This page reports what HBKU's own admission-requirements pages say about IELTS, read in October 2026: the pages of the College of Science and Engineering, the College of Health and Life Sciences, the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, the College of Law, the College of Public Policy and the College of Islamic Studies, plus the undergraduate admissions page. All six college pages sit in HBKU's graduate admissions section (their date boxes speak of graduate applications), so the college figures below are graduate-entry figures. HBKU's English and Arabic pages are not always worded alike (the Arabic Health and Life Sciences page gives another TOEFL figure for one master's programme; the Arabic Humanities and Social Sciences page omits the two-year line), so this page follows the English pages unless it says otherwise. Requirements change and differ by programme, so open the page for yours before you book a test. This page is about IELTS only.
IELTS scores on HBKU's graduate college pages
The table gives the IELTS line from each college's page, with the TOEFL figure beside it; the last column notes where a page differs from the others.
| College | What its page says about IELTS | Worth noticing |
|---|---|---|
| Science and Engineering | A valid IELTS score of 6.5 or a TOEFL score of 79. | The page is titled Graduate Admissions. HBKU's Arabic version gives the same IELTS and TOEFL figures. |
| Health and Life Sciences | A valid IELTS score of 6.5 or TOEFL score of 79. | Same figures as the Science and Engineering page. |
| Humanities and Social Sciences | A minimum IELTS score of 6.5 or TOEFL 79, and the score must be no more than two years old. | The only one of these lines that sets an age limit for the score. HBKU's Arabic version gives the same figures but not the two-year line. |
| Law | All applicants for any degree programme submit a valid IELTS score of 6.5 or TOEFL score of 79, unless exempt. | Worded for every degree programme in the college. |
| Public Policy | A valid IELTS score of 6.5 or TOEFL score of 79. | Same figures as the Science and Engineering page. |
| Islamic Studies | It depends on the programme: IELTS 6.5 or TOEFL 79 for ten of the twelve programmes listed, a score equivalent to TOEFL 35-45 or IELTS 5 for two. | See the section on Islamic Studies below. |
Five of the six colleges give the same figure: IELTS 6.5, with TOEFL 79 as the alternative. The sixth, Islamic Studies, depends on the programme, and ten of its twelve listed programmes also say 6.5. This is what the pages say now, not a promise of admission at any score.
Reading the number: one figure, and no Academic or General Training
Each IELTS line above gives a single figure: 6.5 for the five colleges, and 6.5 or 5 for the Islamic Studies programmes. None of those sentences mentions separate scores for Listening, Reading, Writing or Speaking; if your programme page or HBKU admissions states a minimum for each skill, follow that. The overall band is the average of the four skill scores, rounded to the nearest half band, so an overall 6.5 can include a lower score in one skill (the IELTS band score calculator shows how).
The lines also say IELTS without naming Academic or General Training. Ask HBKU which version it accepts for your programme before you book; IELTS Academic or General Training explains how the two differ.
How old can the score be? Only one college page says
The College of Humanities and Social Sciences page adds that the IELTS or TOEFL score must be no more than two years old. HBKU's Arabic version of that page gives the same 6.5 and 79 figures but, as read on 24 October 2026, does not repeat the two-year sentence, so use the English page for that line. The lines read for the other colleges say the score must be valid and state no age limit. Do not apply the two-year limit to the other colleges, and do not read a missing limit as meaning there is none. The page does not say when the two years are counted. As a general point, not an HBKU rule, most institutions treat an IELTS result as valid for two years, so if yours is close to that age, ask HBKU admissions how it counts validity for your college before you apply.
College of Islamic Studies: most programmes 6.5, two programmes lower
The College of Islamic Studies page does not give one requirement for the whole college. It sets the English requirement programme by programme in a table of twelve programmes and graduate certificates (the table merges cells, so the 6.5 line appears once across several rows). Two kinds of entry appear:
- Ten programmes: IELTS 6.5 or TOEFL 79, the same figures as the other colleges. They are the PhD in Islamic Finance and Economy, the PhD in Islamic Studies, the MA in Applied Islamic Ethics, the MA in Contemporary Islamic Studies (specialization in Contemporary Islamic Thought), the MA in Clinical Counseling Psychology, the MA in Islam and Global Affairs, the MS in Islamic Art, Architecture and Urbanism, the MS in Islamic Finance, the Graduate Certificate in Islamic Finance and the Graduate Certificate in Islamic Psychology and Psychotherapy.
- Two programmes: a score equivalent to TOEFL 35-45 or IELTS 5, plus proof of Arabic proficiency. They are the MA in Contemporary Islamic Studies (specialization in Fiqh and Society) and the Graduate Certificate in Islamic Studies.
Find your own programme on the page before you plan, and do not carry the IELTS 5 figure to other programmes or colleges. This page does not say what counts as proof of Arabic proficiency, so read the programme's entry and ask HBKU if it is unclear.
Undergraduate entry: what the admissions page says
HBKU's undergraduate admissions page answers a question on test scores by saying that, as of its latest update, an IELTS or TOEFL score is mandatory. The sentence does not give a score, so this page states no undergraduate score and does not assume the college figures above apply to undergraduate entry. The "latest update" hedge is HBKU's own wording, so read the live page. It also lists application dates, which this page does not repeat because they change.
How to send your IELTS result to HBKU
- Check the score. Find your programme on its college page above. For the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, check your result against its two-year line and ask HBKU admissions how the two years are counted.
- Ask your test centre to send the TRF. HBKU's pages say no institution code is needed for IELTS. Instead, ask the IELTS centre where you sat the test to send your Test Report Form (TRF) to HBKU.
- Submit a copy of your scores. The pages also say applicants should submit copies of their test scores with the online application. That is in addition to the TRF the centre sends.
- Ask about exemption early, if it might apply. Five of the six English college pages (not Public Policy) send you to HBKU's admissions site, admissions.hbku.edu.qa, for the language requirement and the process to seek an exemption where one is an option (on the Humanities and Social Sciences page, for its Middle Eastern Studies programmes and the MA in Intercultural Communication). Some HBKU pages also mention an exemption for applicants whose earlier degree came from a university that taught in English: the English Islamic Studies page and the Arabic versions of several college pages. The wording differs by page and programme, so this page states no exemption rule and promises none. Ask HBKU admissions what applies to you before you book a test.
Band Booster IELTS is not a test centre and cannot send a TRF. For what a Qatar venue does with results and collection, see the UDST Testing Centre and the Qatar Aeronautical Academy. IELTS results in Qatar covers results timing, Test Report Forms and remarks.
What this page does not cover
It states no exemption rule, exam fee, tuition fee, application fee or deadline, and covers no other English test (beyond the TOEFL figures beside the IELTS lines), no programme requirement other than English, and no visa or residence rule. HBKU admissions is the place to ask about those.
An admission score is not a visa rule or a promise. HBKU's English requirement is an admission requirement. Visa and residence rules are set by other bodies, and this page gives no visa or immigration advice. Reaching a score does not guarantee admission.
Other universities in Qatar
Each university sets its own number, so do not carry 6.5 over. IELTS for Qatar University master's and PhD programmes reports Qatar University's programme scores, and IELTS for Education City undergraduate programmes compares five campuses. For the general difference between a visa minimum and a university requirement, see IELTS scores for study abroad.
Preparing for a 6.5 target with Mike
Band Booster IELTS is a private tutoring service with no connection to HBKU; it is not a test centre or the exam board and does not register students for IELTS, set exam fees or dates, or issue results. Mike teaches every session himself, one-to-one and live in English on Google Meet. He holds the Cambridge CELTA, is based in Hanoi and scored 8.5 in Speaking in his own IELTS (see about Mike).
A session can cover Listening, Reading, Writing or Speaking, on its own or mixed. Speaking runs Parts 1, 2 and 3 in the real test format with feedback in the moment, and Writing Task 1 and Task 2 are marked against the public band descriptors. See IELTS Speaking coaching and IELTS Writing feedback. If your programme names a score for each skill, tell Mike so that practice can follow it.
Hanoi is 4 hours ahead of Doha all year (see the Doha page), and the booking page shows each slot in your own time zone and your price in your own currency, with the payment options, before you pay. A paid 30-minute trial can be booked once, on a first booking. There is no subscription and no package, and you can reschedule at no charge up to 12 hours before the slot. No band is promised: progress depends on your starting point and the work you do between sessions.
IELTS fees and dates
Band Booster IELTS does not register students for IELTS or set exam fees, so this page quotes no exam fee and no test date. They are set by the test providers and their centres and can change, so check the provider you book with.