Frequently Asked Questions
Why choose the English Language Centre at King's College London?
King’s College London is one of England’s oldest and most prestigious university institutions: a multi-faculty research-led university college based in the heart of London with over 19,700 students, of whom more than 6,200 are postgraduates. It is ranked as one of the world’s top 25 universities. There are nearly 4,000 overseas students from more than 130 countries at the College.
King's College boasts a long tradition of teaching English to international students dating back to the mid-1930s. The ELC was established in 1987 and reflects the importance the College places on the needs of the international student body. We provide a wide range of university preparation programmes that give students the academic and linguistic platform required for successful study at King’s or other top UK universities. Our teaching staff fully understand the challenges and anxieties students face when coming to the UK and all have extensive experience in developing and delivering focused pathway programmes. We have a strong commitment to excellence in teaching and take a learner-centred approach in all programmes.
The English Language Centre is a member of BALEAP, IATEFL and AULC and is accredited by the British Council.
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Which courses can I study full-time?
Which courses can I study part-time?
How can I pay my fees?
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Is the English Language Centre close to public transport?
The English Language Centre is based in Drury Lane, close to the heart of Covent Garden and is easily accessible by both bus and underground. Detailed information on how to find us can be found
here.
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Can I use the computers at the university?
Students registered on the Centre’s full-time courses can use all the College facilities and will have computer access rights, including a King’s College email account. Students can log on to central servers for email and general purpose computing from PCs on all the campuses. All workstations and servers are linked to each other and to the academic community beyond King's through the College-wide data communications network.
There is also a dedicated computer suite available for use by English Language Centre students at Drury Lane. You can use the computer suite whenever you are free and after class provided it is not in use for a timetabled class.
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What is the average age of your students?
The average age of students can vary from course to course and from year to year as King's does not have a minimum age requirement. However, in order to be admitted to the College a student must:
(i) Have demonstrated to the College's satisfaction, taking into account individual circumstances, the intellectual maturity necessary to gain full advantage from the educational experience offered by the programme of study;
(ii) Have satisfied the College about any arrangements which are considered necessary if the student is under 18 years of age.
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How many different nationalities do you teach?
We welcome many different nationalities to the ELC and have a good mix of students on all our courses. For example in 2009/10, students representing more than 40 different nationalities are attending our courses.
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What is your average class size?
The maximum class size is 18 although our average class size is 14.
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How long do I have to pay my fees?
Please see individual course pages for information.
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Do you offer evening courses?
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What is the closing date for applications?
Please see individual course pages for more information. Remember that you need to leave enough time to apply for your visa or College accommodation if you are applying for a full-time course.
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Can I submit an application before I have my IELTS/TOEFL results?
Yes you can if you are in the process of taking or re-taking tests although you will need to meet the entry level before unconditional offers are made.
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Will I be able to apply for university accommodation?
Any student registered on one of our full-time courses is eligible to apply for university accommodation through the University’s
Accommodation Office.
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Can I take an English test with you?
The English Language Centre is not an official IELTS/TOEFL test centre but test centre details are available via the IELTS or TOEFL websites.
If students are taking either the CAE or CPE course with us here in the English Language Centre, we are happy to register them for the exam. The fees for the courses cover tuition only and so an additional exam fee would be payable. We currently register students with the Wimbledon School of English who normally try to allocate our students to test venues near to the College.
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Will I receive a certificate at the end of the course?
Students registered on one of the Centre’s full-time courses will exit with the appropriate King’s qualification. Students registered on our part-time courses can be issued with a certificate of attendance upon request. It is not possible to issue students on either the In-sessional or Study Skills courses with any form of certificate unless they are ERASMUS/SOCRATES student.
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How do I open a bank account?
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What do I need to prepare before I arrive at King’s?
Detailed information on preparing for your King’s study, including getting to the College, taking out insurance, applying for a visa and arriving in the UK, can be found on our
pre-arrival website
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