Proving your English language skills - International Master's Programmes

When you apply to our International Master's programmes in English or to our multilingual Master’s programmes with English as the language of the degree, you must prove your language skills in English. On this page, you will find all the accepted methods of proving your language skills in English.

If you are applying to a multilingual Master’s programme with Finnish or Swedish as the language of the degree, please find the instructions on proving your language skills at:

Please note:

  • Statements issued by individual language teachers or universities' own language test scores are not accepted.
  • You cannot demonstrate language proficiency by combining different test score reports or certificates, or parts of the following methods. You must meet the minimum requirements for all elements with same score report/certificate.
Accepted methods of proving your language skills

Minimum requirement:

  • Overall score 6.5, with a minimum score of 6.0 in the writing section.

Please note that the University of Helsinki only accepts IELTS Academic test scores. Tests taken at the general level are not accepted. 

IELTS Indicator and IELTS Online tests are also accepted.

IELTS with One Skill Retake are also accepted.

How to submit the test report form:

You can submit your IELTS test report form in one of the following ways:

IELTS Academic and IELTS Online:

  • Share your IELTS Academic or IELTS Online test report form to the University of Helsinki through the test organiser.

or

  • Upload a copy of your test report form to the application form. Your results will be verified from the test organiser.

IELTS Indicator:

  • Upload a copy of your test report form with your IELTS Indicator Score ID to the application form. Your results will be verified from the test organiser.

It is advisable to book your test date well before the application period has started as it may take some time after the test date for your test score to be published.

IELTS scores are valid for two years and the score must be valid throughout the application processing period. This means that the test score must not expire before the deadline for supplementing the application.

Please note: If your test score expires right after the deadline for supplementing the application, please submit your test score so that it is valid for at least two weeks after submitting.

Minimum requirement:

  • TOEFL iBT (Internet-based) 92, a minimum score of 22 in the writing section

The Home Edition and Paper Edition of TOEFL iBT are also accepted.

How to submit the score report:

  • Share your score report directly to the University of Helsinki (institution code 9872) from the test organiser

or

  • Upload a copy of your score report to the application form. Your results will be verified from the test organiser.

It is advisable to book your test date well before the application period has started, as it may take some time after the test date for your test score to be published.

TOEFL scores are valid for two years and your the score must be valid throughout the application processing period. This means that the test score must not expire before the deadline for supplementing the application.

Please note: If your test score expires right after the deadline for supplementing the application, please submit your test score so that it is valid for at least two weeks after submitting.

Cambridge English: C1 Ad­vanced (formerly CAE) or C2 Pro­fi­ciency (formerly CPE)

Minimum requirement:

  • for C1 Advanced (formerly CAE): Pass levels A, B or C
  • for C2 Proficiency (formerly CPE): Pass levels A, B, C or level C1 certificate

How to submit the test results:

  • Share your test score directly from the Candidate Results website to the University of Helsinki

or

  • Upload a copy of your Statement of Results that includes your Statement of Results Number to the application form. Your results will be verified from the test organiser.

It is advisable to book your test date well before the application period has started, as it may take some time after the test date for your test score to be published.

Please note that only tests taken after 2005 are accepted. Please also note that the University of Helsinki only accepts C1 Advanced and C2 Proficiency, no other Cambridge language tests are accepted.

Minimum requirement:

  • Overall score 62, with a minimum score of 54 in each communicative skills section (listening, reading, speaking and writing).

PTE Academic Online version of the test is also accepted.

How to submit the test score:

Upload a copy of your test score with your Score Report Code to the application form. Your results will be verified from the test organiser.

It is advisable to book your test date well before the application period has started, as it may take some time after the test date for your test score to be published.

PTE Academic scores are valid for two years and the score must be valid throughout the application processing period. This means that the test score must not expire before the deadline for supplementing the application, i.e., three weeks after the application deadline.

Please note: If your test score expires right after the deadline for supplementing the application, please submit your test score so that it is valid for at least two weeks after submitting.

The National Certificate of Language Proficiency (YKI) is a language test organized by the Finnish National Agency for Education.

Minimum requirement:

  • Skills level 5 in all sub-tests: speaking, listening comprehension, writing and reading comprehension.

How to submit the test score:

Upload a copy of your National Certificate of Language Proficiency test score to the application form.

Your results will be verified from the test organiser.

You can prove your language skills with upper-secondary education conducted in English in the following countries:

  • Nordic Countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden)
  • Australia
  • Canada
  • Ireland
  • New Zealand
  • United Kingdom
  • United States of America

Upload a copy of your diploma to the application form.

If your upper-secondary education was completed in the Nordic countries, the language of instruction must be stated on the diploma.

You can prove your language skills with the International Baccalaureate® (IB) Diploma Programme (DP) or the International Baccalaureate® (IB) Career-related Programme (CP), if your programme has been completed in English.

If your IB examination has been completed in a language other than English, you can prove your language skills with the the following grades:

  • English as the A1 language with a minimum grade of 2.
  • English as the A2 language with a minimum grade of 5.
  • English as A language (literature/language and literature/literature and performance) a minimum grade of 2.

Upload a copy of your diploma and grades to the application form.

Alternatively you can order a Transcript of Grades from IBO and ask them to send it to the Admission Services of the University of Helsinki. University of Helsinki will get the final grades electronically from IBO.

You can prove your language skills with the European Baccalaureate. The following grades are accepted as proof of language skills:

  • European Baccalaureate with English as the L1 language with an approved grade
    • minimum grade of 4 if the examination was taken before 2021
    • minimum grade of 5 if the examination was taken in 2021 or after.
  • European Baccalaureate with English as the L2 language with a minimum grade of 7.

Upload a copy of your diploma and grades to the application form.

You can prove your language skills with a university degree (Bachelor’s, Master’s, or Doctoral degree, or polytechnic/university of applied science degree) completed in English in one of the following countries:

  • EU/EEA countries or Switzerland
  • Australia
  • Canada
  • New Zealand
  • United Kingdom
  • United States of America

Please note that your degree/programme must be taught and assessed entirely in English.

Upload a copy of your degree certificate and transcript of records to the application form.

If your university degree includes courses or diploma-level qualifications that have been completed outside of the specified countries/area, or courses conducted in a language other than English, the degree might not meet the requirement.

Online studies or studies completed on offshore campuses outside the accepted countries/area can also be used to indicate language skills, if the degree-awarding main institution is based in one of the accepted countries.

The language of instruction must always be indicated clearly on the educational documents. 

You can prove your language proficiency with a university degree (Bachelor’s, Master’s, or Doctoral degree, or an equivalent polytechnic/university of applied science degree) completed in English in one of the following countries:

  • Antigua and Barbuda
  • Bahamas
  • Barbados
  • Belize
  • Botswana
  • Cameroon
  • Dominica
  • Eritrea
  • Eswatini
  • Ethiopia
  • Gambia
  • Ghana
  • Grenada
  • Guyana
  • Hong Kong
  • India
  • Jamaica
  • Kenya
  • Lesotho
  • Liberia
  • Malawi
  • Namibia
  • Nigeria
  • Philippines
  • Rwanda
  • Saint Kitts and Nevis
  • Saint Lucia
  • Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
  • Sierra Leone
  • Singapore
  • South Africa
  • Tanzania
  • Trinidad and Tobago
  • Uganda
  • Zambia
  • Zimbabwe

The degree/programme must be taught and assessed entirely in English

The language of instruction must be clearly indicated on the educational documents. 

Upload a copy of your degree certificate and transcript of records to the application form.

If your university degree includes courses or diploma-level qualifications that have been completed outside of the specified countries/area, or courses conducted in a language other than English, the degree might not meet the requirement.

Online studies or studies completed on offshore campuses outside the accepted countries/area can also be used to indicate language skills, if the degree-awarding main institution is based in one of the accepted countries.

 

You can prove your language skills with a degree completed in a Finnish university or university of applied sciences if you have demonstrated foreign language proficiency in the English language in accordance with the Government Decree on University Degrees (794/2004) or University of Applied Sciences Degrees (1129/2014).

Upload a copy of your degree certificate and transcript of records that show that you have met the foreign language proficiency requirement in the English language to the application form.

If your degree is incomplete, the course that meets the foreign language proficiency requirement must be registered in your transcript of records by the deadline for submitting application enclosures.

You can prove your language skills with a degree completed at a Finnish university with English as the major subject.

Upload a copy of your degree certificate and transcript of records to the application form.

Please note that degrees completed in other countries with English as the major subject are only accepted as proof of language skills if the degree also fulfils the requirements mentioned above at University degree completed in English in EU/EEA, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Switzerland, UK, USA or University degree completed in English in the listed countries.