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ADMISSIONS REQUIREMENTS CONCERNING ENGLISH LANGUAGE SKILLS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF HELSINKI 2013

The University of Helsinki applies a two-facet demands level for language skills, namely academic level and communication level. The academic level requirement is applied when students must be able to begin their studies in English. The communication level requirement is applied when students must be able to communicate fluently in English at the beginning of their studies and are expected to attain the academic level during their studies. The faculties decide which of the two language skills levels will be required for admission into their application options. Statements by individual language teachers on an applicants language skills are unacceptable, as they cannot be compared with standardised language tests. Means of demonstrating English language skills Upper-secondary education in English in the Nordic Countries (Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Iceland), Great Britain, Ireland, the US, Canada, Australia or New Zealand An International Baccalaureate with English as the A1 language with an approved grade (minimum grade of 2) OR with English as the A2 language with a minimum grade of 5 A European Baccalaureate with English as the LI language with an approved grade (minimum grade of 4) OR with English as the LII language with a minimum grade of 7 A university degree (Bachelors, Masters or polytechnic degree) completed in English in one of the EU/EEA countries or the US, Canada, Australia or New Zealand The faculty may approve as adequate proof of proficiency in English an applicants degree completed in a Finnish university or university of applied sciences which includes foreign language studies in English as defined by the Government Decree on University Degrees A passed language skills test (recognised language tests and their required scores or grades appear below):

Skills level Language test University of Helsinki Language Services test The National Certificate of Language Proficiency TOEFL PBT TOEFL IBT CPE CAE IELTS Academic

Academic level Average: skills level 5 Skills level 5 in at least three subtests 580 92 Pass levels A, B, or C Pass levels A, B, or C 6.5 with a minimum of 5.5 in each of the subtests

Communication level Average: skills level 4 Skills level 4 in all subtests 550 79 Pass levels A, B, or C Pass levels A, B, or C 6.0 with a minimum of 5.5 in each of the subtests

TOEFL PBT: Test of English as a Foreign Language, Paper-Based Test, test result no more than two years old TOEFL IBT: Test of English as a Foreign Language, Internet- Based Test, test result no more than two years old CPE: Certificate of Proficiency in English, completed in 2005 or after CAE: Certificate of Advanced English, completed in 2005 or after IELTS: Academic International English Language Testing System, test result no more than two years old

Faculty-specific exceptions to the language requirements In general all faculties require academic level skills (see the table above), except for the Faculty of Arts which accepts communication-level English skills instead of academic level. Also the Masters Degree Programme in Plant Production Science (MScPPS) in the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry accepts communication-level English skills instead of academic level. In general all faculties, except for the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry, approve as adequate proof of proficiency in English an applicants degree completed in a Finnish university or university of applied sciences which includes foreign language studies in English as defined by the Government Decree on University Degrees. In addition to the means of demonstrating the language skills mentioned in this document, proficiency in English will also be considered sufficient at the Faculty of Law (University of Helsinki) if the applicant has completed the former LLM diploma programme at the Faculty of Law of the University of Helsinki. How to submit a language certificate to University Admissions Finland? If you verify your language skills with your educational degree, the language of instruction must always be indicated clearly on the educational documents. As a rule, language test scores are accepted only if the organisation that has arranged the test sends them directly to University Admissions Finland (UAF). UAF is a centralised application service working for several Finnish universities. If you are applying for more than one programme and you verify your language skills to them with the same language test, University Admissions Finland needs to receive the test result only once. Please note that your language test score must be valid throughout the entire application period. This means that if your language test expires even 1 day before the final application deadline, your language test score will not meet the requirements set by the programme.

Please check the validity of your test score and make arrangements for a new language test well in advance, if necessary. TOEFL The TOEFL code of UAF is 3138 and University Admissions Finland (UAF) should be marked as the recipient. When registering for the test, applicants should give this data. The score slip reaches to UAF three to four weeks after you have been informed of the test score. UAF accepts test scores electronically only if the results come directly from the testing centre. The testee does not have to do anything, University Admissions Finland (UAF) routinely checks the score database weekly. TOEFL scores are valid for two years counting backwards from the end of the application deadline of the University of Helsinki. http://www.ets.org/toefl

IELTS UAF can verify the scores from these tests on an electronic database. The applicant should indicate in the Section 23 of the IELTS registration form that UAF is able to verify the score electronically. The testing centre will then make the score accessible for UAF. As UAF can verify the score also through the individual testee number on the score slip, submitting a plain photocopy of the slip will suffice. For the IELTS test, it usually takes at least 13 days for the result to be published after you have taken the test. IELTS scores are valid for two years counting backwards from the end of the application deadline of the University of Helsinki. http://www.ielts.org

CAE/CPE (Cambridge Advanced/Proficiency Examination) For CAE and CPE, please address the test results to University Admissions Finland. An applicant's copy of the test score is acceptable, as your results will be verified from the test organiser. Include your Candidate's ID and secret code, if applicable (available for tests taken after 2005). If you do not have these codes, you can request them from the testing organisation. If the codes are unavailable, you should ask the test organiser for the Statement of Results from Cambridge ESOL to be sent directly to University Admissions Finland. Test scores sent as e-mail attachments will not be accepted. Please note that only tests taken after 2005 will be accepted. http://www.cambridgeesol.org/index.html University of Helsinki Language Centres Language Services As the scores of these tests are e-mailed to UAF directly, you do not need to submit any other proof of the result. The test is available only for applicants living in Finland. http://www.helsinki.fi/kksc/language.services/english/kielitestit_kv_hakijoille.html

The National Certificate of Language Proficiency Send your test result to University Admissions Finland together with your application. Your results will be verified from the organiser. http://www.oph.fi/english/mobility/testing_language_skills

Admissions Services 29 October, 2012

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