English language requirements (2027/28)
Applying for the February 2027 intake? Please visit Bachelor's language requirements (2026/27) or Master's language requirements (2026/27).
If you are applying as an international student, you will have to prove that you meet the language proficiency requirements for your English-taught programme. To do this, you will have to submit a sufficient language test result to the Admissions Office.
Exemption policy
You may qualify for an exemption from the language test requirement if you completed your secondary or higher education in one of the majority-English speaking countries listed in the exemption list below, or if you passed English as a subject at VWO-level.
You are exempted from the English language test requirement if you can prove your English proficiency through one of the following qualifications:
1. A secondary or higher education diploma from a recognized majority English-speaking country
In order to qualify for this exemption, you must have completed either a full (upper) secondary education, a full-time higher education undergraduate degree (at least 3 years), or a postgraduate degree taught exclusively in English in one of the following recognized majority English-speaking countries:
-
Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Canada (exc. Quebec), Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Ireland, Jamaica, Malta, New Zealand, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, United Kingdom (inc. British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies), United States of America (inc. Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Virgin Islands)
2. A higher education diploma from an additionally exempted country or region
In order to qualify for this exemption, you must have completed a full-time higher education undergraduate degree (at least 3 years) or a postgraduate degree taught exclusively in English, from one of the following countries or regions:
-
Aruba, Botswana, Cameroon (Anglophone education system only), Curaçao, Eswatini, Fiji, the Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Mauritius, Micronesia, Namibia, Nigeria, the Netherlands (inc. Bonaire, Saba, Sint Eustatius, HBO degrees), Papua New Guinea, Puerto Rico (U.S.A.), Quebec (Canada), Rwanda, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Sint Maarten, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe
3. A secondary education diploma with English as a subject taught at VWO-equivalent level
In order to qualify for this exemption, you must have obtained a secondary education diploma where English was taught at or equivalent to Dutch VWO-level, and included in the list below:
|
Country or region
|
Diploma or exam name
|
Examination/subject/
profile requirements |
|---|---|---|
|
Any |
International Baccalaureate |
English as language of instruction |
|
Europe |
European Baccalaureate |
English as L1 or L2 |
|
Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, the Netherlands, Saba, Sint Eustatius, Sint Maarten |
VWO | |
|
Austria |
Reifeprüfung Allgemeinbildende Höhere Schule (AHS) |
English as subject on the Prüfungsgebiet der Reifeprüfung transcript |
|
Belgium (Flanders) |
Examen Algemeen Secundair Onderwijs, derde graad (ASO) |
English as subject on school examination transcript (indicated with ‘EX’) |
|
Carribbean Islands |
| |
|
Denmark
|
|
Engelska as subject on school examination (Studentereksamen)
|
|
Estonia |
Gümnaasiumi lõputunnistus |
English listed as subject on the state examination certificate (Riigieksamitunnistus). Minimum B2-level English must be obtained. |
|
Finland
|
Ylioppilastutkintotodistus/
Studentexamenbevis |
Englanti A or B1 listed on national matriculation examination (Ylioppilastutkinto/ Studentexamen)
|
|
France
|
Baccalauréat Francais Internationale
(BFI) |
Section Britannique / Section Anglais
|
|
Germany
|
Abiturprüfung Gymnasium |
English course must be part of school examination (Prüfungsfach) either as Leistungskurs or Grundkurs. Exemption is also possible when English course is not examination subject but still Leistungskurs. Aforementioned courses can be indicated by the following abbreviations in transcript (depending on Bundesland): PF, LK or eA. |
|
Hungary |
Gimnáziumi Érettségi Bizonyítvány |
Angol as subject on school matura examination (Érettségi vizsga) |
|
Latvia |
Atestāts par Vispārējo Vidējo Izglītību |
Angļu valodā as subject on national examination (Centralizētais eksāmens) |
|
Lithuania |
Brandos Atestatas |
Užsienio kalba (Anglų) as subject on the final state matura examination (Brandos Egzamino) |
|
Luxembourg |
Diplôme de Fin d'Études Secondaires |
English as subject on school examination (Examen de fin d'études secondaires) |
|
Malta |
Matriculation Certificate |
Only from University of Malta |
|
3 Maltese A-levels |
From MATSEC Board |
|
|
Norway |
Vitnemål for Videregående Opplæring |
English course ENG1002 or ENG1007 |
|
Romania |
Diplomă de Bacalaureat |
Limba Engleză as subject on national examination (Examenul de Bacalaureat) |
|
Singapore |
Singapore/Cambridge GCE A-levels |
A-levels in at least three H2-and one H1-content courses |
|
Slovakia |
Vysvedčenie o Maturitnej skúške (Gymnázium) |
Anglický jazyk as subject on Maturita examination as both an internally-assessed and an externally-assessed component |
|
Suriname |
VWO | |
|
South Africa |
National Senior Certificate (NSC) + IEB Certificate |
South Africa National Senior Certificate (NSC) in combination with either an IEB Advanced Programme Certificate or an IEB Further Studies Certificate in English (with a passing grade) |
|
Sweden |
|
Engelska 5, 6 and 7 must all be listed on transcript |
Test policy
Deadlines for submitting your language test
You can submit your initial application without a language test. If you require an mvv visa to travel to Groningen, you will need to submit a sufficient test result in the Progress Portal before your immigration application deadline. If you do not need to apply for the immigration procedure, you will need to submit your language test results to the Admissions Office before the official start date of your programme.
|
Programme start date
|
Deadline for mvv visa applicants
|
Deadline for EU/EEA applicants
|
|---|---|---|
|
1 September
|
1 July
|
31 August
|
|
1 February
|
1 December
|
31 January
|
Accepted test providers
We accept the following language tests when taken at an official exam centre:
Validity of certificates
Keep in mind that IELTS, LanguageCert, Pearson PTE, and TOEFL certificates are only valid for 2 years.
Cambridge and Linguaskill certificates do not have limited validity. This means we also accept older CAE (now C1 Advanced) and CPE (Now C2 Proficiency) certificates. For Level 3 programmes, a score of 180+ on the old Linguaskill scale is not accepted as sufficient proof of profiency.
Online testing options
If you are unable to take a language test in an official test centre due to unsafe conditions or due to test centre closure in your home country, we can accept the following online testing options:
For Iranian applicants affected by the suspension of TOEFL and IELTS testing in Iran, we recommend looking into LanguageCert testing as a potential alternative. We also accept certificates of tests taken in neighboring countries (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Turkey). If you require further assistance, please contact the Admissions Office through our contact form.
Language level requirements
The University of Groningen uses three English proficiency levels, ranging from level B2 to C1 on the CEFR scale.
-
Admissions Level 1 (CEFR B2) is required for admission to a number of Bachelor's programmes.
-
Admissions Level 2 (CEFR B2-C1) is the most common proficiency level, and is required for most regular Master's programmes as well as for many Bachelor's programmes.
-
Admissions Level 3 (CEFR C1) is required for many selective and Research Master's programmes.
The table below shows which proficiency level applies to the Bachelor's, Master's and Research Master's programmes of each faculty.
|
Faculty
|
Bachelor's level
|
Master's level
|
Research Master's level
|
|---|---|---|---|
|
Arts¹
|
2
|
2 or 3²
|
3
|
|
Behavioural and Social Sciences
|
2
|
2
|
3
|
|
Campus Fryslân
|
1
|
2
|
-
|
|
Economics and Business
|
1
|
2
|
2
|
|
Law
|
3
|
3
|
3
|
|
Medical Sciences
|
-
|
2
|
2
|
|
Philosophy
|
2
|
2
|
3³
|
|
Religion, Culture and Society
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
|
Science and Engineering
|
2
|
2
|
2
|
|
Spatial Sciences
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
|
University College Groningen
|
2
|
-
|
-
|
¹ The language requirements and accepted tests for Erasmus Mundus programmes at the Faculty of Arts may deviate from the standard requirements. Please check the official website of your EM programme for more information.
² Most regular Master's programmes at the Faculty of Arts require Admissions Level 2. Level 3 is required for all MA Linguistics and MA Media Studies tracks. The MA Literary Studies has a seperate CEFR-level C2 requirement.
³ Also includes the MSc Philosophy, Politics and Economics.
Admissions Level 1 | CEFR B2
|
Language test
|
Total
|
Listening*
|
Reading*
|
Speaking
|
Writing
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Cambridge C1/C2
|
169
|
162
|
162
|
165
|
165
|
|
IELTS Academic
|
6.0
|
6.0
|
6.0
|
6.0
|
6.0
|
|
LanguageCert Academic
|
65
|
65
|
65
|
65
|
65
|
|
Linguaskill
|
169
|
162
|
162
|
165
|
165
|
|
Pearson PTE Academic
|
61
|
54
|
54
|
60
|
60
|
|
TOEFL iBT (<2026)
|
80
|
18
|
18
|
20
|
21
|
|
TOEFL iBT (≥2026)
|
4.0
|
4.0
|
4.0
|
4.0
|
4.0
|
*For the Bachelor's programmes of the Faculty of Economics and Business, a lower minimum applies only for the Listening and Reading band scores: a lower minimum applies only for the Listening and Reading band scores: Cambridge/Linguaskill 160, IELTS 5.5, LanguageCert 60, Pearson 46 Listening and 47 Reading, TOEFL 17 Listening and 18 Reading or 4.0 for both.
Full list of programmes with Admissions Level 1 requirement
Admissions Level 2 | CEFR B2/C1
|
Language test
|
Overall
|
Listening
|
Reading
|
Speaking
|
Writing
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Cambridge C1/C2
|
180
|
169
|
169
|
169
|
176
|
|
IELTS Academic
|
6.5
|
6.0
|
6.0
|
6.5
|
6.5
|
|
LanguageCert Academic
|
70
|
65
|
65
|
70
|
70
|
|
Linguaskill
|
180
|
169
|
169
|
169
|
176
|
|
Pearson PTE Academic
|
66
|
58
|
64
|
56
|
70
|
|
TOEFL iBT (<2026)
|
90
|
21
|
21
|
23
|
24
|
|
TOEFL iBT (≥2026)
|
4.5
|
4.5
|
4.5
|
4.5
|
5.0
|
Full list of programmes with Admissions Level 2 requirement
|
Bachelor's programmes
|
Master's programmes
|
|---|---|
|
|
|
Admissions Level 3 | CEFR C1
|
Language test
|
Total
score
|
Listening*
|
Reading*
|
Speaking
|
Writing
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Cambridge C1/C2
|
185
|
176
|
176
|
176
|
176
|
|
IELTS Academic
|
7.0
|
6.5
|
6.5
|
6.5
|
6.5
|
|
LanguageCert Academic
|
75
|
70
|
70
|
70
|
70
|
|
Linguaskill
|
185
|
176
|
176
|
176
|
176
|
|
Pearson PTE Academic
|
71
|
58
|
64
|
58
|
70
|
|
TOEFL iBT (<2026)
|
100
|
22
|
24
|
25
|
25
|
|
TOEFL iBT (≥2026)
|
5.0
|
5.0
|
5.0
|
5.0
|
5.0
|
*For the LLB International and European Law and the English-taught Master's programmes at the Faculty of Law, a lower minimum applies only for the Listening and Reading band scores: Cambridge/Linguaskill 169, IELTS 6.0, LanguageCert 65, Pearson 54 Listening and 62 Speaking, TOEFL 21 or 4.5.
Full list of programmes with Admissions Level 3 requirement
|
Bachelor
|
Master
|
|---|---|
|
|
|