This page reports what two NUS documents say, both read on 24 October 2026: the English Language Test Scores sheet and the international prospectus. Requirements change by intake and programme, so check NUS's own pages for yours. The page is about IELTS only: it quotes no exam fee or test date, gives no visa advice and does not cover postgraduate programmes.
What the NUS sheet says about IELTS
The sheet is marked as updated in September 2026. It lists the tests an applicant may present to meet the English requirement, and IELTS is one of them. This is what its IELTS entry and notes say.
| Point | What the NUS sheet says |
|---|---|
| Which IELTS | IELTS Academic. |
| Minimum score | 6.5 in the Overall, Reading and Writing components. |
| Validity | Two years for IELTS Academic. A note adds that only scores obtained within the validity period before the start of the academic year are accepted. |
| Not accepted | IELTS Indicator scores and One Skill Retake results. |
| Other tests | The sheet lists other tests next to IELTS, including an entry written EL1119 with the grade C6 (see below). |
The prospectus carries a footnote saying that different English Language requirements apply for Law, covered further down.
Overall 6.5 is not enough: check three scores
The IELTS entry names three scores: Overall, Reading and Writing. It does not name Listening or Speaking. The overall band is the average of the four skills, rounded to the nearest half band, so an overall of 6.5 can be reached with Reading or Writing below 6.5, and that result would not meet the sheet. Listening and Speaking are not named, but they still feed into the overall score.
- Overall: 6.5 or higher.
- Reading: 6.5 or higher.
- Writing: 6.5 or higher.
The IELTS band score calculator shows how four skill scores average into an overall band. The entry names no separate minimum for Listening or Speaking; if your programme's own page says otherwise, follow that page.
What is not accepted: IELTS Indicator and One Skill Retake
A note on the IELTS entry says two kinds of result are not accepted:
- IELTS Indicator. If your result is labelled IELTS Indicator, the sheet says it is not accepted, whatever the numbers on it.
- One Skill Retake. If you retook a single skill, the sheet says that result is not accepted.
The second point matters when you plan. Someone whose Writing came in just below 6.5 might think of retaking only Writing instead of sitting the whole test again. On the NUS sheet's wording, a plan for NUS that rests on a single-skill retake does not fit, so ask NUS how it treats your case before you book anything. Our guide to One Skill Retake or a full retake compares the two options in general terms; it is not about NUS.
The sheet's entry is headed IELTS Academic and does not name General Training. If you are thinking of General Training, ask NUS first. IELTS Academic or General Training explains how the two tests differ.
Validity: which scores count
Two statements on the sheet work together. The IELTS Academic entry gives a validity of two years, and a note says only scores obtained within the validity period before the start of the academic year are accepted. The prospectus also says English test scores are valid for two years.
The wording points to the start of the academic year, rather than the day you apply, as the reference point. Two practical checks follow:
- A result from long before your intake may be outside the window by the time the academic year begins.
- A test taken late has to come back in time to be used. IELTS results in Singapore sets out when results arrive and how Test Report Form copies work.
The sheet does not say exactly which day it treats as the start of the academic year, or which date on your result counts as the date the score was obtained, and this page gives no intake dates. Confirm both with NUS. Other universities may word their validity rules differently: see the comparison of Singapore universities.
Who has to submit an English test?
Not every applicant is asked to. The prospectus says that, besides your school qualifications, you may need to submit an English Language Test score or sit the Qualifying English Test (QET). Which applies to you depends on your qualification, and the prospectus lists qualifications one by one. This page does not describe the QET, so read NUS's own information on it.
Two qualification rows, as the prospectus words them
| Qualification | What the prospectus lists with it |
|---|---|
| PRC Gao Kao | Gao Kao completed together with an English test: C1 Advanced, IELTS, PTE Academic or TOEFL. |
| Vietnam National High School Graduation Examination | The examination completed, or being completed, in the year of admission, together with the same four options: C1 Advanced, IELTS, PTE Academic or TOEFL. |
Three cautions. IELTS is one of four tests named in each row, so the prospectus does not make it the only route. The rows apply to those named qualifications only: other qualifications have their own entries, and a qualification missing from this page tells you nothing about its rule. And if you choose IELTS, the sheet's IELTS entry above is where the minimum score is written. Whether and how the rule applies to you is for NUS admissions to confirm.
NUS Law: a different requirement
A footnote in the prospectus says different English Language requirements apply for Law. Law's own entry asks for a high level of proficiency in English and gives IELTS 7.0 as one of several examples. Read that as an example, not a full rule: it gives no component scores and does not say that 7.0 is required or enough. If you are applying for Law, do not rely on the 6.5 on the general sheet; check what NUS Law itself asks for.
"EL1119 C6" and the other tests on the sheet
The sheet lists more than IELTS. One entry reads EL1119 with a minimum of C6. The sheet does not explain the code, this page does not say which qualification it stands for, and it makes no claim that a grade C6 equals any IELTS band. A separate page, IELTS and O-Level English in Singapore, sets out what institutions say about English qualifications next to IELTS.
A short way to check your own case
- Find your qualification in the prospectus and see whether it is listed with an English test.
- If you will use IELTS, open the sheet and note three things: Academic, 6.5 in Overall, Reading and Writing, and the two-year validity.
- Check that your result is an ordinary IELTS Academic result: not IELTS Indicator, and not a One Skill Retake.
- Work back from the start of the academic year you want, and ask NUS about anything the sheet leaves open.
- For Law, read Law's own requirement as well.
- Book the test with IDP or the British Council. IELTS test centres in Singapore and computer-delivered IELTS in Singapore cover where and how.
NUS next to the other Singapore universities
Each Singapore university sets its own score, components and validity wording, so a number from one page tells you nothing about another. The university comparison puts six universities side by side, one row each, and the NTU undergraduate page goes deeper on NTU. For the general difference between a visa minimum and a university requirement, see IELTS scores for study abroad. A Chinese version of this page is also available: NUS 雅思要求.
Preparing for 6.5 in Reading and Writing
Since the sheet names Reading and Writing, those two skills deserve attention, and the overall band still needs all four. Reading is 60 minutes, 40 questions and 3 sections. Writing is 60 minutes: Task 1 asks for at least 150 words and Task 2 for at least 250, and Task 2 counts twice as much as Task 1 in the Writing band.
Band Booster IELTS is a private tutoring service, not NUS, a test centre or the exam board, and it has no connection with NUS. 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. Writing is marked against the public band descriptors, with feedback during the session; see IELTS Writing feedback and IELTS Reading coaching (both written for students in Vietnam). If your target names component scores, tell Mike which ones so that practice can follow them.
The booking page shows each time in your own time zone, and your price in your own currency before you pay. Singapore is in the higher regional price tier, and Singapore is one hour ahead of Hanoi all year (see the online IELTS tutor page for Singapore). 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. Sessions can be recorded on request, and written progress notes appear in your account after each session. 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 fee and no test date. They are set by the test providers, IDP and the British Council, and they can change: check the provider you book with.