HDR GUIDELINE approved by QUT Research Degrees Committee Page 1 of 3 Current @ 3/7/2017 CRICOS No. 00213J

HDR English Proficiency Guidelines

Background QUT policy (MOPP E/4.1.8) requires all students (international and domestic) to meet specific English proficiency level requirements prior to enrolment into their approved course.

English proficiency can be demonstrated by an applicant for admission to QUT by one or more of the following:

a) satisfactory completion of secondary schooling in Australia

b) one year of full-time (or equivalent) accredited diploma level studies or higher in Australia

c) successful completion of a recognised English Bridging program

d) successful completion of studies equivalent to secondary school or higher outside Australia where the medium of instruction is English and recognised by QUT (refer to list):

Studies undertaken onshore in Australia, Canada, England, Ireland, New Zealand, Scotland, Singapore, South Africa or Wales:

• Completed at least 1 full time year of studies (bachelor or higher) at a recognised institution within the last 5 years.

Studies undertaken onshore in Denmark, Germany, Norway or Sweden:

• Completed all schooling AND at least 1 full time year of studies (bachelor or higher) at a recognised institution within the last 5 years.

Studies undertaken onshore in Finland, Hong Kong, Malaysia or Netherlands:

• Completed all schooling AND at least 1 full time year of studies (bachelor or higher) at a recognised institution within the last 5 years. You must provide a statement from your higher education institution stating English as the medium of instruction.

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e) a recent (within 2 years of the commencement date of the course) IELTS academic test with overall band score of 6.5, with no sub-score less than 6.0 (Note: University Academic Board may approve variations to this required English test score for courses or student cohorts. QUT determines equivalent scores on other approved English tests).

Test Overall score

No sub-score less than

IELTS (Academic) 6.5 6.0

TOEFL iBT (Internet based) (currently under review) 90 20

Pearson Test of English (PTE Academic) 64 58

Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE) 58 Borderline

Cambridge English: Proficiency (CPE) C1 n/a

Demonstrating an equivalence proficiency level Where evidence can be provided to demonstrate an HDR applicant’s English proficiency levels are comparable to an IELTS academic test with an overall band score of 6.5 and no sub-score less than 6.0), ‘English Equivalence’ may be approved where:

- the applicant has successfully completed a tertiary qualification at least 1 year in length within the last 5 years where English is the medium of instruction.

QUT considers English as the medium of instruction from the following countries: Australia, New Zealand, Canada, USA, UK, Ireland, South Africa.

Demonstrating an equivalent level of English proficiency Where an applicant has achieved a score less than, but very close to, the minimum required scores listed above, and additional evidence of their proficiency is available, the faculty may submit an equivalence argument to the Dean of Research and Research Training.

Acceptable forms of evidence Unacceptable forms of evidence

A piece of major written work in English (i.e. Masters thesis); and/or First author or major contributor to a publication (confirmed via sighting, url link to publication in English or via SCImago)

Subjective opinion of the supervisor (e.g. “I have spoken to the student, he/she speaks good English” or “he/she writes very well”

Successful completion of a task (to be determined by the supervisor, i.e. a critical literature review)

Email communication

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English Packages Applicants who achieve an IELTS score below the minimum levels stipulated in the table above may be offered admission to a specified number of weeks of English for Academic Purposes, run by the QUT International College. Successful completion of the EAP with a specified minimum grade (normally 65%) must be achieved in order to progress to the research degree.

Note: completion of EAP courses at other Australian universities is not normally accepted. In these cases another English proficiency test will normally be required.

Language support During candidature, QUT offers language and learning support to HDR candidates, both domestic and international who speak English as a second language. Details are available from your faculty research office or online at:

Student site: https://www.student.qut.edu.au/services-and-facilities/all-services/language-and-learning-assistance?ref=5316.

Digital Workplace: https://qutvirtual4.qut.edu.au/group/staff/student-support/alls/helping-students

Approval & modification history DATE AUTHORITY DETAILS July 2017 QUT Research Degrees Committee Revised changes approved July 2015 QUT Research Degrees Committee Establishment of guidelines.

Responsible Officer: Coordinator, Research Scholarships, Admissions and Enrolments