A student came to us last month with a plan built on a number she had read online: Tk 17,000 for an IELTS test. She had budgeted for two attempts. The real fee in Bangladesh today is Tk 31,100 — so her two attempts were already one attempt, and she had not yet paid for anything else. That one stale figure had quietly rewritten her whole timeline.
This guide fixes the numbers and, more importantly, fixes the question. Most students ask "what IELTS score do I need?" when the answer depends on which of two completely different gatekeepers they mean: the government that issues the visa, or the university that issues the offer. Those two set different bars, and only one of them is published as law.
In Bangladesh, IELTS on computer costs Tk 31,100 and IELTS for UKVI Tk 34,850 at both British Council and IDP (verified 5 October 2026). Of Eduvisa's five focus countries, only the UK and Italy set an English level in government rules — both at CEFR B2 for degree-level study. Malta, Malaysia and Cyprus publish no national minimum; there, the institution decides.
What does an IELTS test actually cost in Bangladesh right now?
Three figures are identical at both test operators, and three are not. That last part matters, because almost every Bangladeshi blog publishes a single fee list as though there were only one price — and for two test types, whichever list you read is wrong for one of the two operators.
| Test | British Council | IDP | Same? |
|---|---|---|---|
| IELTS Academic / General (computer) | Tk 31,100 | Tk 31,100 | Same |
| IELTS for UKVI (Academic / General) | Tk 34,850 | Tk 34,850 | Same |
| IELTS Life Skills (A1 and B1) | Tk 26,000 | Tk 24,750 | Differs |
| One Skill Retake | Tk 18,650 | Tk 18,600 | Differs |
| UKVI One Skill Retake | Tk 20,145 | Tk 20,900 | Differs |
Read the bottom row again, because it runs against intuition: on the UKVI One Skill Retake, British Council is Tk 755 cheaper, while on Life Skills IDP is Tk 1,250 cheaper. Neither operator is simply "the cheap one". If you know which test you need, it is worth checking both before you book.
IDP also publishes Tk 10,500 for an Enquiry on Results (a re-mark), Tk 3,000–5,150 to cancel or transfer a booking, and five free Test Report Forms with Tk 2,400 for each additional institution after that. Budget for the re-mark possibility, not just the test.
British Council states that the IELTS test partners "no longer offer IELTS for UKVI on Paper in Bangladesh from the 27 July 2025". If you are preparing on the assumption that you can sit a UKVI test on paper here, you are preparing for a test you cannot book.
Which countries set an English requirement in law, and which leave it to the university?
This is the distinction that reorganises everything else. A university's requirement is a condition of your offer. A government's requirement is a condition of your visa. You can clear one and fail the other, and students do.
| Country | Govt. rule? | Level | Who sets the bar |
|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | Yes | B2 degree level, B1 below | Immigration Rules |
| Italy | Yes | B2 all four skills | MUR circular |
| Malta | No | Not published | Licensed institution |
| Malaysia | No score | No score, proof still required | Institution |
| Cyprus | No | Not published | Institution |
What exactly does the UK require?
The UK sets the bar by course level, not by university prestige. Appendix Student rule ST 13.1 requires English "in all 4 components (reading, writing, speaking and listening) of at least: (i) level B2, where the applicant is studying a course at UK bachelor's degree level or above; or (ii) level B1, where the applicant is studying a pre-sessional course or a course below UK bachelor's degree level".
Two details inside that are routinely missed. First, the threshold is "UK bachelor's degree level or above" — a master's is not a higher English bar than a bachelor's in visa terms. Second, pre-sessional courses sit in the B1 group alongside below-degree courses, which is why the old advice about a low score "being fine for pre-sessional" is half-true and wholly misleading if you then progress to the degree.
Can a UK university test your English instead of IELTS?
Yes — at degree level and above only. Appendix English Language rule EL 8.1 allows an applicant to meet the requirement if they are "applying for a course of study at degree level or above and are sponsored by a higher education provider with a track record of compliance who states on the Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies that they have assessed the applicant's English language ability and how they have assessed it".
Note what this does and does not do. It changes how English is evidenced; it does not lower the standard. EL 8.2 requires the CAS to confirm ability "equivalent to level B2, or above … in all 4 components". And a student below degree level cannot use this route even at a track-record provider. So "my university said I don't need IELTS" is a claim worth checking against your own course level before you skip the test.
Does Italy really have a government English rule?
It does, and this is where a lot of Bangladeshi advice — including, until this update, our own framing — has been wrong. Italy is usually described as a country where each university sets its own English level. The Ministry of University and Research (MUR) circular governing international student admissions for academic years 2026-2027 and 2027-2028 sets a central floor for the consular stage.
For courses taught in a language other than Italian, the circular requires consulates to accept only certificates attesting competence "not lower than level B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR)" issued by internationally recognised institutions, or equivalent university certifications, "provided they attest the possession of language competence at the required level in all four skills". For foundation courses the level is B1; for Italian-taught degree programmes, at least B2 in Italian.
The same MUR circular sets the visa application deadline at 31 October 2027 for academic year 2027/2028 (it was 30 November 2026 for 2026/2027). Universitaly pre-enrolment must be completed before the visa application — so the English certificate has to exist well before that date, not alongside it.
What about Malaysia, Malta and Cyprus?
Malaysia publishes no minimum score, and that is widely misread as "no English requirement". EMGS — the official student-pass body — states that "most courses in universities in Malaysia are conducted in English, so you need to show your English language competency is good enough", lists accepted tests (MUET, IELTS, TOEFL iBT, PTE Academic, Cambridge English, OET and others) with no band attached to any of them, and directs applicants to the institution's own entry requirements. But an English certificate is still expected with the Visa Approval Letter application, and EMGS warns that without one, processing may be delayed and the student may not get a VAL covering the full course duration. No published score, mandatory paperwork.
Malta publishes requirements for the study residence permit — acceptance by an institution licensed by the National Commission for Higher Education, a full-time course at MQF level 5 or above, a travel document valid at least six months, in-person submission in Malta, a €50 fee — and no language requirement of any kind. The level is the institution's call.
Cyprus likewise: the quality-assurance agency, CYQAA, publishes no student English requirement. It does accredit "English Language Foundation" programmes, which is a category of course, not an entry rule — do not read one as the other.
Is a good IELTS score enough to get the visa?
No, and treating it as the finish line is one of the more expensive mistakes we see. English is one condition among several. The UK, for instance, assesses funds under a separate rule entirely — money held for 28 consecutive days, with the most recent financial evidence dated within 31 days of application. A student with IELTS 7.5 and a bank statement that breaks the 28-day rule gets refused, and the score does not rescue it.
What we see at Eduvisa is that students sequence this backwards. They sit the test first because it feels like the concrete, controllable step, then discover their course level needed something different, or that the certificate expires before the intake they are actually aiming at. Working out the course and country first usually costs nothing and saves a test fee.
What if you do not have IELTS yet?
You have more room than the market suggests, but the alternatives are specific rather than general.
- A degree previously taught in English can satisfy the UK requirement under Appendix English Language rule EL 5.
- A UK GCSE or A level in English satisfies it under EL 7.1.
- At a UK track-record provider, degree-level applicants may be assessed by the university itself under EL 8.1.
- Other approved SELTs count where a SELT is required, with a digital reference number and taken within two years.
- For Malaysia, MUET, TOEFL, PTE, Cambridge English and OET are all on the EMGS accepted list.
- For Italy, a university's own equivalent certification is accepted — but it must cover all four skills at B2.
How should you plan the test for a 2027-28 intake?
Work backwards from the visa deadline, not forwards from today. For Italy's 2027/2028 year the visa deadline is 31 October 2027, and pre-enrolment comes before that — so a certificate in hand by roughly mid-2027 leaves room for a retake. For the UK there is no single national date, but the CAS cannot be issued until the university is satisfied on English, and the CAS must precede the visa application.
One practical point: a One Skill Retake is cheaper than a full test, but it only helps if a single component let you down. If two components are below the bar, you are booking a full test again, and the Tk 31,100 lands twice.
What we could not verify. Neither British Council Bangladesh nor IDP publishes a "last updated" date on its fee pages, so these fees are accurate as read on 5 October 2026 and can change without notice — re-check before you pay. IDP's own site is internally inconsistent on how many cities it tests in (seven on the fee page, eleven on the dates-and-locations page), so we have not stated a centre count. British Council lists 27 registration centres, which are booking points and not necessarily test venues. We also could not verify any English requirement in Cypriot immigration rules: the Civil Registry and Migration Department pages returned HTTP 403 to us on the day of writing, so we make no claim about Cypriot visa-stage language rules. The euro financial-means figure in the Italian MUR circular was not confirmed line by line and is excluded here.
Related guides: UK student visa bank statement rules · How to spot fake universities abroad
Your English requirement depends on the exact course and country you are aiming at — and that is the one thing a blog post cannot look up for you. Bring us your target course list and we will tell you which bar applies, whether you need a test at all, and when to book it.
