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Postgraduate Study

Expected Academic Standard

Applicants for this course should have achieved a Masters (Distinction).

If your degree is not from the UK, please check International Qualifications to find the equivalent in your country.

Applicants should normally hold a distinction or equivalent in a master's degree and a strong honours degree in a relevant field, with clear evidence of research potential.

Doctoral research for the PhD programme in LCT requires the study of material in at least one language area represented in MMLL. While students are not required to demonstrate degree-level competency in their language area(s), they should be prepared to discuss their linguistic background and training at the admission interview (these are standrdly conducted online) and/or provide evidence of research proficiency in the language(s) relevant to their proposed project as part of their application. Such evidence might include native or heritage speaker status, an honours degree in the relevant language, a certificate of proficiency or a written testimonial from an academic referee).

Given the comparative nature of many LCT projects, applicants may wish to designate certain language areas as primary versus secondary. For applicants short of a good working knowledge of these additional language areas, they should have a clear plan to acquire this as part of the training requirements of the PhD.

University Minimum Academic Requirements


Language Requirement

IELTS (Academic)

Element Score
Listening 7.0
Writing 7.0
Reading 7.0
Speaking 7.0
Total 7.5

TOEFL Internet Score

Element Score
Listening 25
Writing 25
Reading 25
Speaking 25
Total 110

C1 Advanced

Score: Grade A & B (overall score of 193, with no element lower than 185 plus a Language Centre assessment)

C2 Proficiency

Score: Grade A, B, or C (with at least 200 with no element lower than 185).


Visa Information

No ATAS required

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Key Information


Lent 2027
Applications open
Sep. 3, 2025
Application deadline
Oct. 1, 2026
Course starts
Jan. 5, 2027
Some courses can close early. See the Deadlines page for guidance on when to apply.
Michaelmas 2027
Applications open
Sep. 9, 2026
Application deadline
May. 13, 2027
Course starts
Oct. 1, 2027
Some courses can close early. See the Deadlines page for guidance on when to apply.
Lent 2028
Applications open
Sep. 9, 2026
Application deadline
Sep. 30, 2027
Course starts
Jan. 5, 2028
Some courses can close early. See the Deadlines page for guidance on when to apply.
Funding Deadlines
Course Funding Deadline
Dec. 8, 2026
Gates Cambridge US round only
Oct. 14, 2026

These deadlines apply to applications for courses starting in Michaelmas 2027, Lent 2028 and Easter 2028.

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