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PTE Academic · Guides · October 30, 2026 · 8 min read

PTE score for universities 2026: official minimums at 13 universities in 5 countries

A row of university buildings with columns and towers, with a graduation cap, a headset and a globe in front

Most universities that accept PTE Academic ask for an overall score between 58 and 65 for a standard course, plus a minimum in each of the four communicative skills, usually between 50 and 60. Popular and professional courses ask for more, often 69 to 72 overall. The table below gives the official minimums at 13 universities in Australia, the UK, Canada, New Zealand and the USA, each taken from the university’s own page and checked on 30 October 2026. Treat it as a starting point: the course page always has the final word, and a few universities do not accept PTE for some programmes at all.

Minimum PTE Academic scores at 13 universities

University Country Level or programme Overall Each skill (L / R / W / S)
University of Melbourne Australia Level 1, the standard level 64 at least 60 in each
University of Sydney Australia standard requirement (IELTS 6.5, no band below 6.0) 64 at least 60 in each
Monash University Australia minimum requirement 58 no skill below 50
University of Western Australia Australia minimum standard 64 no skill below 60
Imperial College London UK standard level 62 at least 56 in each
King’s College London UK Band D (sciences, engineering, nursing and others) 62 at least 59 in each
University of Glasgow UK MSc Computing Science 65 R 60, L 60, S 65, W 68 (or another listed combination)
University of Toronto Canada undergraduate 65 no part below 60
University of British Columbia Canada undergraduate 65 at least 60 in each
University of Auckland New Zealand postgraduate minimum 58 no skill below 50
Arizona State University USA graduate 60 no skill minimum stated
NYU Tandon School of Engineering USA graduate 65 no skill minimum stated
McGill University Canada graduate programmes PTE not accepted —

Sources are listed at the end of the article. “Each skill” means the PTE communicative skill scores for Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking.

Higher levels at the same universities

Many universities have a ladder of English levels, and the course page tells you which one applies. Some examples from the same official pages:

University Higher level Overall Each skill
University of Melbourne Level 2 72 L 64, R 64, W 65, S 66
University of Melbourne Level 3 78 L 72, R 72, W 75, S 76
University of Western Australia higher standard 70 no skill below 64
Imperial College London higher level 69 at least 62 in each
King’s College London Band B (business, law, social science and others) 69 at least 62 in each
King’s College London Band C 69 R and W 62, L and S 59

Two patterns are worth noticing. First, a course with a “higher” requirement often adds 6 to 8 points overall and about the same per skill. Second, since Pearson updated PTE Academic in August 2025, some universities set different minimums for different skills (Melbourne, King’s Band C, Glasgow) instead of one number for all four. Check every skill on your score report against the course, not just the overall score.

Australia

All four Australian universities above accept PTE Academic taken at a test centre. Melbourne and Sydney both treat 64 overall with 60 in each skill as their standard level, which is the PTE equivalent of IELTS 6.5 with no band below 6.0 in Sydney’s concordance table (July 2026). Monash is lower at 58 overall with no skill below 50, and UWA matches Melbourne for its minimum standard.

Melbourne adds conditions that catch people out: the score must come from one sitting, from a test centre, within 24 months of when you plan to start, and online or at-home versions are not accepted. Sydney says all English tests must be no more than two years old at the course start date.

Your student visa has its own, lower PTE requirement. You need to meet both; see PTE for an Australian student visa.

UK

Imperial and King’s both accept PTE Academic and PTE Academic UKVI taken at a test centre; King’s says it does not accept PTE Academic Online, and Imperial lists only the test-centre and UKVI versions. Glasgow sets English requirements per programme; the MSc Computing Science example shows how detailed this can get, with a Writing minimum higher than the Reading and Listening ones.

For degree-level courses, UK universities can assess your English themselves, which is why a plain PTE Academic result is usually fine. For a pre-sessional course or a course below degree level, you will usually need PTE Academic UKVI. The rules are in PTE for a UK visa.

Canada

Toronto and UBC both ask undergraduates for 65 overall with 60 in each skill, and Toronto also accepts PTE Academic UKVI results. Graduate requirements are set by each programme and are often higher. McGill is the warning case: its graduate admissions page says PTE is not accepted for graduate programmes, so a PTE score will not help you there.

For admission in Canada you need PTE Academic. PTE Core is for immigration (Express Entry, PGWP, citizenship), not for university entry. See PTE for Canada and PTE Core vs PTE Academic.

New Zealand

The University of Auckland’s postgraduate minimum is 58 overall with no communicative skill below 50, and it also accepts PTE Academic UKVI. Some programmes ask for more because of professional registration. Immigration rules for New Zealand are covered in PTE for New Zealand.

USA

US universities tend to state one overall PTE score and leave skill minimums out. Arizona State University asks graduate applicants for at least 60 and does not accept PTE Academic Online. NYU Tandon School of Engineering asks graduate applicants for 65.

In the US it is especially important to check that PTE is accepted at all. Harvard’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, for example, lists only TOEFL iBT and IELTS Academic as test options for English proficiency. Many US programmes accept PTE, but some still do not.

How to read a university’s PTE requirement

  1. Find the course page, not just the general page. The general English page gives the minimum; the course page gives the level that applies to you.
  2. Check the overall score and each skill. “64 overall with no skill below 60” fails if you have 70 overall and 58 in Writing.
  3. Check which versions count. Most universities accept PTE Academic and PTE Academic UKVI from a test centre. Online versions are often excluded.
  4. Check the date window. Many universities want the test to be no more than two years old at the course start date, not at the application date. The window varies: Monash allows three years, and Glasgow allows two years and five months.
  5. Check whether one sitting is required. Melbourne and King’s, for example, require all scores to come from a single test.
  6. Then check the visa rule separately. Universities and immigration departments set different requirements.

For booking and result times, see PTE test centres and booking and how long PTE results take. For how the scale compares with IELTS, see the PTE score chart.

Common questions

What is a good PTE score for university admission? For most standard courses, 58 to 65 overall with 50 to 60 in each skill. For competitive or professional courses, plan for 69 to 72 or more.

What PTE score do I need for the University of Melbourne? 64 overall with at least 60 in each skill at the standard Level 1; many courses use Level 2 (72 overall) or higher.

What PTE score does the University of Sydney require? Its standard requirement converts to 64 overall with at least 60 in each skill on its July 2026 concordance table.

Is PTE accepted at US universities? At many, such as Arizona State University (60) and NYU Tandon (65 for graduate study), but not everywhere. Check the programme page.

Is a PTE score of 58 enough for a master’s? At Monash and at the University of Auckland’s postgraduate minimum, yes, with no skill below 50. At Melbourne, Sydney and UWA, no: the standard is 64.

Practise for the skill minimums

University requirements usually fail on one skill, most often Writing or Speaking. In the Nomto trainer, all 22 task types run in exam timing, with the tone and the 3-second microphone cut-off on spoken tasks. Spoken and written answers get AI feedback on content, fluency and pronunciation with an approximate 10–90 estimate, and Reading and Listening are marked by key with partial credit and negative marking. Take a full mock test and compare its four-skill report with the table for your course.

Sources

All checked on 30 October 2026.

PTE Academic™ is a trademark of Pearson. Nomto is independent and not affiliated with or endorsed by Pearson.