English Language Requirements for International Applicants

As a general requirement, applicants to International Master's Programmes must document proficiency in English at an advanced level through an international test/exam, recognized by the University of Stavanger.

Published 04. Sep. 2020. Updated on 03. Oct. 2025

Accepted English Proficiency Tests

Exemptions from the English Requirements

Submitting English Language Tests

Late Submission of Test Results

Accepted English Proficiency Tests

English test results must be no more than two years old at the time of application. The Cambridge English Qualifications is the only exception, for which there is no expiry date.

TOEFL iBT - Test of English as a Foreign Language

A minimum score of 90 with a writing section minimum score of 22. Institution code: 8467
UiS does NOT accept MyBest Scores.
UiS does NOT accept the TOEFL Essentials nor TOEFL ITP tests
UiS does NOT accept the TOEFL iBT Home Edition

IELTS Academic - International English Language Testing System

A minimum overall band score of 6.5 with a writing section minimum score of 6.0
UiS does not accept IELTS General, IELTS Indicator nor IELTS online.
UiS does not accept IELTS One Skill Retake

PTE Academic - Pearson Test of English Academic

A minimum overall score of 62 with a writing section minimum score of 53
UiS accepts the PTE Academic Online

Cambridge English Qualifications

C1 Advanced (CAE) or C2 Proficiency (CPE).

Exemptions from English Proficiency Requirements

You may be exempt if one or more of the criteria is met:

Applicants who have completed at least one year of high school or university studies in Australia, Canada, Ireland, UK, USA or New Zealand. The place of instruction must have been in one of these countries and the language of instruction must have been English.
Applicants who have completed a Bachelor's degree or one year of a Master's degree (60 ECTS) with English as the language of instruction in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, or Sweden.
Applicants who have completed and passed English courses (140 hours per year / 5 hours per week) at the Norwegian upper secondary school, with a minimum grade of 4.
Applicants who have English as "language 1" or "language 2" on European Baccalaureate Diploma (EB).
Applicants who have completed the International Baccalaureate Diploma/Certificate (IB)

Official documentation to prove that you meet one of the above mentioned criteria must be provided in the application.

You may be exempt if you completed secondary school in one of the following countries:

Please refer to the country list for detailed information on whether you qualify for an exemption. Official documentation must be provided in the application

Australia
Austria
Belgium
Bulgaria
Cameroon (English-speaking region)
Canada
Denmark
Estonia
Ethiopia
Finland
France
Germany
Ghana
Hong Kong
Hungary
Iceland
Ireland
Kenya
Latvia
Lithuania
Macao
New Zealand
Nigeria
Poland
Romania
Singapore
Slovakia
Slovenia
South Africa
Sweden
Switzerland
Tanzania
The Netherlands
The United Kingdom
The United States of America
Uganda
Zimbabwe

You may be exempt if you have university education in one of the following countries:

If you have studied for at least one year (corresponding to 60 ECTS) with English as the language of instruction in one of the following countries, you will be exempt. Official documentation must be provided in the application.

Australia
Canada
Ireland
New Zealand
The United Kingdom
The United States of America
The Philippines* - NB! you must have a completed bachelor's degree taught in English in Philippines. This must be stated on the educational documents or you must have a confirmation from your university.

Submitting English Language Tests for International Applicants

Upload your English proficiency score report as a PDF file to your online application on Søknadsweb within the application deadline.

Non-EU/EEA applicants: 1 December 2025
EU applicants: 1 March 2026

If you are a local applicant, please contact the Admission Office (masteropptak@uis.no) for more information about late delivery of documents.

The Faculty of Performing Arts has different deadlines. If you are applying for studies at the Faculty of Performing Arts, please contact the Local Admission Office at the Faculty of Performing Arts (music-dance@uis.no).

Late submission of the English Proficiency Test Results for International Applicants

If you cannot deliver your English test results by the application deadline, you can get an extension to submit your English test results by following the instructions below:

Upload a copy of your test registration receipt as a PDF to your online application, within the application deadline.
As soon as you receive your English test result, submit it by email to admissions@uis.no together with your application number.

The deadline to submit your late English test results by email is 1 February 2026 for non-EU/EEA applicants.
The deadline to submit your late English test results by email is 1 May 2026 for EU applicants.

If you are a local applicant, please contact the Admission Office (masteropptak@uis.no) for more information about late delivery of documents.

The Faculty of Performing Arts has different deadlines. If you are applying for studies at the Faculty of Performing Arts, please contact the Local Admission Office at the Faculty of Performing Arts (music-dance@uis.no).

Admission Requirements

Contact Us

International Admissions team

Prospective students can reach out to the International Admissions team with queries related to the admission process. We do not offer individual assessments on your admission eligibility before applying. We encourage you to apply if you believe yourself to be eligible according to the admission requirements outlined. Please provide your application number if possible when contacting us.

Email

admissions@uis.no

Telephone

+47 5183 1235

International admission