The four universities side by side (read 24 October 2026)
Each row shows what that university's own page or document said when we read it on 24 October 2026. Every figure in the table is for IELTS Academic, and the order is not a ranking. Three of the documents are hosted on the website of the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, but each is the university's own statement and the figures differ from one university to the next. This page does not state a Ministry rule for IELTS.
| University | IELTS figure it lists | Who it applies to, and other rules on the page |
|---|---|---|
| American University in Dubai (AUD) | IELTS Academic 6.5, or TOEFL iBT 79, or TOEFL ITP 550. | Undergraduate admissions. A minimum of IELTS Academic 6 (or TOEFL iBT 68 or ITP 520) means acceptance as a degree candidate, enrolled in ENGL100 Developmental English. Sources: AUD's undergraduate admissions page and the document whose file name reads 2025-2026 (Fall 2025) on the Ministry's website. |
| City University Ajman | IELTS Academic 5.0, 6.0 or 5.5, depending on the programme and the applicant (see below). | The university's own document, submitted to the Ministry on 10 January 2025. It says the university revised its admission criteria in accordance with Ministerial Decree No. (19) of 2024. Source: City University Ajman's revised admission requirements. |
| Ajman University | IELTS Academic 5.0 as the equivalent of 80% in Grade 12 English (programmes taught in English); 5.0 for Bachelor of Dental Surgery; 6.0 for Doctor of Medicine. | Undergraduate admission process page. Source: Ajman University, undergraduate admission process. |
| Dubai Institute of Design and Innovation (DIDI) | IELTS (Academic) 6.0, or TOEFL iBT 80. | Transfer applicants, with a possible exemption for some (see below). Source: DIDI's admission requirement document on the Ministry's website (its file name says 2025). |
The table gives each source's English line for the group it names. The sources set other requirements as well, and some list exemptions or other routes, so treat the table as a starting point, not as your own requirement.
How to read these figures
- There is no single score. The figures run from 5.0 to 6.5 across the four universities, and inside one university they change with the programme or the applicant.
- The group you belong to matters. AUD's figures are for undergraduate admissions, City University Ajman's 5.0 is for applicants from a non-MOE, non-English curriculum, and DIDI's 6.0 is for transfer applicants. A line written for one group says nothing about another.
- IELTS is not the only test named. All four list a TOEFL score beside the IELTS one. Whether another test suits you is a question for the university.
- A score is not an offer. It is an English requirement; admission depends on the university's other requirements and its decision, and nothing on this page guarantees a place.
- Documents age. The documents carry different dates (see the table), so read the page or document for your own intake before you book a test.
This page covers university English requirements only. A student visa has its own rule, set by the government that issues it, and meeting a university's score does not mean you meet a visa's, or the reverse. This page gives no visa or immigration advice; for the difference in general, see IELTS scores for study abroad.
American University in Dubai: 6.5, and what a 6 means
AUD's own undergraduate admissions page and the Ministry-hosted document whose file name reads 2025-2026 (Fall 2025) both list IELTS Academic 6.5, or TOEFL iBT 79, or TOEFL ITP 550; the document says this applies to any AUD undergraduate programme. The figures on the two matched when we read both on 24 October 2026. The text of the document carries no year of its own, so check AUD's page for your own intake.
Both also describe a lower route: students who reach a minimum of 6 on Academic IELTS (or 68 on TOEFL iBT, as the live page and the admissions section of the document give it, or 520 on TOEFL ITP) are accepted as degree candidates but enrolled in ENGL100 Developmental English. So on these pages a 6 and a 6.5 lead to different starting points. What ENGL100 involves is for AUD to explain. The document's ENGL100 course section gives 69 for TOEFL iBT, so if you plan to use TOEFL, check that figure with AUD.
The document also lists exemptions from submitting test scores for some applicants, and says applicants below the minimums may be placed in an English Bridge programme and cannot register for degree courses. Ask AUD admissions which route, if any, applies to you.
City University Ajman: three figures in one document
City University Ajman's document is headed as revised admission requirements for undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, and its cover says it was submitted to the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research on 10 January 2025. The text says the university revised its admission criteria in accordance with Ministerial Decree No. (19) of 2024, which it describes as establishing admission requirements for higher education institutions in the UAE. We have not read the decree, so we cannot say which parts of the figures below, if any, come from it.
- IELTS Academic 5.0 is the line for applicants from a non-MOE, non-English curriculum (MOE stands for Ministry of Education). It appears in the Dentistry and College of Technology undergraduate entries.
- IELTS Academic 6.0 is the line where the applicant's bachelor's degree was in a non-English language. We found it in the Master of Business Administration entry.
- IELTS Academic 5.5 appears in the same Master of Business Administration entry, in the conditional-admission rules for applicants whose bachelor's degree was in a non-English language, with further conditions that this page does not list. In the document we found it only in that entry.
The document is organised programme by programme, and the English line can differ from one entry to the next, so these three figures are not a rule for every programme at the university. Read the entry for your own programme.
Ajman University: 5.0 as the equivalent of 80% in Grade 12 English, 6.0 for Doctor of Medicine
Ajman University's undergraduate admission process page sets three English requirements, and each one names IELTS Academic:
- All programmes taught in English: a minimum of 80% in Grade 12 English, or its equivalent. The page gives the equivalent as 5.0 IELTS Academic, or a TOEFL ITP score of 500 or iBT 61.
- Bachelor of Dental Surgery: 5.0 IELTS Academic, or TOEFL ITP 500, iBT 61 or equivalent.
- Doctor of Medicine: 6.0 IELTS Academic, TOEFL ITP 550, iBT 79 or equivalent.
The Doctor of Medicine line is a full band above the general one. Check the page for your own programme, because pages like this change.
Dubai Institute of Design and Innovation: the transfer-applicant line
DIDI's admission requirement document lists, for transfer applicants, a minimum of IELTS (Academic) 6.0 or TOEFL iBT 80. A note on that line adds that scores are valid for two calendar years only and should be taken from an approved testing centre. The same section says students who have passed an English subject (grade C or above) at their initial university are not required to submit an English proficiency test, provided DIDI approves and transfers that course. The general English table in the document also lists IELTS 6.0 (it does not say Academic) and other tests, and the document says applicants whose language of instruction is English may be exempt from the test. Check which rule applies to you.
DIDI words the validity two ways: the transfer note says two calendar years only, while the general table says IELTS is valid for 2 years from the date of result declaration, so ask DIDI's admissions office how it counts before you rely on a result. This page does not say which centres DIDI treats as approved, so ask DIDI before you book a test; for how venues in the UAE are listed, see IELTS test venues across the UAE.
Which IELTS test, and how the overall band works
The figures in the table name IELTS Academic. Speaking is the same format in Academic and General Training, but Writing Task 1 differs: in Academic you describe a chart, graph, table, diagram or process, and in General Training you write a letter; see IELTS Academic or General Training. An overall band is the average of the four skill scores, rounded to the nearest half band, with a .25 remainder rounding up to the next half band, and the band score calculator does the sum. Whether a university also looks at your four skill scores is for its admissions office to say.
What this page does not cover
- Public universities and colleges set their own figures: see IELTS scores at UAE public universities and colleges.
- Other private universities are not covered; this page reports only the four above.
- Retakes. This page does not cover whether a university accepts a One Skill Retake result, so ask before you rely on one; see One Skill Retake or a full retake.
- Test registration, fees and dates. Band Booster IELTS does not register students for IELTS or set exam fees or test dates, so this page quotes no exam fee or test date. For venues, see IELTS test venues across the UAE and computer-delivered IELTS in Dubai and the UAE.
Preparing for the score your university lists
Band Booster IELTS is a private tutoring service, not a university, a test centre or the exam board, and it is independent of the four universities named here. 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 (Task 1 and Task 2, marked against the public band descriptors) or Speaking (Parts 1, 2 and 3 in the real test format, with feedback during the session); see IELTS Speaking coaching for the UAE.
The booking page shows each time 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; you can reschedule at no charge up to 12 hours before a session; and there is no subscription and no package. 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. See also online IELTS tutor for Dubai and the UAE and online IELTS tutor by country.