On-campus pre-sessional courses 2025/26

Course structure and content

Our on-campus pre-sessional courses last for either 6 or 4 weeks. 

When you log into the You@York applicant portal you will be able to see which course is suitable for you as well as the specific entry criteria. Please note that we can only accept UKVI language tests (IELTS, Trinity ISE, LanguageCert or PTE UKVI).

For a comprehensive list of the English language tests and evidence that we accept, please refer to our web page on IELTS equivalencies. 

Applying for an on campus pre-sessional

How and when to apply

Please note - if you require a Student Visa, your English language test must be an approved IELTS for UKVI (Academic), Trinity ISE test or LanguageCert. Please consult the UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) list of approved IELTS test centres.

You will be able to apply for a pre-sessional course once you have accepted your offer to study at York via the pre-sessional tab in your You@York applicant portal.

Accommodation

If you're accepted onto an on-campus pre-sessional course, you will be offered the option of staying in accommodation owned, managed or approved by the University for the duration of the course. An accommodation offer will be sent to you by the University of York Accommodation Team, usually 5 to 6 weeks before the start of your pre-sessional course. To accept the offer you will need to respond by the date stated on the offer letter.

Which course should I take?

The length of the course you need to take depends on your current English language test scores or ability and how much you need to improve to reach the English language requirements for the degree you wish to study. Please check your You@York portal to see which pre-sessional course you're eligible for.

If you have already met your English language requirements but wish to develop your English language/academic skills and settle into university life, you can take a 4-week pre-sessional course.

Programme lengths and structure

We have one intake point for conditional offer holders:

• The 6-week course is designed for conditional offer holders meeting the language threshold of IELTs 5.5 (B2 equivalent) in all skills, but who still need to reach their target language level. This course focuses on developing your academic English and study skills. In order to progress to your main degree programme, you must complete formative assessment tasks. 

We have one intake point for unconditional offer holders: 

• The 4-week course (if you have an unconditional offer) introduces you to academic life at the University and helps to prepare you for your future degree.

Activities

Learning will take place both inside and outside the classroom. The work you do outside the classroom is also very important. Your tutor will guide you through this and help develop the skills you need to be an independent learner.

You will be expected to study on a full-time basis by following a weekly schedule. You will focus on a range of activities each week, with deadlines for completing tasks.

You will attend classroom-based sessions on campus at specific times as shown on your timetable. There will also be activities you can do outside the classroom to support your independent study and help you get to know the University campus. 

Activities you will be able to do on campus include:

• accessing the library facilities
• daily in-person classes
• lectures and presentations as part of independent study
• participating in discussions with your fellow students
• getting to know other students living in a college environment
• enjoy campus and city life.
• joining student societies and sports clubs

Online platform

Our pre-sessional programmes are highly interactive. In addition to your on-campus classes, you will also use our Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) to complete tasks, submit assessments and interact with others. To use the VLE you will need a laptop and access to the internet. We expect you to bring your laptop to class with you as your tutor will use this platform with your group. You can also borrow a laptop from the Library free of charge, for short periods.

We can also support you if you have trouble accessing the tasks in the VLE due to problems outside your control. There are also many great places to study on-campus where you can access the University’s internet.

Everything you need to study will be available on the VLE.

Feedback

You will receive regular feedback from our International Pathway College (IPC) tutors. This will allow you to focus on the areas you need to develop and will help you to feel more prepared for your degree.

Assessment

Pre-sessional assessment

There is one type of assessment: formative. 

Assessment tasks are done in a similar way to those on a degree programme. Our course coordinators and Programme Leader work closely with other academic departments to make sure that the skills you are learning on the pre-sessional reflect what you will need in the future.

Formative assessment happens regularly throughout the course and will help you to understand which areas you need to improve. Our tutors will make recommendations on independent study tasks that will help with this.

These are excellent opportunities for you to discuss your work, development and concerns with your tutor. They will also help prepare you for your summative assessment and onward degree.

6-week pre-sessional

During the 6-week pre-sessional, you will be required to submit formative assessment tasks in order to progress to your main programme of study. Students are required to complete formative assessments and attend a minimum of 85% of the course in order to pass and progress.

Support for students

The International Pathway College (IPC) has its own dedicated Student Support Team that will give you advice and guidance during your pre-sessional course.

We have a number of ways that you can get support during your studies:

• IPC Virtual Reception and telephone line (available Monday to Friday, 9am to 5.30pm BST)
• IPC reception based in the Piazza building (available every day, 9am to 5.30pm)
• Student Support Personal Tutor, with weekly drop-in sessions and one-to-one sessions on request
• In-person and online social events to help with wellbeing and more.

We also offer other forms of support across the University:

• TalkCampus
• International Student Support Team

Welcome and social programme

You will receive a warm welcome when you arrive on campus. We offer a series of in-person and virtual welcome and orientation events, so there are plenty of opportunities to meet staff and fellow students. We will get you fully registered by offering talks about university life, helping you through the enrolment process and completing various compliance checks. 

The IPC Student Support team also organise a weekly social programme which students can join. There are lots of things to do on campus and in the city, including tours around York and visiting its theatres, shops and restaurants. The university has excellent sports facilities too.