level of language you will meet in an English academic environment.

Assessment

At each stage of the programme there are exams to test your skills and check your progress in reading, writing, speaking and listening. You will also do regular written work, which will be marked by your teacher.

What happens after I finish the presessional programme?

Students who complete the Presessional Programme will receive a University of Leicester Assessment of English score. If the ULAE meets the language conditions of your offer, you will receive an unconditional offer for your academic programme.

After you start your degree, master's, or PhD, you can continue to receive help from the English Language Teaching Unit. The ELTU provides a range of support classes and tutorials for international students studying at both undergraduate and postgraduate level.

Student Case Studies

Hear what our students have to say about their experience studying online at the ELTU.

Course description

Our 10-week presessional programme will give you the English language and academic skills you need for successful study at a UK university.

• Learn how to structure and write academic essays
• Develop reading skills to deal with long academic texts quickly and effectively
• Develop speaking skills for seminars, tutorials and presentations
• Build your academic and general English vocabulary across a range of topics
• Practise your note-taking by attending real lectures given by guest lecturers from departments across the University of Leicester
• Research and write a 1,500 word essay in your subject area, and learn key academic research and study skills such as referencing and how to avoid plagiarism

Programme materials

All materials are included in the cost of the programme and are carefully selected to prepare you for the level of language you will meet in an English academic environment.

Assessment

At each stage of the programme there are exams to test your skills and check your progress in reading, writing, speaking and listening. You will also do regular written work, which will be marked by your teacher.

What happens after I finish the presessional programme?

Students who complete the Presessional Programme will receive a University of Leicester Assessment of English score. If the ULAE meets the language conditions of your offer, you will receive an unconditional offer for your academic programme.

After you start your degree, master's, or PhD, you can continue to receive help from the English Language Teaching Unit. The ELTU provides a range of support classes and tutorials for international students studying at both undergraduate and postgraduate level.

Student Case Studies

Hear what our students have to say about their experience studying online at the ELTU.

Presessional 6 weeks course is for Undergraduate and Postgraduate students.

Course description

Our 6-week presessional programme will give you the English language and academic skills you need for successful study at a UK university.

• Learn how to structure and write academic essays
• Develop reading skills to deal with long academic texts quickly and effectively
• Develop speaking skills for seminars, tutorials and presentations
• Build your academic and general English vocabulary across a range of topics
• Practise your note-taking by attending real lectures given by guest lecturers from departments across the University of Leicester
• Research and write a 1,500 word essay in your subject area, and learn key academic research and study skills such as referencing and how to avoid plagiarism

Programme materials

All materials are included in the cost of the programme and are carefully selected to prepare you for the level of language you will meet in an English academic environment.

Assessment

There are exams to test your skills and check your progress in reading, writing, speaking and listening. You will also do regular written work, which will be marked by your teacher.

What happens after I finish the presessional programme?

Students who complete the Presessional Programme will receive a University of Leicester Assessment of English score. If the ULAE meets the language conditions of your offer, you will receive an unconditional offer for your academic programme.

After you start your degree, master's, or PhD, you can continue to receive help from the English Language Teaching Unit. The ELTU provides a range of support classes and tutorials for international students studying at both undergraduate and postgraduate level.

Student Case Studies

Hear what our students have to say about their experience studying online at the ELTU.

Entry levels for the online presessional programme

We have more flexibility in the English language tests we can accept for entry onto the online presssional programmes.

The full range of tests we can accept is in the table below and we can also offer a Leicester Presessional entry test to applicants who have a conditional offer for a presessional programme starting in April, July or August 2021.

We will accept exam certificates up to two years of their original date.  Any exam certificates older than two years will not be accepted.

Please note, we now also accept Gaokao results for undergraduate presessional entry (76% minimum) and CET6 results for postgraduate presessional entry (550 minimum) with an ELTU interview. For more detailed information, please refer to our FAQs.

Please note: the entry requirement is 0.5 higher for academic programmes with an IELTS 7.0 entrance requirement.

Please note: if you plan to come to Leicester to study a later module, you will need to have taken a Secure English Language Test.

We also now accept IELTS Indicator tests for entry onto our presessional programmes.