The minimum programme-wise eligibility criteria that international applicants need to meet before applying to the University of Canterbury are given below:
Undergraduate Eligibility
Basic Education (either of):
- Grade 12 in relevant discipline with an overall 75% aggregate with a minimum of 60% in English in the All India Senior School Certificate or India School Certificate (ISC)
- Grade 12 in relevant discipline with an overall 80% aggregate with a minimum of 65% in English from Indian State Board of Higher Education
English Proficiency:
International students from non-English-speaking countries need to provide either of the following scores to prove their suitability to study in an undergraduate programme at UC:
Tests | Minimum Requirements |
IELTS Academic | Overall 6.0 bands with a minimum band of 5.5 in Reading, Writing, Listening, and Speaking |
TOEFL iBT | Minimum overall 80 with at least 19 in Reading, Writing, and Listening (TOEFL MyBest scores are not accepted by UC) |
TOEFL PBT | Minimum 550 and TWE with a minimum score of 4.5 |
CCEL EAP | Level 2 with a minimum of C+ grade |
CAE or CPE | Overall 169 with a minimum of 162 in Reading, Writing, Listening, and Speaking |
PTE Academic | Overall 50 with no Communicative skills score below 42 |
NZCEL | Level 4 – Academic endorsement |
FluentIQ | Overall 8/10 with no less than 7 in every category |
LanguageCert | B2 Communicator High Pass, with no individual score below Pass |
NZAPA | English New Zealand Accredited Pathway Assessment Level 2 (with no skill lower than Level 1) |
Graduate Eligibility
Basic Education (programme-based):
- Taught programme: A bachelor’s degree in a relevant subject area (qualification equivalent to a New Zealand university bachelor degree) with a minimum overall grade comparable to a B grade (70% aggregate) at UC and in a relevant subject area
- Research programme: A bachelor’s degree in a relevant subject area (qualification equivalent to a New Zealand university bachelor degree) with a minimum overall grade comparable to a B+ grade (75% aggregate)
English Proficiency (either of):
Tests | Minimum Requirements |
IELTS Academic | Overall 6.5 bands with a minimum band of 6.0 in Reading, Writing, Listening, and Speaking |
TOEFL iBT | Minimum overall 90 with at least 19 in Reading, Writing, and Listening (TOEFL MyBest scores are not accepted by UC) |
TOEFL PBT | Minimum 575 and TWE with a minimum score of 4.5 |
CCEL EAP | Level 2 with a minimum of B+ grade |
CAE or CPE | Overall 176 with a minimum of 169 in Reading, Writing, Listening, and Speaking |
PTE Academic | Overall 58 with no Communicative skills score below 50 |
NZCEL | Level 5 |
FluentIQ | Overall 8/10 with no less than 7 in every category |
LanguageCert | C1 Expert IESOL (LRWS) with High Pass and no less than Pass in each skill or C2 Mastery IESOL (LRWS) with Pass and no less than Pass in each skill |
NZAPA | English New Zealand Accredited Pathway Assessment Level 3 (with no skill lower than Level 2) |
MBA Eligibility
Mandatory Qualification (a combination of):
- Basic education: A bachelor's degree or Postgraduate Diploma in Business Administration with good scores
- Work experience: A minimum of five years
English Proficiency (either of):
Tests | Minimum Requirements |
IELTS Academic | Overall score of 7.0 bands with a minimum band of 6.5 in Reading, Writing, Listening, and Speaking |
TOEFL iBT | Minimum overall 100, with at least 23 in Reading, Writing, and Listening (TOEFL MyBest scores are not accepted by UC) |
TOEFL PBT | Minimum 575 and TWE with a minimum score of 4.5 |
CCEL EAP | Level 2 with a minimum of A grade |
CAE or CPE | Overall 176 with a minimum of 169 in Reading, Writing, Listening, and Speaking |
PTE Academic | Overall 65 with no Communicative skills score below 58 |
PhD Eligibility
Basic Education (a combination of):
- A qualification equivalent to a New Zealand university
- Bachelors and master’s programme in the same discipline
- Awarded in First or Second Class (division one) Honours
- Strong research focus in the form of a t
