UNSW has standards of English language ability that students must meet before they will be issued with an unconditional offer of a place at UNSW. The details can be found here, and cutoffs for the accepted tests of English (IELTS, TOEFL, etc) are here. The most commonly profferred qualification is IELTS, for which the cutoff is 6.5 overall, with a minimum score of 6.0 in each of the four subtests (listening, reading, speaking, and writing).
Other possible ways of meeting the English language requirement include prior study in the medium of English and Residency (PG Coursework and Research Programs only).
Applicants who are not able to demonstrate that they meet one or more of the criteria above (tests, prior study, or residency), but who, nevertheless, believe that they satisfy the University's English language requirements, may apply, in writing, to their respective Admissions Office for consideration of a waiver. Such applicants must justify the request and provide alternative evidence, as appropriate.
The procedure for granting waivers of the English language proficiency requirements will require the Program Authority to justify the waiver in writing, and approval from the Faculty's Presiding Member. The Director, Student Services, or his/her nominee, will consider each recommendation on the grounds of equity and, if appropriate, ESOS compliance.
In cases where a student is being considered for a waiver, normally he/she must have achieved an overall IELTS score of at least 6.0 or a TOEFL score (paper-based test) of at least 550, with a minimum score of 4.5 in the TWE, a TOEFL score (computer-based test) of at least 213, with a minimum score of 4.5 in the essay component, or a TOEFL score (internet test) of at least 79, with a minimum score of 21 in Writing. This does not apply in cases where the student does not need an IELTS test result for visa purposes (i.e. they come from a Federal Government immigration department assessment level 1 or 2 country), does not in fact submit a test result, and they are justifying their English waiver in some other way, e.g. they can prove that they were educated in English, or that they have worked in an English-speaking environment for a substantial amount of time. If they do submit an English test result less than 2 years old, then even though they might have other evidence of English, the cutoffs for consideration of a waiver above apply.
When waiver recommendations include a requirement to undertake English language improvement or support, then the Program Authority is responsible for costs associated with this improvement or support, whether this is provided by the Learning Centre, UNSWIL, or the Faculty's own program.
International applicants (and UNSW staff whose job it is to consider English waiver requests) should be aware that at the time of writing this web page, with a few exceptions for countries where the IELTS test is apparently not available) students from Assessment Level 3 or 4 countries [Federal Government classification] must present an IELTS test result and achieve an overall score of 6.0 in order to be granted a student visa for university level study. Details of the Federal Government requirements and the Assessment level of countries can be found at www.immi.gov.au though not necessarily easily. The form number at the time of writing was 1219i, and the table was called "Overseas Student Program - Assessment Levels" You could try: http://www.immi.gov.au/allforms/pdf/1219i.pdf, but it moves around. :-(
The most common scenario is when a student takes an IELTS test and doesn't quite meet the required standard. In such cases, if the student has
Note that just meeting (a) or (b) above is not enough - there should also be alternative evidence of English proficiency.
Steps:
Note again that, for International Residents, if the Federal Government English language requirements for a visa are not met, then the student will not be able to come to UNSW, no matter what anybody at UNSW recommends.
Possibly useful links:
UNSW's CRICOS Provider No. is 00098G