What IELTS score do you need for TAFE NSW?

The 7.0 row needs 7.0 in reading, listening and speaking and 6.5 in writing, and the PDF's notes tie it to the Diploma of Nursing and the AHPRA Registration Standard for Nursing and Midwifery. For tests taken before 23 April 2026 the PTE equivalent was 66 in reading, listening and speaking with 56 in writing; tests from 23 April 2026 need the higher speaking score in the table above.

The PDF adds a Bachelor of Early Childhood Education and Care rule: if you use Australian schooling instead of a test, you need an Australian senior secondary certificate with a set English as an Additional Language result.

TAFE NSW does not accept tests delivered entirely online, naming IELTS Online, LanguageCert Academic Online, OET@Home, CELPIP Online, MET Digital taken at home and TOEFL iBT Home Edition. From 21 January 2026 it accepts only TOEFL iBT Australia, so select 'Taking TOEFL for Australia' when you register. Results must remain valid until your course starts.

Passport holders from the UK, US, Canada, New Zealand or Ireland who finished Year 12, and students with five years of study in English in listed countries, can meet the 6.0 and 6.5 levels without a test. If your score is short, TAFE NSW offers a General English Program and English for Academic Purposes, and you can apply for an English package offer. Duolingo and IELTS One Skill Retake are not stated by TAFE NSW.

Requirements vary by course, and TAFE NSW can change them between intakes. Always confirm the score on your course page before you book a test. Your student visa has its own English rules, set by the Department of Home Affairs.

Your offer and your visa are assessed separately. If Home Affairs asks you for English evidence, the Student visa (subclass 500) page sets these minimums for tests taken on or after 7 August 2025: IELTS Academic 6.0, PTE Academic 47 or TOEFL iBT 67. With at least 10 weeks of ELICOS (or a Foundation or eligible Pathway program) packaged with your course they drop to 5.5, 39 and 51, and with at least 20 weeks of ELICOS to 5.0, 31 and 37.

The test must be taken within the 2 years before you lodge (Regular Evidence level), or within the 2 years before a decision if you are Streamlined Evidence level and asked for evidence. Tests delivered entirely online, such as IELTS Online and TOEFL iBT Home Edition, are not accepted for the visa, and from 21 January 2026 TOEFL candidates must select 'Taking TOEFL for Australia' when registering.