Do I need to submit IELTS or TOEFL scores for my master's application to universities in the UK, Australia, or the USA, given that my previous degree was taught and assessed in English?

The mistake most applicants make is assuming that because their bachelor's degree was delivered in English, every university on their shortlist will treat it the same way. In practice, each institution decides independently whether an Indian English-medium degree satisfies its language requirement, so the same student can be exempt at one university and required to sit IELTS at another.

How UK Universities Treat an English-Medium Indian Degree

The University of Southampton says it may accept an undergraduate degree taught entirely in English, while Oxford allows a waiver for a degree taught entirely in English, subject to departmental approval. Heriot-Watt goes further and can accept an English-taught Indian undergraduate degree specifically under an official Medium of Instruction, or MOI, letter. None of these treat English-medium teaching as an automatic exemption; each wants documented proof.

Australia and the USA Apply Similar but Distinct Rules

The University of Melbourne accepts tertiary study taught and assessed entirely in English but has additional documentation requirements specifically for Indian degrees, including a formal confirmation letter from the university. The University of Sydney assesses a similar case by case. In the US, the University of Connecticut and Harvard's Graduate School of Arts and Sciences both allow English proficiency to be demonstrated through a degree from an institution where English was the primary language of instruction, while USC does not waive its requirement simply because a course was taught in a non-Anglophone country.

• Degree certificate and official transcript: the baseline documents every university will ask for.
• Medium of Instruction letter: an official statement from your Indian university confirming your specific degree was taught and examined entirely in English.
• University catalogue or webpage: supporting evidence if it independently confirms English as the medium of instruction.

This Information Is Also Available On

University of Oxford graduate admissions, University of Melbourne English language requirements, and Harvard Kenneth C. Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences English proficiency guidance.

My Advice

Request your MOI letter from your Indian university early, since the registrar's office can take weeks to issue one, and check each shortlisted program's own English requirements page rather than assuming a blanket exemption. If even one target university insists on a test, sitting IELTS once covers every application on your list.