English options
IELTS is one of five tests the Department accepts, not the only one, and some applicants need no test at all. What you cannot avoid is proving English somehow. Here are the routes that work in 2026.
Checked against Department of Home Affairs and Study Australia sources · Last reviewed 21 September 2026
You can study in Australia without IELTS by taking PTE Academic, TOEFL iBT, Cambridge C1 Advanced or OET instead; by qualifying for an exemption (citizens of the UK, USA, Canada, NZ or Ireland, or applicants with recent English-medium study or a completed Australian qualification); or by packaging an English course with your main course, which lowers the visa bar to PTE 36 to 42. There is no route that skips English entirely.
| Test | Standalone | With 10 wks ELICOS | With 20 wks ELICOS |
|---|---|---|---|
| PTE Academic | 50 | 42 | 36 |
| TOEFL iBT (test centre) | 64 | 46 | 35 |
| Cambridge C1 Advanced | 169 | 162 | 154 |
| OET | B each component | — | — |
| IELTS (for reference) | 6.0 | 5.5 | 5.0 |
PTE Academic is now the most common choice among Indian and Nepali students: it is computer-scored, results come in two days, and test dates are easier to get. All tests must be taken at a secure test centre within two years of lodgement. Home editions, IELTS One Skill Retake and Duolingo are not accepted for the visa.
Institutions apply their own exemptions on top, and several accept Indian students with English-medium Class 12 results above a threshold (typically 70 to 75 percent in English from CBSE, ISC or some state boards) without a test for admission. That does not exempt you from the visa requirement unless one of the categories above applies.
The most reliable route for students who cannot reach 6.0 is a packaged ELICOS course. Ten weeks of English drops the visa requirement half a band; twenty weeks drops it a full band. The English course, the diploma or degree, and the visa are all approved together. It adds AUD 3,000 to 9,000 in fees and a term to the timeline, but it converts a refusal into a grant for a lot of applicants. Details in the courses guide.
Meeting the visa minimum does not mean meeting the course minimum. A nursing degree requires 7.0 in every band for registration; most masters require 6.5 overall with 6.0 in each band; many engineering and law programs require 6.5 to 7.0. If your plan is PR, remember that superior English is worth 20 points on the migration test and the post-study work visa requires 6.5. Treat the student visa score as the floor of a longer plan, not the target. Full course requirements in the requirements guide.
Common questions
Yes. PTE Academic, TOEFL iBT, Cambridge C1 Advanced and OET are accepted for the student visa, and some applicants are exempt. You must still demonstrate English by one of these routes.
Most students find PTE Academic the most accessible: computer-scored, two-day results and frequent test dates. The visa minimum is PTE 50, or 36 to 42 with a packaged English course.
No. The Department accepts IELTS, PTE Academic, TOEFL iBT (test centre), Cambridge C1 Advanced and OET only.
For admission, several universities waive the test for students with strong English-medium Class 12 results. For the visa, Indian applicants are not exempt unless they completed qualifying study in English in a listed country.
IELTS 6.0 overall or equivalent, reduced to 5.5 with ten weeks of packaged English or 5.0 with twenty weeks.
Study in Australia guide
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