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IELTS requirements at UAE, Qatar and Saudi universities

AUS and AUD ask for IELTS Academic 6.5, Khalifa University 6.0, Qatar University 5.5 and UAE University 5.0 (5.5 for Medicine), while Zayed University lists TOEFL and Grade 12 English but not IELTS.

ملخص بالعربية

IELTS Academic needed

6.5

TOEFL ITP 550 also counts.

Your scores against American University of Sharjah's minimums
  • IELTS Academic–needs 6.5
  • Your score
  • Published minimum
American University of Sharjah: All bachelor's degrees
SAT and ACTAmerican-curriculum applicants must send SAT Math 450 or higher before they can join.
EnglishIELTS Academic 6.5 or TOEFL iBT 80. TOEFL ITP 550 also counts.
MathematicsSAT Math 450. Compulsory for American-curriculum applicants, inside or outside the UAE.
AlsoAbout 85% in the final school year (or the best two of the last three) is the guideline; some majors ask for more.
AlsoEngineering needs Mathematics and Physics at B or better.

Read the rule: American University of Sharjah, Bachelor's degrees: application requirements.

Your result

IELTS Academic needed: 6.5. TOEFL ITP 550 also counts.

Aim for IELTS 6.5

Start with the free lesson: Reading, Listening, Writing and Speaking in one short tour, marked as you go.

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Questions people ask

Which UAE universities accept IELTS?

American University of Sharjah (6.5), American University in Dubai (6.5, or 6.0 with a developmental English course), Khalifa University (6.0) and UAE University (5.0, or 5.5 for Medicine) publish IELTS minimums. Zayed University lists TOEFL and Grade 12 English but not IELTS.

Does Zayed University accept IELTS?

Not on its 2026-27 list. Zayed University asks for 80% in Grade 12 English or TOEFL iBT 72 taken at a test centre (85% or 79 for Intelligence Systems Engineering).

Is EmSAT English still needed?

No. The UAE cancelled EmSAT as a Grade 12 requirement. Some catalogues still print an EmSAT figure, but universities now name their own tests.

Does IELTS General Training count?

No. University admission uses IELTS Academic. AUS and AUD say IELTS Academic by name.

How we work this out

What it does

The IELTS band each university publishes, and which ones do not list IELTS at all.

Undergraduate English rules published by 11 universities in the UAE, Qatar and Saudi Arabia for 2025-26, 2026-27 or fall 2027 entry.

Method

  1. Each rule is copied from the university's own catalogue, admissions page or the admission criteria it filed with the UAE Ministry of Higher Education, linked under the answer.
  2. Your overall IELTS Academic band is compared with the published minimum.
  3. Where a university lists other tests but not IELTS, or names no minimum, the page says exactly that.

Sources

Checked .