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Pre-sessional English

We run a variety of pre-sessional English courses designed to help international students improve their language skills. On this page, we describe all the courses on offer. You can find out what course is right for you and how to apply. There is also information on payments, refunds and cancellations. We provide contact details too, so you know who to contact if you have any questions.

Our pre-sessional English courses are designed for international students who are intending to study at the University of Liverpool or another British university institution for an undergraduate, postgraduate or PhD programme.

We offer six different courses depending on your English level. You can join us for a 40, 30, 20, 12, 10 or 6-week course. The 40, 30 and 20-week courses are on-campus (face to face teaching), the 12-week course is online only, and the 10 and 6-week courses can be taken either online or on-campus. The entry requirements page has more information about which course is right for you.

In order to join the pre-sessional course, you must meet the minimum entry requirements for that stage, and also have submitted an application to study at either the University of Liverpool or another institution that accepts our PSE certificate.

Successful completion of your pre-sessional course means you can progress to academic study at the University of Liverpool (or your chosen institution).

For the 2025/26 academic year, pre-sessional English courses will take place on campus, with online provision available on some courses.

Our longer courses are divided into three stages:

  • The 40-week course begins in Stage 1 (October start date)
  • The 30-week course begins in Stage 2 (January start date)
  • The 20-week course begins in Stage 3 (March/April start date).

Our shorter courses (10, 12 and 6-week courses) begin in the summer and have start dates between June and July, except for the 10-week Autumn course which starts in October and ends in December. If you study with us in Stage 3, you will need to successfully complete assessments to progress to the 10-week summer course.

During Stage 1-3, you will study with students holding offers for all different subjects. For the 10, 12 and 6-week courses, you will be grouped with students studying the same subject as you, or a similar subject.

"I would highly recommend the Pre-Sessional English course because it really helped me adapt to the academic style in the UK"

 

A group of students chat during a social event at the Language Lounge

What to expect on your pre-sessional course

On the 40, 30 and 20-week courses, you will normally take a placement test so that we can put you in the most appropriate class for your current level of English. On the 10, 12 and 6-week courses, there is no level test, but you will take a diagnostic writing test.

When you study on any of our pre-sessional English courses, you will have:

  • A full-time, intensive course requiring approximately 35 hours per week. This includes up to 18 hours of lessons and tutorials and about 20 hours per week of directed self-study after class and at weekends
  • Lessons every weekday, between 9am and 6pm UK time with breaks
  • Regular homework and self-study tasks
  • Small class sizes
  • Regular individual and/or small-group tutorials
  • Classes with students studying the same subject as you, or a similar subject (summer courses)
  • Regular recorded lectures to help you improve your listening and note taking skills (summer courses)
  • Textbooks and materials necessary for your course (included in the course fee)
  • Highly experienced and motivated teachers
  • Access to University facilities such as the libraries, University email account and Office 365
  • Access to self-study materials in the Language Lounge
  • Visa support through the International Advice and Guidance team
  • A range of social activities and trips to introduce you to Liverpool and life in the UK, or where appropriate an online equivalent
  • University accommodation on the Liverpool campus with the option for you to keep the same room when you begin your academic course.

All students will use Microsoft Teams and the University's virtual learning environment Canvas to submit assessments and access policy documents.

You will need to bring an audio and video enabled laptop to your classes as electronic books and online learning materials will be used. It would also be useful to bring a headset or headphones and a webcam when studying on campus.

For self-study outside of class, you may want to contact your classmates using the internet and to complete work online and at home.

It is not possible to effectively study the course on a mobile telephone or tablet computer, so you should make sure you have a good quality laptop and a stable internet connection at home.

After your course

  • Online students will receive a transcript, and on-campus students will receive a transcript and a certificate of participation, as long as the attendance requirements have been met
  • Successful completion of the pre-sessional course at the required level will allow you to progress to your academic programme.

How to apply

Most of our students go on to study at the University of Liverpool, but we also accept students who are planning to study at other UK universities. Students planning to study at another university should check with that institution to see if they will accept results from our English Language Centre (ELC) pre-sessional English course. An end-of-course report can be provided on request.

For students going on to study at universities which do not accept results from the University of Liverpool, we are also a test centre for IELTS.

Self-funded applicants

If you are a self-funded applicant, a £1000 deposit is required and this will form part of your pre-sessional English course offer. To pay, please visit our dedicated payment pages.

Please read our ELC PSE Payment Policy for self-funded students (148KB, PDF).

Please ensure you have submitted an application for your Undergraduate or Postgraduate programme before submitting your Pre-sessional English application. If you do not currently hold an offer for an Undergraduate, Postgraduate or PhD programme at the University of Liverpool, or a different University, you will not be able to apply to study one of our Pre-sessional English courses.*

*Exceptions apply for the 40-week course and 30-week applications made before October 2025 – no undergraduate, postgraduate or PhD degree application required, but participation in, or completion of, the pre-sessional English course does not guarantee progression to any academic study unless you have subsequently been offered a place on an academic course which accepts successful completion of the pre-sessional course.

Sponsored applicants

If you are a sponsored applicant, you will need to submit full copies of your official sponsorship letters with your application. Without these documents, we will assume that you are a self-funded applicant and will not be able to make a decision on your application without a deposit.

Please read our ELC PSE Payment Policy for sponsored students (195KB, PDF).

Please ensure you have submitted an application for your Undergraduate or Postgraduate programme before submitting your Pre-sessional English application. If you do not currently hold an offer for an Undergraduate, Postgraduate or PhD programme at the University of Liverpool, or a different University, you will not be able to apply to study one of our Pre-sessional English courses.*

*Exceptions apply for the 40-week course and 30-week applications made before October 2025 – no undergraduate, postgraduate or PhD degree application required, but participation in, or completion of, the Pre-sessional English course does not guarantee progression to any academic study unless you have subsequently been offered a place on an academic course which accepts successful completion of the Pre-sessional course.

Combined Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS)

If you're applying to study on the 10 or 6-week Pre-sessional course at the English Language Centre and a postgraduate taught academic course at the University of Liverpool, you may be eligible for a Combined CAS.

A Combined CAS can be used to apply for one visa that covers both your pre-sessional course and your academic course. This will allow you to remain in the UK for the duration of both periods of study.

Deadlines for Combined CAS applications

Academic year 2025/26

Course

Latest date to apply

Latest date to accept offers

10 week with Combined CAS

26th April 2026

3rd May 2026

6 week with Combined CAS

24th May 2026

31st May 2026

Eligibility criteria

In line with UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) Student visa guidance, the University will issue a Combined CAS to students applying for postgraduate taught study (including MRes) where an applicant meets the requirements outlined below:

  • You already hold an unconditional offer for a postgraduate course at the University but wish to study a pre-sessional course to enhance your English skills, or if you meet the English language requirements for the 6-week or 10-week pre-sessional course with a valid SELT
  • The start date of your degree programme is less than one month after the end date of your pre-sessional course
  • The only remaining condition of your academic offer is English language. All other academic conditions must have been met and accepted
  • The English language condition for your academic offer is not above level B2 (IELTS 6.5)
  • You have accepted an academic offer and a pre-sessional offer by 5pm (GMT) on the relevant date in the table above.

If you don't meet the requirements above, or if you don't want a Combined CAS, we'll arrange two separate CAS numbers for you: one for your pre-sessional course, and one for your postgraduate programme. You'll then apply for two separate visas. If you don’t want a Combined CAS, you’ll need to provide a SELT (IELTS for UKVI) as part of your application.

If you aren’t able to accept your offer for the pre-sessional course and academic course by the dates noted above, we won’t be able to issue you with a Combined CAS and we will issue you with two separate CAS numbers.

What do you need to do?

To be issued with a Combined CAS you must:

  1. Have applied for your academic programme and pre-sessional course by the application deadlines as noted on the dates and fees page.
  2. Have accepted your academic offer and your pre-sessional offer by the dates as outlined in eligibility criteria above.

Extra information

This information is for students with conditional offers for a postgraduate academic programme.

If you have remaining English language conditions and wish to be considered for a Combined CAS, your academic offer will be upgraded from conditional to unconditional on the understanding that you will attend the 6-week or 10-week pre-sessional course at the English Language Centre and complete the course to the required level. Attendance is compulsory and will be monitored.

If you don't register on an appropriate pre-sessional course, or if you don't attend or don't successfully complete the course, your unconditional offer will be removed and a conditional offer based on English will be re-issued. We'll also contact the UKVI to inform them of your current status at the University of Liverpool.