Reviewed by the finduni team · Last verified 15 September 2026 · Sources: IDP Nepal: IELTS for UKVI, GOV.UK: Secure English Language Tests, GOV.UK: Student visa, knowledge of English, Home Affairs: English language requirements
What is IELTS for UKVI?
IELTS for UKVI is a version of IELTS approved by the UK Home Office as a Secure English Language Test (SELT). IELTS for UKVI tests are accepted by UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) as proof of English to live, work or study in the UK. Source: IDP Nepal, IELTS for UKVI.
What sets it apart from standard IELTS Academic is the extra security around the test, and the fact that the Home Office recognises the result as a SELT.
It must be taken in person at an IELTS for UKVI centre
UKVI only accepts IELTS for UKVI taken in person at an official IELTS for UKVI test centre, because it requires an extra layer of security.
So a standard IELTS Academic result, even from a well-known centre, is not an IELTS for UKVI result. When you book, check that the test you are paying for is named IELTS for UKVI and that the centre is an official IELTS for UKVI centre. Ask IDP which IELTS for UKVI options are available in Nepal for your dates.
When you need it and when IELTS Academic may be enough
For a UK Student visa you have to show English at a set level: CEFR B2 for degree-level study and CEFR B1 below degree level. Source: GOV.UK, Student visa: knowledge of English.
For degree-level study, your university (a Higher Education Provider) can assess your English itself, at a level equivalent to CEFR B2. In that case the university decides what evidence it accepts, which may include standard IELTS Academic.
- Degree-level course, and the university assesses your English itself: IELTS Academic may be enough. Get the university's accepted tests and scores in writing, from the course page or your offer letter.
- Course below degree level, or your university asks for a SELT: the university assessment route above covers degree-level study only, so plan on a test from the approved SELT list below, such as IELTS for UKVI.
- Not sure: ask the university's international admissions team which test it accepts for your course before you book. Booking the wrong IELTS is an expensive way to find out.
The UK Student visa guide for Nepali students covers the rest of the application, including where your English evidence fits.
Approved SELT providers outside the UK
IELTS for UKVI is one of several approved tests. The Home Office lists these providers and tests for applicants outside the UK. Source: GOV.UK, approved Secure English Language Tests.
| Provider | Approved tests |
|---|---|
| IELTS SELT Consortium | IELTS for UKVI, IELTS Life Skills |
| LANGUAGECERT | LANGUAGECERT International ESOL SELT, LANGUAGECERT Academic SELT, LANGUAGECERT General SELT |
| Pearson | PTE Academic UKVI, PTE Home |
| PSI Services (UK) Ltd | Skills for English UKVI |
If you are weighing IELTS for UKVI against Pearson's approved test, read PTE Academic UKVI in Nepal.
What about Duolingo?
The Duolingo English Test is not a UK-approved Secure English Language Test (SELT). Some UK universities accept it for admission to degree-level study, where the university assesses your English itself at CEFR B2. That is each university's decision.
So Duolingo can only work where your university is assessing your English itself and has told you it accepts Duolingo. Where you need a SELT, it cannot stand in for one.
Booking and preparing
finduni.ai's booking page does not currently list IELTS for UKVI, so if you need it, book it directly with an IELTS for UKVI centre. The score you need is set by your university for your course, so confirm it before you choose a date.
English is not the only thing a UK university checks. If yours runs a pre-CAS interview, practise answering questions about your course, university and plans aloud with the pre-CAS mock interview.