The short answer: there is no single score, only what each institution states
UAEU, Khalifa, Zayed, Sharjah and HCT do not share one IELTS requirement. On their own pages, read on 24 October 2026, the IELTS figures recorded below run from 4.0 to 6.5, and the same university can state different figures for different levels or applicant groups. This page sets out what UAE University (UAEU), Khalifa University, Zayed University, the University of Sharjah and the Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT) say, and for whom each statement is made. A separate page covers IELTS scores at private UAE universities. We do not describe any institution's ownership or status.
These are the institutions' own statements, not admission advice. Requirements change and can differ by programme, so the programme page and the admissions office have the last word. A score at or above a figure here does not guarantee admission.
Read on the institutions' own pages on 24 October 2026, except where a source carries its own date. Open the linked page before you rely on a figure. This page quotes no test fee or test date.
| Institution and page | Level or applicant group | What the page states about IELTS |
|---|---|---|
| UAEU, international students and children of UAEU employees | Students in this group (college tables) | Each of the nine college tables read gives the English requirement as 90% in high-school English or its equivalent, and lists IELTS (Academic) 5.5 points among the equivalent tests, alongside TOEFL ITP and TOEFL iBT figures. |
| UAEU, undergraduate admissions | Group named in the page heading: UAE nationals and children of Emirati mothers | IELTS (Academic) 5.0 points for several undergraduate tracks and 5.5 points for the Doctor in Medicine programme. These are not the international-students figures. |
| UAEU, Master's admission | Master's programmes delivered predominantly in English | IELTS Academic of at least 6.0, with a result less than two years old at the time of application (the page lists exceptions). Conditional admission at 5.5 comes with conditions, including reaching 6.0 by the end of the first semester. |
| Khalifa University, FAQ dated 29 May 2025 | All applicants | Academic IELTS 6.0 or TOEFL iBT 79. |
| Khalifa University, undergraduate admissions | Undergraduate | The mandatory English test score is IELTS Academic 6.0 or TOEFL iBT 79. |
| Khalifa University, postgraduate admissions | Postgraduate | Overall academic IELTS 6.5 (or TOEFL iBT 91). |
| Khalifa University, FAQ dated 15 November 2019 | General FAQ answer on minimum English requirements | Academic IELTS overall band score 6.5, and the test must have been taken during the 24 months preceding the application. |
| Zayed University, graduate admission requirements | Graduate programmes taught in English | IELTS (Academic) overall band score of not less than 6.0, or 5.5 for conditional admission. |
| Zayed University, same page | Graduate programmes taught in Arabic | IELTS (Academic) overall band score of not less than 4.0. |
| University of Sharjah, undergraduate admission FAQs | Undergraduate admission | Accepts Academic IELTS. English test results are valid two years from the test date and must be approved by its Language Institute. This page records no band figure from it. |
| HCT, international admissions | Bachelor and diploma programmes | TOEFL iBT 61 (bachelor) and TOEFL iBT 57 (diploma). No IELTS score is named on the page. |
UAE University: three pages, three different figures
UAEU shows why one number would mislead. The same university gives 5.5 on the page for international students and children of UAEU employees, 5.0 or 5.5 on the page headed for UAE nationals and children of Emirati mothers, and a higher 6.0 on the Master's page. On the international page the English requirement is 90% in high-school English or its equivalent, and IELTS (Academic) 5.5 points is listed among the equivalent tests. Do not read one page's tables into another group.
The undergraduate admissions page (the one headed for UAE nationals) and the international-students page both name tests UAEU does not accept: IELTS Indicator tests, TOEFL Home Edition, TOEFL ITP taken outside the UAE, and the Duolingo test. This page has not checked whether the Master's page repeats the list. The practical point is to confirm that your result is an IELTS Academic result and that your test is not on that list. For test venues in Al Ain and a second look at UAEU's English requirements, see IELTS in Al Ain.
Khalifa University: the pages differ, so read the date
Khalifa University's own pages do not agree on one figure. The 2025 FAQ says “all applicants” and 6.0, and the undergraduate page agrees, while the postgraduate page and the 2019 FAQ both say 6.5. This page cannot reconcile them from the pages read, and it records no publication date for the undergraduate or postgraduate pages. Of the Khalifa lines used here, only the 2019 FAQ gives a rule on how old a result may be. Our general advice, not the university's instruction: ask Khalifa which figure applies to your programme and keep the reply.
Zayed University: the language of the programme changes the figure
Zayed University's graduate admission requirements page gives two figures, depending on the language the programme is taught in: 6.0 (or 5.5 for conditional admission) for English, and 4.0 for Arabic. This page has no Zayed undergraduate figure, so it states none; read Zayed's undergraduate admission pages for that level. What conditions come with the 5.5 for conditional admission is a question for Zayed.
University of Sharjah: validity and approval, not a band figure
The University of Sharjah's undergraduate admission FAQs say it accepts Academic IELTS, that results are valid for two years from the test date, and that they must be approved by its Language Institute. The lines read for this page give no band figure, so the page states none. Look up the figure for your programme on the university's own pages and ask what the approval involves.
Higher Colleges of Technology: TOEFL figures, no IELTS score named
HCT's international-admissions page lists TOEFL iBT 61 for bachelor programmes and TOEFL iBT 57 for diploma programmes, and names no IELTS score there. That is silence on one page, not a rule against IELTS, so this page states no HCT IELTS figure. If you hold an IELTS result, ask HCT what it accepts for your programme before you rely on it. TOEFL scores use a different scale, and this page converts none.
How old can a result be?
Three statements above set an age limit for a result, and they are worded differently:
- UAEU Master's: a result less than two years old at the time of application (the page lists exceptions).
- University of Sharjah: two years from the test date.
- Khalifa University (FAQ dated 15 November 2019): a test taken during the 24 months preceding the application.
The three statements count from different points: UAEU from the time of application, the University of Sharjah from the test date, and the 2019 Khalifa FAQ back from the application. Two years is also the validity most institutions apply to IELTS scores, but another institution may count differently. If your test is close to two years old, ask before you apply.
Overall band or each skill? How to read the figures
IELTS scores run from 0 to 9 in half-band steps for each of Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking. The overall band is the average of the four, rounded to the nearest half band: a .25 remainder rounds up to the next half band and a .75 remainder rounds up to the next whole band. The Zayed lines, Khalifa's postgraduate line and Khalifa's 2019 FAQ say “overall”; whether a programme also sets a minimum for individual skills is not covered by what this page reads, so check the programme page. The IELTS band score calculator shows how four skill scores become an overall band.
Every page above that states an IELTS figure names the Academic version (Khalifa's 2019 FAQ writes “academic IELTS”). General Training is a different version of the test; see Academic or General Training.
Admission requirements are not visa rules
The figures above are what universities and colleges state for admission. A visa or residence rule is a separate matter set by a different body, and meeting one does not mean you meet the other. This page covers no UAE visa rule and gives no visa or immigration advice. For how visa and university figures differ elsewhere, see IELTS scores for study abroad (Australia, Canada and the UK; not the UAE).
A short checklist before you book the test
- Find your own row: the institution, the level, the applicant group and the language the programme is taught in.
- Open the linked page and check its date: Khalifa's pages show older and newer wording side by side.
- Where two pages disagree, ask the university which figure applies to your programme, and keep the reply.
- Check that your test version is the one the page names (IELTS Academic) and that it is not one UAEU lists as not accepted.
- Compare the age of your result with the institution's wording, then book the test with a test provider: Band Booster does not register students. To compare venues, see IELTS test venues across the UAE, emirate by emirate.
Where Band Booster IELTS fits
Band Booster IELTS is a private online tutor, not a university, a test centre or an admissions adviser. It is independent of IDP, the British Council and Cambridge University Press & Assessment, and it does not register you for the test, set test fees or test dates, or issue results.
Mike holds the Cambridge CELTA, is based in Hanoi and scored 8.5 in Speaking in his own IELTS. He teaches every lesson himself, one-to-one and live on Google Meet in English. Once you know the figure your programme asks for, lessons can work on Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking: Speaking is practised in 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 about Mike, IELTS Speaking coaching and IELTS Writing feedback.
The booking calendar shows each slot in your own time zone, and the page for Dubai and the UAE sets out the time difference with Hanoi. The UAE is in the higher regional price tier, and the booking page shows your price in your own currency before you pay. A paid 30-minute trial can be taken once, on your first booking, and you can reschedule at no charge up to 12 hours before a session. No band or admission is guaranteed: progress depends on your starting point and the work you do between sessions. Living in Abu Dhabi or Sharjah? See Abu Dhabi and Sharjah. Studying from another country? See online IELTS tutor by country.