PTE news

International postgraduate applicants researching their options in the UK will now find it easier to access information on, study for, and take an English language test.

Pearson and UCAS International have joined forces to introduce the Pearson Test of English (PTE) into Myriad by UCAS, giving second language-speaking students the opportunity to learn about and schedule their English language skills assessment in the same place as they are conducting their research into master’s degree courses.

The partnership, called Myriad English, helps applicants schedule their learning, preparation, and PTE Academic test to meet their chosen university or college’s English language requirements. PTE Academic can be taken in a secure test center in 115 countries, or online at home.

Des Cutchey, Managing Director of UCAS International, said “We are delighted to launch the ‘Myriad English’ feature, continuing to build on Myriad by UCAS as our one-stop platform for international postgraduate students coming to the UK.

“English language learning and testing is an important part of the application process for many international students. Through our exciting new partnership with Pearson, one of the world’s leading providers of secure English language tests, we are bringing valuable learning content, preparation materials and test scheduling into the Myriad app. For students, it means they can access everything they need for their English language test from the earliest stages of their research and admissions journey.”

Myriad by UCAS is available as a mobile app or in-browser, and in 15 languages. It is dedicated to supporting international postgraduate students to make informed choices about studying in the UK. The platform provides tailored information about universities and courses, scholarship and funding options, local jobs, as well as application functionality for select higher education providers.

Shileen Costain, Director of Global Business Development for PTE, Pearson, said: “More than 200,000 postgraduate students started their studies in the UK in 2021.

“With many of these coming from non-native English-speaking countries we are proud to partner up with UCAS International to offer PTE as an English language test for all these students who need to prove their proficiency levels. 

“Adding PTE to the Myriad app makes it simple and seamless for students to access an English test as they can do it in the same place and at the same time as they are researching courses, funding, and where to live.” 

ENDS

UCAS Press Office  contact details

• 07881 029025 

• communications@ucas.ac.uk   

• @ucas_corporate  

• @MyriadbyUCAS  

Pearson Press Office contact details 

Media Relations - media@pearson.com

About Myriad by UCAS

Myriad by UCAS connects the world to UK higher education by providing a single postgraduate gateway under the trusted UCAS brand. International students can search courses, research universities, make applications, get matched to scholarship and funding opportunities, and find jobs and accommodation all within one app. 

About UCAS

UCAS, the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service, is an independent charity, and the UK's shared admissions service for higher education. 

Our services support young people making post-18 choices, as well as mature learners, by providing information, advice, and guidance to inspire and facilitate educational progression to university, college or a degree apprenticeship. 

We manage almost three million applications, from around 700,000 people each year, for full-time undergraduate courses at over 380 universities and colleges across the UK. 

We also provide a wide range of research, consultancy and advisory services to schools, colleges, careers services, professional bodies and employers, including apprenticeships. 

We’re a successful and fast-growing organisation, which helps hundreds of thousands of people every year. We're committed to delivering a first-class service to all of our customers – they're at the heart of everything we do. 

About Pearson

At Pearson, our purpose is simple: to add life to a lifetime of learning. We believe that every learning opportunity is a chance for a personal breakthrough. That’s why our c.20,000 Pearson employees are committed to creating vibrant and enriching learning experiences designed for real-life impact. We are the world’s leading learning company, serving customers in nearly 200 countries with digital content, assessments, qualifications, and data. For us, learning isn’t just what we do. It’s who we are. Visit us at pearsonplc.com 

Partnership enables universities and immigration agencies to verify scores in a ‘one-stop shop’ with no extra costs or additional steps for students.

Wednesday, 26th May (AM) London: Pearson, the world’s learning company, has today announced a partnership with the international student recruitment platform, ApplyBoard to use its stand-alone document verification platform – ApplyProof.

This new partnership will ensure that students taking PTE to study in Canada will have greater transparency and portability of their test results than ever before. ApplyProof will enable verifiers to access digital PTE results as needed, efficiently, and at no additional cost.

Immigration officials, government agencies, schools, and others can require students to provide proof of English language proficiency. The ApplyProof technology affords a secure and decentralized solution to the challenge of verification. These stakeholders will be able to verify the validity of PTE test scores in seconds.

In partnership with schools, colleges, and universities across Canada, ApplyProof already enables secure, efficient verification of official student documents such as Proof of Acceptance. The partnership with Pearson adds Proof of English Language Proficiency, a giant step toward ApplyProof serving as one place to verify international student documentation.

Assia Hamdane, Pearson’s Director of PTE in Canada, said: “We are always looking for ways to make PTE an ever more beneficial, seamless, and effective experience for our test takers.

“We believe our partnership with ApplyProof will help us do this by enabling students and verifiers to share and access PTE scores more quickly and easily than before.

“More widely we look forward to the benefits of our innovative partnership having a positive impact on international student migration into Canada.”

“We believe that partnering with Pearson will bring a new level of clarity, certainty, and ease-of-use to the processes for students, immigration officials, and institutions,” says ApplyProof Head, Iman Hassani.

“ApplyProof and Pearson’s commitment to interoperability makes access and verification of results transparent and efficient. For students and users, ApplyProof makes their results truly portable.

“ApplyProof enables admission and immigration stakeholders to trust the information submitted to them. All of that in a secure environment, accomplished in a matter of seconds.”

PTE Academic is accepted by over 90% of Canadian Universities and colleges as proof of English language ability – 199 Canadian institutions and still growing.

About ApplyProof

ApplyProof, a stand-alone platform developed by ApplyBoard, transforms the way official student documents are verified and shared with students, government, and education stakeholders. Driven by the need for trust in international student documents and mitigating fraud, ApplyProof enables government stakeholders to verify the authenticity of a document by viewing the digital original held securely on ApplyProof servers using unique identifier passcodes. For more information visit https://www.applyproof.com/about

About Pearson

Learning is the most powerful force for change in the world. More than 20,000 Pearson employees deliver our products and services in nearly 200 countries, all working towards a common purpose – to help everyone achieve their potential through learning. We do that by providing high-quality, digital content and learning experiences, as well as assessments and qualifications that help people build their skills and grow with the world around them. We are the world’s leading learning company.

Learn more at pearsonplc.com.

Find out more about PTE – the leading English Language Proficiency test trusted by universities, colleges, and governments around the world.

The centers will provide better choice and accessibility to study abroad aspirants. 

London and Turkey, June 23, 2021: Pearson, the world’s learning company, today announced that two PTE Centers in Turkey, namely, at Dokuz Eylul University (Izmir) and British Side English Language School (Ankara) will now offer PTE Secure English Language Testing (SELTs) to cater to the demand of study abroad aspirants. These tests have been approved by the UK Home Office and are used for UK Visas & Immigration (UKVI) purposes. 

These centers are fully equipped with state-of-the-art facility security measures and will increase accessibility for a fast, flexible, secure and unbiased exam for test-takers to ascertain their English language skills to work, settle or study abroad.

These centers are in addition to two existing PTE UKVI locations in Istanbul.

The language tests will be delivered through Pearson VUE’s test center network. Pearson VUE has implemented a number of proactive health and safety measures including, but not limited to, adhering to local social distancing requirements, readily available hand sanitiser, increased sanitisation in high touch areas, and the regular disinfection of testing workstations (completed between each test taker). These measures support the safety of both testing candidates and staff. Face masks are required at all Pearson VUE-owned test centers. 

Senior Vice President for PTE at Pearson, Freya Thomas Monk, says these tests offer a fast, fair and convenient choice for anyone who wishes to work, study or come to live in the UK. Thomas Monk is excited about expanding PTE’s UKVI service in the country and believes that it will help many learners broaden their horizons and apply for opportunities in the UK. “The process is simple and brilliantly designed, interactive and a true reflection of someone’s language ability. We look forward to offering more choices and opportunities for students in Turkey.”

Commenting on the launch of UKVI at the centers, Ipek Aydin, Head of PTE for the Middle East & North Africa said: “The number of students in Turkey aspiring to study abroad is increasing and an English language proficiency exam plays a crucial role in providing a pathway to enable them to do so.

“The establishment of more UKVI test centers in the country supports Pearson’s aim to increase the reach of our centers across Turkey to offer easy, local access to a globally recognized, fast and reliable English language proficiency test for immigration and study abroad opportunities. We are committed to delivering a world-class experience to our test takers and will continue to build a robust network of test centers across the country.” 

Pearson’s SELT tests are as follows:

• PTE Academic (UKVI) – a four-skills language test accepted for work and study visas. It tests Speaking, Writing, Reading, and Listening skills.

• PTE Home – a two-skills language test accepted for family, settlement, citizenship applications as well as Sportsperson and Representative of an Overseas Business applications. It tests speaking and listening skills.

There are now more than 190 UKVI approved PTE centers across the globe. Keep up to date on the latest approved locations.

Canada has become the fastest-growing destination for international study and Indian students are right at the top of this trend, accounting for more than a third of all Canadian study permits issued in 2019. 

Marlene Olsavsky, Managing Director for Pearson Canada, explains how PTE can help these increasing numbers of Indian students achieve their Canadian dream. 

Marlene said: “Indian students can take advantage of the fact PTE Academic is one of the mandatory English language tests accepted by Canada for its regular study permit application stream, also known as non-Study Direct Stream (non-SDS)."

“Test takers have a choice of more than 30 PTE centers currently open in India, including in Punjab, Gujarat and Hyderabad, all with required health and safety measures in place. 

“PTE is a seamless experience for students from start to finish, from being able to book a test slot online and year-round, through to only having to wait up to 48 hours on average to receive results. 

“Once they get their PTE score, students are then able to send it to any number of universities they are interested in, unlike other English tests which limit the amount of institutions where a score can be sent.” 

Learn more about applying to study in Canada or check available PTE test dates near you.

Test takers applying to The University of Oxford can now take PTE to help them get there.

All 45 of Oxford’s colleges accept PTE Academic as one of their approved English language tests for applicants to their undergraduate programs.

Freya Thomas Monk, Senior Vice President of English Assessment, Pearson said: “PTE is recognized across the globe as one of the leading English language tests and our acceptance by The University of Oxford is further proof of this.

“With average score returns of 1.5 days, no limit on the number of institutions scores can be shared with, online booking and year-round availability, PTE is the fast and flexible choice to apply to universities and colleges across the UK, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the USA.

“Another benefit of PTE is that it is also accepted by the UK Government as a Secure English Language Test for Visa & Immigration purposes, meaning people can take it to study, live or work in the UK.”

Click here to check available test dates for a PTE test.

PTE is accepted by the UK, Australia, and New Zealand for Visa & Immigration purposes, as well as by 100% of Australian and New Zealand universities, 99% of UK universities, and thousands of academic programs across the USA and Canada.

At the virtual launch, Ozhan Toktas, Pearson’s MD for Africa and the Middle East, said “PTE is strategically important on our vision to help people progress in their lives. We provide an opportunity for people to realize their dreams of study, work, or live in their countries or in a different country. English language skills, an international certification of these skills are undoubtedly a very crucial step in people’s employability and life journeys. And we are proud to be able to provide that with PTE.” 

Sir Dominick Chilcott, British Ambassador to Turkey, said “Education has the power to transform lives; whether that means access to a great job opportunity or just the courage to advance in a different direction. The UK government understand this power and that is why we are working at every level here in Turkey to increase access to quality education, whether here or in the UK.” and added that PTE is a great addition to the options available for those applying for work visas and for students planning to go to the UK in support of their higher education. 

Tests are delivered through the Pearson VUE test center network, currently available in two Test Centers in Istanbul. Pearson VUE’s network of test centers have implemented proactive health and safety measures including, but not limited to, readily available hand sanitizer, increased sanitization in high touch areas, and disinfected testing workstations (completed between each test taker) to support the safety of testing candidates and staff.  Face masks are required at all Pearson VUE-owned test centers. 

Pearson’s Secure English Language Tests (SELTs) are focused on immigration requirements and the details are as follows:    

• PTE Academic (UKVI) – a four-skills language test accepted for work and study visas. It tests Speaking, Writing, Reading, and Listening skills

• PTE Home – a two-skills language test accepted for family, settlement, citizenship applications as well as Sportsperson and Representative of an Overseas Business applications. It tests Speaking and Listening skills

PTE Academic is one of the fastest-growing products in Pearson and is a strategic growth priority for the company, posting 17% growth in test volumes last year. The test is already accepted by the Australian and New Zealand Governments for all visa applications. It is also accepted by 100% of Australian, New Zealand, and Irish universities and 99% of UK universities.   

Note to Editors

• Pearson is the world’s learning company with more than 22,500 employees operating in 70 countries. We provide content, assessment, and digital services to learners, educational institutions, employers, governments, and other partners globally. We are committed to helping equip learners with the skills they need to enhance their employability prospects and to succeed in the changing world of work. We believe that wherever learning flourishes, so do people. For more information, please visit www.pearson.com

• View more information on PTE tests.

• PTE Home is a new, computer-based English test that supports individuals, families, and communities wishing to live, work, or stay in the UK on their journey from arrival to settlement. Results are typically available within 48 hours, reducing the stress that can be associated with a long wait for results

• Pearson VUE has been a pioneer in the computer-based testing industry for decades, delivering more than 16 million certification and licensure exams annually in every industry from academia and admissions to IT and healthcare. We are the global leaders in developing and delivering high-stakes exams via the world’s most comprehensive network of nearly 20,000 test centers as well as online testing in over 180 countries. Our leadership in the assessment industry is a result of our collaborative partnerships with a broad range of clients, from leading technology firms to government and regulatory agencies. Read more information about Pearson VUE.

• Pearson VUE continues to monitor the situation and make decisions about test center operations in accordance with government and local authorities.

• Under the UK Home Office commercial agreements Pearson will deliver a) SELT tests for those already in the UK, b) SELT tests for those in the rest of the world

• View more information on the UK Home Office Visa and Immigration process as well as the other test providers.

Academic institutions and professional associations that accept PTE Academic test results can do so confident there is an independent panel of experts behind the scenes helping us ensure our test is of the highest standard.

PTE Academic offers test takers a secure, fast, flexible and fair examination of their English language skills. They can take the test and within five days can demonstrate their language skills when applying to study or work abroad.

The PTE Academic Technical Advisory Group comprises experts from language testing, psychometrics, teaching, and business who we meet on a regular basis and who provide feedback, advic,e and a critical eye on what we do now, and how we should continue to lead language assessment in the future.

Rose Clesham, Pearson Director Academic Standards, and Measurement said:

“We have taken great care to include a variety of language, assessment and technology experts in our TAG group. They are world leaders in their respective fields. They offer qualitative and quantitative expertise, research, operational and strategic experience and take both a stakeholder and a global perspective on the robust and valid use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in language testing.”

Find out more about our Technical Advisory Group (TAG) members.

New partnership makes it easy for students to find out the PTE Academic score they need to get into University

London, September 5th, 2018: Pearson, the digital education company, today announced a partnership with Studyportals, the global study choice platform, which will benefit all students worldwide taking the Pearson Test of English Academic (PTE Academic).

When students look at a particular university and course they are interested in attending through the Studyportals site, they will now be able to see the minimum PTE Academic score they should achieve in order to be accepted by that institution.

PTE Academic is the computer based English language test trusted by thousands of universities and colleges around the world. Students like it for its speed, flexibility, fairness, and security – they can book online up to 24 hours in advance, there is year round test date availability and a choice of 250 test centers in over 50 countries. The test itself only lasts three hours and students can typically expect their results within five working days – with 85% getting them within two. The test also has industry-leading security measures – all test centers use state-of-the-art digital biometrics incorporating palm-scanning, digital signatures, secure paperless results, randomized test formats, and CCTV.

Freya Thomas Monk, Pearson’s Vice-President of Assessment, English & Schools, said: “Pearson is always looking for ways to provide its customers with a quick, effective and seamless digital service. This ‘one stop’ partnership with Studyportals is a great example of this. When students are looking at particular universities and courses on the Studyportals site they will now also be able to see the PTE Academic score required – a simple step, but one which saves them precious time searching themselves.”

Studyportals CEO, Edwin van Rest added: “At Studyportals we want to make it as easy as possible to match students with the right universities, and every bit of information helps a lot. We had noticed that an increasing number of our 35 million unique visitors were taking the PTE Academic test, yet were not able to confirm their eligibility because of the missing information. We are therefore happy to partner with PTE Academic test to help bring more transparency to study choice.”

Students wishing to find out more about the partnership should visit the Studyportals site.

Read more information on PTE Academic.

About Pearson

Pearson is a global digital education company with expertise in educational content and assessment, and a range of teaching and learning services powered by technology. Our mission is to help people make progress through access to better learning. We believe that learning opens up opportunities, creating fulfilling careers and better lives. For more, visit the Pearson website and follow us on Twitter @Pearson.

For media queries please contact Media Relations - media@pearson.com

About Studyportals

Studyportals is the international study choice platform, enabling students to find and compare their study options across borders. With over 150,000 published courses, 3,050 participating universities, and 28 million users in 2017, Studyportals is a leading information source for study seekers. Studyportals’ 210-person team represents over 35 nationalities. For universities, Studyportals is a results-based channel for international student recruitment. For more, visit www.studyportals.com and follow us on Twitter @Studyportals or LinkedIn.

For media queries please contact Carmen Neghina at carmen@studyportals.com or +31655875270.

People living in Egypt who want to study, work or live in the UK are now able to take PTE Academic and PTE Home for UK Visas and Immigration at Misr University for Science and Technology (MUST).

With PTE Academic test volumes in Egypt growing 29% in 2019, Pearson is working with MUST to increase choice and capacity for local test takers.

The MUST Pearson test center is located in Giza. Pearson VUE’s network of test centers have implemented proactive health and safety measures including, but not limited to, readily available hand sanitizer, increased sanitization in high touch areas, and disinfected testing workstations (completed between each test taker) to support the safety of testing candidates and staff. 

Ipek Aydin, Head of PTE for the Middle East, Turkey, and North Africa said: “Even in these uncertain times, we are seeing that people are still aspiring to move or study abroad. We are proud that we are able to partner up with the MUST center to offer people the opportunity to take either PTE Academic or PTE Home for Visa & Immigration purposes and help them on their journey to the UK.”

Khaled Altoukhy, Chairman of the board of trustees of Misr University for Science and Technology said: “As the strategic and the successful cooperation between our university and Pearson continues, and after passing all the required security checks. Must Test Centres have been granted the permit to operate the new secured English language tests mentioned above which will be required for all the applicants applying for UK Visas and immigration. These Secured English language tests will be a new value-added to what Must Test Centres offer.”  

• PTE Academic (UKVI) is a four-skills language test accepted for work and study visas. 

• PTE Home is a two skills language test accepted for family, settlement, citizenship applications as well as Sportsperson and Representative of an Overseas Business applications.

Note to Editors: 

1. Book a PTE test at MUST or any other location.

2. MUST Test Center is a PTE Academic Official Test Center. The centers are equipped with advanced technology that provides the highest standards of quality and confidentiality, which include 4 separate centers with waiting areas with camera surveillance.