University English
Our University English courses are ideal for anyone who wants to improve their English language skills. We offer both a full programme and a core programme, both of which are designed to improve your English language skills for a variety of educational, personal and professional reasons.
- Course overview - full programme
- Who: Anyone wishing to improve their English language skills in a British University environment
- Duration: Minimum - 2 weeks / Maximum - 40 weeks
- Cost: £459 per student per week in 2024-25 and 2025-26 - fee includes all tuition and materials
- Level: CEFR A2 to C1
- Hours: 20.5 per week (see timetable below for details)
- When: Year round
- Minimum age: Adult learning environment. Minimum age 18 years (some exceptions considered).
- Maximum class size: 16 students
- Social programme: A combination of in-person and some online activities
- Course overview - core programme
- Who: Anyone wishing to improve their English language skills in a British University environment
- Duration: Minimum - 2 weeks / Maximum - 40 weeks
- Cost: £350 per student per week in 2025-26 - fee includes all tuition and materials
- Level: CEFR A2 to C1
- Hours: 15 per week (see timetable below for details)
- When: Year round (from September 2025 onwards)
- Minimum age: Adult learning environment. Minimum age 18 years (some exceptions considered).
- Maximum class size: 16 students
- Social programme: A combination of in-person and some online activities
Should I take the full or core programme?
You can choose to join University English on our full programme, which includes 20.5 hours of tuition per week - this option covers Integrated Language Skills, a weekly culture lecture, afternoon elective modules, and educational visits to culturally significant locations.
Alternatively, you may opt for our University English core programme, which is an integrated language skills course involving 15 hours of tuition per week.
If you're interested in learning English but have limited time or a smaller budget, we recommend the core programme. However, if you'd like to explore English alongside British Culture or take a specific afternoon elective, the full-time programme would be the better choice.
Who is the University English Course for?
University English is General English development course offering designed to improve your English Language skills, we offer both a full and core programme to suit all needs.
Our experienced tutors will support you to develop your overall English language skills on this intensive course, with flexible start and end dates all through the year.
Classes are provided at all levels from Elementary (A2) to Advanced (C1). The course is not suitable for complete beginners.
Before we can offer you a place on the course, you will need to provide some evidence of your current level of English with your application such as an English language test result (e.g IELTS, Pearson PTE, TOEFL iBT or Cambridge English PET/FCE/CAE).
If you have any other evidence of your English level, please contact us to discuss whether it is acceptable for admissions purposes.
Course outline
Our University English courses includes tuition and language practice in the following areas:
- Writing: helping you to improve the accuracy and structure of your written work
- Speaking and Pronunciation: improving the accuracy and fluency in a variety of situations
- Listening: understanding spoken English in academic and general situations
- Reading: developing the ability to deal with longer and more complex texts
- Grammar: consolidation of the main tenses and structures of English
- Vocabulary: learning more words in a variety of different contexts
1 to 1 tutorials
During the course students will also receive regular 1 to 1 tutorials with an ELTC tutor. These tutorials are similar to a private lesson and students can choose which areas of English they would like to focus on.
The ELTC's language tutorials offer students the opportunity to receive individual teaching and be directly involved in setting their own language goals.
Option classes
In these sessions, students can choose to study an area of the language which interests them.
The overall purpose of these lessons is to provide students with further language practice and improve their confidence in dealing with English language. We offer a range of different options classes.
For example, a student could choose IELTS Examination Preparation and Practice, Grammar and Vocabulary Development, Social English and British Culture, or Reading and Speaking. Students may wish to study for a specific purpose, for example, IELTS Examination Preparation and Practice, or Business English.
Please note, there needs to be enough demand from students for an option class to run.
Independent Language and Pronunciation Development
The purpose of these interactive resources is to help students develop their language skills in their own time outside of class. Our teachers will explain how to use these resources and will discuss specific areas for development in individual student tutorials. Students are advised to complete at least 2 hours of independent study each week to fully benefit from this.
Flexible Study Options
In some circumstances we may be able to offer University English with fewer hours per week compared to the standard course timetable. Please contact the University English Academic Director, Helen Johnstone, to discuss your requirements further.
Assessment
Progress will be assessed by each student's class tutor and on longer courses students may be offered the opportunity to move into a higher level class.
At the end of the course students will be provided with a report and certificate showing details of the course and the level they studied at.
The ELTC offers a number of external assessments such as IELTS or Cambridge Linguaskill (charges apply) which can optionally be taken during your course.
Please note that results from University English cannot be used to gain entry onto academic programmes at the University of Sheffield.
Every moment in ELTC is useful. They use modern technology and modern techniques in teaching. They are so supportive and encourage you to improve your skills.
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Example timetable
- Example class times
Please note this is an example timetable and may be subject to change. (All times UK - GMT / BST)
(FP) indicates the Full Programme schedule and (CP) indicates the Core Programme schedule.
Monday- 09:30 - 11:00 - Integrated Language Skills
- 11:30 - 13:00 - Integrated Language Skills
- 14:00 - 15:30 - Option Class (FP) Social Activities (CP)
- 15:30 - 16:30 - Self Study / Tutorial (FP) Free Time (CP)
Tuesday
- 09:30 - 11:00 - Integrated Language Skills
- 11:30 - 13:00 - Integrated Language Skills
- 14:00 - 15:30 - Option Class (FP) Social Activities (CP)
- 15:30 - 16:30 - Self Study / Tutorial (FP) Free Time (CP)
Wednesday
- 09:30 - 11:00 - Integrated Language Skills
- 11:30 - 13:00 - Integrated Language Skills & Lecture Preparation
- 14:00 - 15:00 - Online Lecture (FP) Social Activities (CP)
- 15:30 - 16:30 - Self Study / Tutorial (FP) Free Time (CP)
Thursday
- 09:30 - 11:00 - Integrated Language Skills
- 11:30 - 13:00 - Integrated Language Skills
- 14:00 - 15:30 - Option Class (FP) Social Activities (CP)
- 15:30 - 16:30 - Self Study / Tutorial (FP) Free Time (CP)
Friday
- 09:30 - 11:00 - Integrated Language Skills
- 11:30 - 13:00 - Integrated Language Skills
- 14:00 - 16:30 - Self Study / Tutorial (FP)
- 14:00 - 15:30 - Social Activities (CP)
Dates, fees and entry requirements
The courses run through the full academic year with four start dates available at the start of each of our four terms. The length of the course is flexible and you can choose to finish your course on any Friday within our standard term dates (except for the first Friday in a term).
The minimum course length is 2 weeks, and the maximum course length is 40 weeks.
Students do not require an IELTS for UKVI certificate, but we prefer if you can provide some evidence of each student's English level as the course is not suitable for complete beginners. A formal English language certificate is not required.
No teaching takes place on this course on UK bank holidays in England and Wales. No tuition fee discounts are available for course dates which coincide with bank holidays.
Tuition fees
Tuition fees for the Full Programme University English courses beginning in the 2024-25 and 2025-26 academic year are £459 per week.
Tuition fees for the Core Programme University English courses beginning in the 2025-26 academic year are £310 per week.
This fee includes:
- All tuition and course materials
- Course assessments
- Regular 1 to 1 tutorials with your personal tutor
- Individual feedback
- Lectures by University of Sheffield academic staff
- ELTC Student Exclusive social programme
- Educational visits to nearby cities, museums and historical places of interest (in Term 1, 2 and 3)
- Access to 24 hour Library and Computing facilities at the University of Sheffield
- A UCard which you can use to access University facilities and discounts in some shops and on public transport
- Membership to the No.1 Students' Union in the UK since 2017.
Paying your tuition fees
Paying your tuition fees is a crucial part of registration at the University.
For information on how to pay your tuition fee correctly, as well as the things you need to look out for, visit:
Information about your ELTC tuition fee
How to pay your tuition fees and important information
We can also accept payments from sponsors:
Tuition Fees - Sponsored students
Social programme
Our ELTC exclusive social programme is available to all students on our University English courses. During Term 4 in the Summer for a small charge we offer weekend day-trips exclusively for University English students to nearby cities such as Manchester, York, Lincoln, Leeds and Liverpool.
What we offer through our social programme
Apply
To apply for a University English Course please read our how to apply information and terms and conditions before submitting your application.
Please also take note of the following information:
Deadlines
The usual deadline for applying to our University English course is 4 weeks before your chosen course start date.
Entry requirements
The courses are not suitable for beginners, however there are no set IELTS requirements to join the course.
Please contact us if you are unsure of your suitability for the course.
Supporting documents
You will need to provide a copy of your passport and evidence of your English level (e.g. a recent English test result) when completing your application - please make sure you have these ready before starting your application.
If you've studied in the UK before you will also need to provide a copy of all previous UK visas and CAS statements you have received.
If your nationality is listed on the UK Government's visa national list, you may be requested to supply further information regarding your application before an offer to join the course can be issued.
If your tuition fees will be paid by a sponsor (e.g. a scholarship, your national government or an employer), please also provide a letter from your sponsor confirming this. The letter should include:
- A date within the last 6 months
- Applicant's full name and date of birth
- Sponsor's name and contact details
- Specific reference to an English language course in the UK.
Entry requirements
The courses are not suitable for beginners, however there are no set IELTS requirements to join the course.
Please contact us if you are unsure of your suitability for the course.
Deadlines
The usual deadline for applying to our University English course is 4 weeks before your chosen course start date.
Information for Under 18s
Our courses are designed for adults. Applicants who are under 18 are subject to a number of restrictions and administrative procedures.
The standard minimum age for our courses is 18 years. However, we will consider applications from applicants who are under 18 in some circumstances, and subject to satisfactory guardianship arrangements being in place. Please contact us for more information.
For further information on under 18s at the university please visit our "Students under the age of 18" webpage".
If you need more information you can contact us in the following ways:
Email eltc@sheffield.ac.uk
Phone +44 114 222 1780
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