If you are applying for an Australian Student visa (subclass 500), the minimum IELTS score for an Australia student visa is an overall 6.0, with no separate minimum for each band. You can get in with 5.5 if you package at least 10 weeks of English (ELICOS) or a listed foundation or pathway program before your main course, or with 5.0 if you package at least 20 weeks of ELICOS. Equivalent scores apply to PTE Academic, TOEFL iBT and the other accepted tests. The test must be no more than two years old.

That is the visa minimum. Your university or college sets its own entry score, and it is often higher. This guide sets out the current Home Affairs rules (current to 1 November 2026), the score equivalents for every accepted test, who is exempt, and the mistakes we see most often from applicants in India and Malaysia.

Key facts: English requirements for the Student visa in 2026

• IELTS (Academic or General Training): 6.0 overall for direct entry; 5.5 with 10+ weeks ELICOS or an eligible pathway program; 5.0 with 20+ weeks ELICOS.
• PTE Academic: 47 overall; 39 with 10+ weeks ELICOS or pathway; 31 with 20+ weeks ELICOS.
• TOEFL iBT: 67 total; 51 with 10+ weeks; 37 with 20+ weeks. The TOEFL iBT Home Edition is not accepted.
• Score type: one overall, average or total score. The visa rules do not set a minimum per band.
• Validity: test taken within the 2 years before you lodge (or within 2 years before the decision if you provide it later).
• Legal source: Migration (English Language Tests and Evidence Exemptions for Subclass 500 (Student) Visas) Instrument 2025 (LIN 25/090), in force since 7 August 2025.
• Visa application charge: A$2,500 for the main applicant from 1 July 2026 (up from A$2,000).

IELTS score for Australia student visa: the full 2026 table

The scores below come from Schedule 1 of LIN 25/090 on the Federal Register of Legislation, which replaced the 2024 instrument (LIN 24/022) for applications from 7 August 2025. Nine tests are accepted.

Test	Direct entry (no ELICOS)	With 10+ weeks ELICOS, or an eligible foundation/pathway program	With 20+ weeks ELICOS
IELTS Academic	6.0	5.5	5.0
IELTS General Training	6.0	5.5	5.0
PTE Academic	47	39	31
TOEFL iBT	67	51	37
Cambridge C1 Advanced	161	Not accepted	Not accepted
OET	1210	1090	1020
LANGUAGECERT Academic	61	54	46
Michigan English Test (MET)	53	49	44
CELPIP General	7	6	5

Three of these, CELPIP General, LANGUAGECERT Academic and MET, were added in August 2025. If you are in a city where IELTS and PTE slots are booked out, they are legitimate options for the visa. Check that your education provider also accepts them before you book, because many providers have their own approved list.

What "10 weeks" and "20 weeks" of ELICOS actually means

The lower scores only work if the English course is packaged with your main course and both are intended to start after you apply. In practice your Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE) for the ELICOS course and the CoE for your degree or diploma are lodged together. A 10-week course you already finished in your home country does not count. Neither does an ELICOS course you plan to arrange later.

The 10-week column also covers students enrolled in one of the foundation or pathway programs listed in Schedule 2 of the instrument. These are specific CRICOS-registered courses tied to a named destination university, so ask your provider in writing whether your course is on that list.

University entry scores versus the visa minimum

The visa rule and the admission rule are two separate tests, and you have to pass both.

1. Admission: your provider will not issue a CoE until you meet its entry requirement. Many universities ask for more than 6.0 overall and set minimum band scores, particularly for nursing, teaching, social work, law and other health or registered-profession courses.
2. Visa: Home Affairs checks your result against the LIN 25/090 table above and the two-year window.

So a 6.0 overall with a 5.0 in writing might satisfy the visa but still fail your university's band minimum. Always read your offer letter conditions, not just the visa table.

Do you need to submit English evidence with the application?

Under the simplified student visa framework, what you upload depends on your evidence level, which is worked out from your passport country and your education provider. Home Affairs explains this on its evidence framework page, and the Document Checklist Tool on the Student visa (subclass 500) page tells you exactly what to attach.

Our advice is the same regardless of the checklist result: attach your test report. Your provider needed it for the CoE anyway, Home Affairs can ask for it at any time before the decision, and a missing document is one of the easiest ways to slow down a file.

Step by step: meeting the English requirement

1. Check your course entry requirement first. Look up the overall and band scores your provider needs for your exact course and intake. That number, not the visa minimum, is your target.
2. Choose a test both your provider and Home Affairs accept. IELTS and PTE are the most common choices in India and Malaysia. Confirm the test format too: TOEFL iBT Home Edition is not accepted for the visa.
3. Time the test against your lodgement date. The result must be under two years old when you lodge. If your intake is a year away and you are re-sitting, plan around that window.
4. Decide whether to package ELICOS. If you are half a band short, a 10-week ELICOS package (5.5 IELTS) or 20-week package (5.0 IELTS) can keep your plans on track. It adds tuition costs and time, and you will need to show funds for the extra study.
5. Get your CoE. If you are packaging courses, make sure you receive a CoE for each one.
6. Lodge in ImmiAccount with your test report form, CoE(s), Genuine Student answers, financial evidence and identity documents.
7. Keep your test reference handy. Case officers may verify results directly with the test provider.

Who is exempt from the English test?

Section 7 of LIN 25/090 says you do not need to provide a test result if any of the following applies:

• You hold a passport from the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, New Zealand or the Republic of Ireland.
• Your only course is an ELICOS course, a registered school course, a postgraduate research course, or a course taught in a language other than English.
• You are sponsored by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade or the Department of Defence, or you are a secondary exchange student.
• In the 2 years before applying, you completed a Senior Secondary Certificate of Education in Australia taught in English, or a substantial part of a Certificate IV or higher qualification in Australia, in English, while holding a student visa.
• You have completed at least 5 years of study in English in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, the Republic of Ireland, the UK or the US.

A point that catches many Indian and Malaysian students: English-medium schooling at home does not count for the 5-year exemption, because India and Malaysia are not on that country list. A CBSE, ICSE, SPM or Malaysian private international school background may help with your provider's admission (some universities accept it), but for the visa itself you still need a test result unless another exemption applies.

India and Malaysia applicant notes

Applicants from India

• India is one of Australia's largest student source countries, and student files from India routinely get careful scrutiny of documents. A clean, verifiable test report reduces one variable.
• PTE Academic is popular in India because results usually come back quickly. If you choose PTE, aim at your university's score, not 47.
• If your offer letter came through an education agent, check for yourself that the English condition has been lifted before you pay the deposit and request the CoE.
• For the wider picture on fees, the Genuine Student requirement and timing, read our guide to the Australia student visa from India in 2026.

Applicants from Malaysia

• Malaysian passport holders are not on the exempt passport list, so you will normally need a test even if you studied in English for years.
• If you are doing a twinning, transfer or "2+1" program with an Australian university, ask whether the university waives its own test because of your Malaysian study. A university waiver does not remove the visa requirement unless you fall under one of the Section 7 exemptions.
• Students who completed a substantial part of a Certificate IV or higher in Australia on a student visa within the last 2 years may be exempt when applying for a further student visa onshore.

What the Student visa costs in 2026

Item	Amount (AUD)	Notes
Visa application charge, main applicant	$2,500	From 1 July 2026. Was $2,000 before that date.
Family members	Varies	Use the Home Affairs Visa Pricing Estimator for current secondary applicant charges.
English test	Set by test provider	Paid in local currency. Prices vary by test and country, so check the provider's site.
ELICOS tuition (if packaged)	Set by provider	Adds to the tuition you must show in your financial evidence.

The new charge applies to applications lodged from 1 July 2026. For the full money picture, including the living cost figure you need to show, see our breakdown of Australia student visa financial requirements for 2026.

Common mistakes we see

• Using an expired result. A test taken 25 months before lodgement fails the visa requirement even if the university accepted it at offer stage. Check the date, not just the score.
• Booking TOEFL iBT Home Edition. It is not accepted for the Student visa.
• Relying on ELICOS you did not package. The 5.5 and 5.0 IELTS thresholds only apply if the ELICOS is part of the application and starts after you lodge.
• Assuming Cambridge works with ELICOS. C1 Advanced has no reduced score; you need 161 or another test.
• Claiming the 5-year English study exemption based on schooling in India or Malaysia. Those countries are not on the list.
• Targeting the visa score instead of the course score. Meeting 6.0 means nothing if your course requires 6.5 with no band below 6.0 and you have no CoE.
• Inconsistent names. The name on your test report should match your passport. Fix spelling mismatches with the test provider before you lodge.

Recent changes to keep in mind

Two changes in the last 15 months matter for English evidence and planning:

• 7 August 2025: LIN 25/090 took effect. It added CELPIP General, LANGUAGECERT Academic and MET, and reset the score table for every test. Tests taken before that date are assessed under transitional rules but must still meet the two-year window.
• 2 October 2026: new rules for some onshore and family student visa applications started. They do not change the English score table, but they affect who can apply from inside Australia. We cover them in Student visa changes October 2026.

How EazyViza can help

EazyViza is backed by Collins Quarters, a migration and commercial law firm with offices in Sydney, Melbourne, Chennai and Kuala Lumpur. Our team works with students from India and Malaysia every intake, and we can help you:

• Check whether your test result, date and course combination meets both the provider and Home Affairs rules.
• Decide whether a packaged ELICOS or pathway program is the safer route.
• Audit your full student visa file before lodgement through our student visa document audit.
• Prepare and lodge your offshore Student visa (subclass 500) application end to end.

Not sure where you stand? Try our free visa eligibility checker or send us an enquiry.

Sources

• Migration (English Language Tests and Evidence Exemptions for Subclass 500 (Student) Visas) Instrument 2025, Federal Register of Legislation
• Student visa (subclass 500), Department of Home Affairs
• Evidence framework for the Education Program, Department of Home Affairs
• Changes to Student visa application rules (subclasses 500 and 590), Department of Home Affairs

Information current to 1 November 2026. This article is general information only and is not legal or migration advice. Visa rules, fees and accepted test scores change, sometimes at short notice. Check the Department of Home Affairs website or speak to a registered migration agent or lawyer about your own circumstances before you apply.