Pearson Middle East onboards five new partners for PTE Certified Associates program

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.