As we approach the summer and the attention of admissions teams turns to converting offers into enrolments, English language requirements are a key concern for both students and institutions. In today’s post, we’re exploring the role pre-sessional English courses can play in easing the pressure ahead of the start of term.
For students and universities alike, summer is crunch time. As offer-holders wait for final decisions, complete their visa paperwork and start planning what to pack for the next chapter of their lives, many have an extra hurdle standing in the way: English language requirements. And as the students themselves contend with these stresses, the pressure is on universities, too, with the conversion of offers to enrolments under threat from delayed visa processing, drop-offs and unmet English language requirements.
Pre-sessional English programmes can help to alleviate some of this pressure by supporting students with borderline language abilities to improve their skills sufficiently to enrol. More than just language courses, these programmes are proving to be a powerful conversion and onboarding tool for universities. Why?
The need for pre-sessional English
Every admissions team knows that the meeting of language requirements has a big bearing on their ability to convert and retain conditional offer-holders. Indeed, many students who don’t meet English conditions by July are at risk of deferring or dropping out entirely, leaving universities with a last-minute scrabble to fill remaining places.
To counter this, many institutions are now using the summer months to provide support to these students, helping them bring their language skills up to the level required with the help of high-quality, flexible pre-sessional English courses. These give students the confidence and motivation to continue, keeping them in the pipeline and also helping agents to secure last-minute enrolments. Let’s delve into the benefits in more detail.
How pre-sessional English courses benefit students
From an international student’s point of view, there’s more to meeting language requirements than achieving a particular score on a test – though that’s what their offer hinges on, of course. As well as preparing them for the language skills they’ll need in an academic context, pre-sessional English courses help students adapt to the culture of their chosen study destination, both academically and socially, building their confidence in speaking, writing and listening.
Not only does this prepare them for academic expectations – whether that’s how to write references or the vocabulary they’ll need to participate in group activities and give presentations – but it also helps them make early peer connections, so that they can ‘hit the ground running’ socially as well as linguistically as soon as they arrive.
Students who complete pre-sessional English courses often feel more prepared and engaged than direct entrants, minimising the risk of drop-outs and ensuring that they can contribute positively and on an equal playing field with ‘native’ speakers.
How pre-sessional English courses benefit universities
With clear benefits to students on an individual level, pre-sessional English courses already confer indirect benefits on universities by bringing more confident, engaged students who are well prepared for the linguistic demands of their courses. But this translates to a wider raft of institutional benefits, and higher conversion rates of conditional offers are just the beginning.
Students who’ve completed pre-sessional English courses enjoy better progression, and this impacts positively on retention, with fewer withdrawals linked to struggling with language. In turn, this means stronger satisfaction scores from international cohorts – and happy students spread the word to other prospective students back home.
Finally, it’s worth mentioning that implementing pre-sessional English courses also gives admissions teams a controlled process for managing late applicants, standardising the student onboarding process and ensuring that everyone starts their course with the right degree of preparation, however late in the day they’ve applied.
The flexible pre-sessional English course you and your students need
At Oxford International Digital Institute, our pre-sessional English courses prepare students for degree-level study to match your own language requirements. For maximum flexibility, they’re delivered online by experienced academic English tutors, with teaching aligned to CEFR and your university’s entry criteria. Available for foundation, undergraduate and postgraduate study, our courses have assessment built in for regular checks on students’ progression and readiness. What’s more, easy student management and support means that both you and your prospective students have the best possible experience in the run-up to the start of term.
Our pre-sessional English courses are more than a safety net – they’re a strategic tool that your university can use to manage the busiest time of the year and make sure offers convert to enrolments. Not only that, but they help ensure students arrive confident, compliant and connected – ready to succeed and ready to refer their friends.
Speak to us about pre-sessional partnerships to find out more about how we can support your incoming cohort this summer.
