Study in Australia or New Zealand Without IELTS (2026)
The honest answer: yes for admission, with conditions
You can study in Australia or New Zealand without sitting IELTS, and thousands of Indian students do. But the honest version of that answer has two parts that most blogs blur together. Getting a university offer without IELTS is often possible. Satisfying the immigration officer that your English is sufficient for the student visa is a separate test, and it does not always accept the same evidence.
If you remember one thing from this guide, remember this: a university English waiver and the visa English requirement are two different gates, set by two different bodies. Clearing the first does not automatically clear the second.
Two gates: the university waiver and the visa requirement
When you apply to study abroad, two organisations look at your English, and they do not use the same rulebook.
The university or education provider decides whether to make you an offer. It can waive a formal English test if it is satisfied another way, for example through your medium of instruction, your Class 12 English marks, or its own internal test.
The immigration authority decides whether to grant the student visa. In Australia that is the Department of Home Affairs. In New Zealand it is Immigration New Zealand, working alongside the rules set by NZQA and your provider. The visa side has its own list of acceptable evidence, and it is stricter than many university admissions teams.
So you can absolutely receive an offer letter without IELTS, then discover that the visa stage still expects a recognised test score. Planning for both gates from the start is what keeps your timeline intact.
Ways to get a university offer without IELTS
These are the legitimate routes Indian students use to secure admission without a formal IELTS score. Acceptance varies by university and by course, so confirm with each institution.
- Medium of Instruction (MOI) letter. If your previous degree was taught and examined in English, your school or college can issue an MOI letter. Many universities accept this for admission.
- Class 12 English marks. Some universities accept a strong English score in your Class 12 board exams (commonly above a set percentage) in place of a language test.
- PTE Academic or TOEFL. If you would rather not take IELTS specifically, most universities accept PTE Academic or TOEFL iBT as direct equivalents.
- The university's own English test or an internal assessment, sometimes including an interview.
- A pre-sessional or English pathway program that leads into the main degree.
An MOI letter is genuinely useful at the admission gate. It is also the single most over-promised document online, because it does not always carry the same weight at the visa gate.
What the visa officer still needs
Here is where accuracy matters most.
For Australia, the Department of Home Affairs publishes which English tests it accepts for the student visa. After the 7 August 2025 update, the accepted tests taken at a secure test centre include IELTS Academic, PTE Academic, TOEFL iBT (you must select the "Taking TOEFL for Australia" option when you register), Cambridge C1 Advanced, and OET, among others. Two points matter for Indian students: the Duolingo English Test is not on this list, and fully online or at-home tests, including IELTS Online and TOEFL iBT Home Edition, are not accepted for visa purposes. The minimum score the visa itself requires is set by the Department of Home Affairs. For the subclass 500 student visa the floor is IELTS 6.0 (or PTE Academic 47, or TOEFL iBT 67). It drops to IELTS 5.5 if you package at least 10 weeks of ELICOS English study with your main course, or 5.0 with at least 20 weeks of ELICOS. Universities often ask for more than this visa minimum.
For New Zealand, Immigration New Zealand does not set a single English score for every student visa. The provider and NZQA set the English entry requirement for the course, and INZ assesses your application against that. This is the opposite of what many ranking pages claim. If a blog tells you "Immigration New Zealand requires IELTS 6.0 for the student visa," treat it with caution and check the official INZ and NZQA pages.
Duolingo: accepted by many universities, not a visa test in Australia
The Duolingo English Test is one of the most common points of confusion. Many Australian and New Zealand universities accept Duolingo for admission. That does not mean it counts for the visa.
For the Australian student visa, the Department of Home Affairs publishes which tests it accepts, and the Duolingo English Test is not on that list. So you could be admitted on a Duolingo score, then find the visa stage needs an accepted test on the Home Affairs list such as IELTS, PTE Academic, or TOEFL iBT. For New Zealand, Duolingo acceptance is provider-conditional, so check both the university and the current INZ guidance rather than assuming it is universally valid.
The takeaway is not "avoid Duolingo." It is "use Duolingo knowing which gate it clears."
Studying in New Zealand without IELTS
New Zealand universities accept a range of English evidence for admission, including MOI letters, PTE Academic, TOEFL, and in some cases Class 12 English results. Several of the eight universities are flexible at the admission stage.
At the visa stage, the key point above applies: the score comes from the provider's requirement, not a fixed INZ number. If your course requires a certain English level and you have met it through an accepted route, your genuine intentions and your documents matter more than a specific test brand. For the full visa process, see our New Zealand student visa guide and the New Zealand visa hub.
The 2024 Australia change you should know
Australia tightened its student visa English settings in 2024. The minimum was raised, and the rules around when you can use an English pathway course were adjusted. If you are reading older articles that still quote the previous, lower minimum, they predate this change. Confirm the current figures on the official Study Australia and Home Affairs pages, and see our Australia student visa guide and the Australia visa hub for the wider process.
Side by side: which waiver works at which gate
| Evidence | University admission | Australia student visa | New Zealand student visa |
|---|---|---|---|
| MOI letter | Often accepted | Not a substitute for an accepted Home Affairs test if one is required | Provider and INZ dependent |
| Class 12 English marks | Sometimes accepted | Not an accepted visa test | Provider dependent |
| PTE Academic / TOEFL iBT | Widely accepted | Accepted (on the DHA list) | Widely accepted |
| Duolingo English Test | Many universities accept | Not on the DHA accepted-tests list | Provider-conditional |
| IELTS Academic | Widely accepted | Accepted | Widely accepted |
Use this as a planning aid, not a guarantee. Requirements change and vary by institution. Always confirm against the official sources listed below.
What to do next
Map your two gates early. Decide which universities will accept your MOI letter or Class 12 marks for admission, and in parallel plan for a visa-acceptable test if your course or country needs one. That sequencing avoids the most common trap, which is a clean offer letter followed by a stalled visa.
If you want this checked against your specific profile and course, book a consultation and we will map your English route for both the university and the visa, honestly, with no promises we cannot keep.
Frequently asked questions
Sources
- Department of Home Affairs, English language requirements for the student visa: https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/help-support/meeting-our-requirements/english-language
- Study Australia, English language requirements changes: https://www.studyaustralia.gov.au/en/tools-and-resources/news/english-language-requirements-changes
- Immigration New Zealand, English language and student visas: https://www.immigration.govt.nz/study/study-visas/visas-for-studying-in-new-zealand/
- NZQA, English language entry requirements for international students: https://www2.nzqa.govt.nz/tertiary/english-language-entry-requirements-for-international-students/
- Pearson PTE Academic: https://www.pearsonpte.com/
- Duolingo English Test, accepting institutions: https://englishtest.duolingo.com/test_takers/accepting_institutions
Last updated: 21 June 2026.
Written by the Vnext Overseas Team, Auckland and Delhi.
Related posts
Have a question about your own plan?
Every student's situation is different. Talk to our Auckland and Delhi teams for honest, no-pressure guidance on studying in Australia or New Zealand.