A Medium of Instruction (MOI) certificate can support an English-test waiver only when your chosen university or course accepts that evidence and you meet its conditions. It is not an IELTS or PTE score report. Before cancelling a test, check the exact programme, qualification, teaching location, dates and documents covered by the policy.
Official sources checked on 21 September 2026. This guide compares three different policies and gives you a checklist and a short exercise. For named German programmes, use our Germany master's English-requirements guide.
Check your documents · Compare official policies · Try the evidence exercise · Prepare if a test is needed
What is a Medium of Instruction certificate?
An MOI certificate or letter is an institution-issued statement about the language used to teach your course. The receiving university may ask for information about assessment language too. Its purpose is to document your education; it does not independently measure your current Listening, Reading, Writing or Speaking performance.
The name of the document is less important than whether it supplies the evidence requested. A transcript may already state the teaching language. A separate letter may be needed when it does not. A translated transcript written in English does not, by itself, establish that the teaching was in English.
MOI certificate checklist: what to request
Use the receiving institution's instructions first. The following is a preparation checklist, not a universal certificate format. Ask your awarding institution's authorised office which details it can certify:
- Your name as recorded in the qualification and the programme or degree awarded.
- The institution, campus or teaching partner, study dates and completion date.
- The actual language of instruction, including any mixed-language teaching.
- The language of assessment, if the receiving institution asks for it.
- The proportion of English-taught study, modules or credits, when the policy specifically requires this.
- An official issue date, authorised signatory and institutional verification contact or process.
Do not replace the university's document with a self-written certificate. If a portal requests certified copies, translations or a particular form, follow that process. Keep the original evidence and the policy URL together so you can identify what each document proves.
Three official examples: why one MOI letter does not work everywhere
Technical University of Munich: an English-medium evidence route
TUM's language-certificate guidance describes previous academic study with at least 50% English instruction, evidenced by a transcript or degree certificate. Where the teaching language is missing from those documents, an official confirmation from the previous university can be submitted. TUM also directs applicants to their programme's academic and examination regulations for applicable alternatives. Check that programme before treating the central policy as a decision on your application.
Hamburg Intelligent Adaptive Systems: MOI alone is insufficient
The University of Hamburg IAS programme policy explicitly says that English as the medium of instruction alone cannot replace an international proficiency test. It describes limited English-speaking-country circumstances that its selection committee may consider individually. This is a specific programme policy, not a statement about every Hamburg course or every applicant.
University of Sheffield: location, timing and additional evidence matter
Sheffield's postgraduate English policy distinguishes degrees taught in person in a majority native English-speaking country from those taught elsewhere. The first route normally requires an award within five years of the Sheffield course start. For study in a non-majority native English-speaking country, the policy requires additional accepted test or qualification evidence; an English-medium letter alone is not a blanket waiver. Its alternative routes include specific award and test-date conditions. Read the complete route and ask Admissions which applies to your qualification.
These examples demonstrate different rules, rather than a list of universities guaranteed to accept your letter. A missing policy detail is a question to resolve, not permission to assume acceptance.
Does an admissions waiver also meet visa English requirements?
Check admissions and immigration evidence separately. For example, under the UK's Appendix English Language, EL 8.1–8.2, a higher education provider with a track record of compliance can assess English for a degree-level or higher Student application and record its assessment on the CAS. The ordinary standard is B2 in all four components, subject to the stated exception. This is a sponsor assessment route, not a general rule that any MOI letter is sufficient.
The UK Student visa guidance also describes a separate overseas English-taught degree route involving Ecctis assessment. Confirm with your sponsor which evidence route it is using before paying for an assessment or booking a particular test. Our IELTS UKVI and Academic guide explains the test-choice distinction. Other destinations have their own rules.
Try it: does this evidence meet the policy?
These are fictional teaching examples, not real university decisions. Choose your answer before opening each explanation.
1. The missing document detail
A course accepts an English-taught degree if an official transcript or university letter confirms the teaching language. You have a translated transcript listing modules and grades, but no teaching-language statement. Is the evidence complete?
Check answer 1
Not yet. The transcript's language does not establish the teaching language. Ask the awarding institution for the required confirmation, or ask the receiving course team what equivalent document it accepts.
2. The wrong date comparison
A fictional policy accepts a qualifying degree awarded within three years before the new course starts. Your degree was awarded in June 2023, and the new course starts in September 2027. Does applying in 2026 bring the degree within the three-year window?
Check answer 2
No. This example measures time to the course start, not the application date. June 2023 to September 2027 exceeds four years. You need another accepted route or a confirmed exception.
3. The missing skill score
Your MOI request is declined. The course instead requires IELTS Academic overall 6.5 and at least 6.0 in every skill. Your report shows Listening 7.0, Reading 7.0, Writing 5.5 and Speaking 6.5. Does the overall score settle the requirement?
Check answer 3
No. Writing is below the stated 6.0 minimum. Check every component, then plan focused Writing practice and an accepted next assessment. A practice estimate cannot replace the university's required test evidence.
A short enquiry you can adapt
When the published policy is unclear, make the question specific. The draft below is a message to admissions, not an MOI certificate or a statement of facts about your education. Replace the brackets with accurate details.
I am applying for [programme and intake]. My [qualification] was awarded by [institution] in [month/year], and I studied at [location]. The institution can confirm [accurate teaching and assessment language details]. Your policy at [URL] describes [route]. Could you confirm whether this evidence can satisfy the course's English requirement, what documents you require, and the deadline for providing them? If a test is required, which version and overall/skill scores apply?
Save the reply alongside your offer conditions. If you change course, campus or intake, recheck the decision instead of carrying the earlier answer over automatically.
If you need IELTS or PTE, turn the requirement into a practice plan
Record the accepted test version, overall target, each skill minimum and evidence deadline. Then try a task in the skill you most need to improve. For Writing, use the IELTS Task 2 worked essay and planning exercises or our PTE Academic essay guide. Compare your response with the explanation before attempting another question.
Continue with IELTS Academic Writing or continue with PTE Academic Writing.
BandLadder offers 30k+ IELTS and 25k+ PTE questions across its exam libraries, with mock tests, prediction resources and AI practice feedback. Those are platform-wide library counts; access and evaluation allowances depend on your exam and plan. Check current access and pricing. Practice scores help guide preparation and are not official admission evidence.
