Presessional Programme

Who is this course for?

York St John University offers online pre-sessional study, with course durations of 10 weeks (online) or 5 weeks (online), for a September 2025 entry.

What will I learn?

The main themes of the course are:

Academic language development: You will practise listening, speaking, reading and writing skills for communication in academic contexts and develop your language fluency, accuracy and vocabulary.

Academic language and study skills: You will study areas including seminar skills, listening and note-taking, writing essays, approaches to extended reading and delivering oral presentations. You will also learn practical skills for assignments, such as referencing, searching for sources and applying academic style.

York St John University and the campus: The course will also spend time focusing on introducing you to the university and guiding you on integrating into British academic culture and student life in York.

What skills will I develop?

The skills you will practise include:

• Listening and note-taking
• Speaking and seminar skills
• Reading for assignments
• Academic writing
• Referencing and paraphrasing
• Applying an academic style
• Presentation skills

You must be over 18 when you join the programme.

If you are undertaking an undergraduate or postgraduate degree requiring you to achieve IELTS 6.0 to join, you will need to complete either:

• 5 week programme - requires IELTS 5.5 overall, with no skill lower than 5.0
• 10 week programme - requires IELTS 5.0 overall, with no skill lower than 4.5

If your course requires a higher IELTS you will need a higher score to enter the Presessional programme.

You must have an approved English Language Test to apply for the online Presessional. Examples are:

• IELTS Academic
• Pearson
• TOEFL IBT
• Cambridge English Tests
• LanguageCert

You will not need a visa to study the online course.

Course dates

For students starting an undergraduate or postgraduate programme in September 2025 the course dates are as follows:

10-week online:

• Application deadline: Friday 6 June 2025
• Start: Monday 16 June 2025
• Finish: Friday 22 August 2025

5-week online:

• Application deadline: Friday 11 July 2025
• Start: Monday 21 July 2025
• Finish: Friday 22 August 2025

Your enrolment and induction will take place the week before the start of the programme. Further details will be provided within your offer confirmation.

Course fees

• 5 weeks: £1,200
• 8 weeks: £2,000
• 5 weeks: £1,200 (online and overseas)
• 10 weeks: £2,000 (online and overseas)
• 15 weeks: £2,600 (online and overseas)

Register your interest

For further information or to apply, please register your interest in the York St John Presessional programme using the form below.

Register your interest

How to pay

You are able to choose any of the following forms of payment: 

Online payment system

If you wish to pay using our online payment system please follow the instructions on our Online Payment System.

Please note you will need the first 9 digits of your Student ID number which can be found in your acceptance letter.

International bank transfer

If you wish to pay by bank transfer please follow the instructions on our International Bank Transfer page.

Direct transfer from your bank account

You can transfer your payment directly to the University bank account. If you choose this option please make sure you include the first 9 digits of your Student ID number (which can be found in your acceptance letter) in the payment reference so we can identify your payment.

Barclays Bank PLC
York Branch
PO Box 24
York St John University
YO1 8XD

Sort Code: 20-99-15
Account no: 70936324
Name: York St John University
I Ban: GB 75 BARC 2099/1570/9363/24
Swift Number: BARC GB 22