Wednesday 05 July 2023

British Council, the UK’s international organisation for educational opportunities and cultural relations, today announced that applications for the British Council IELTS Prize 2023 are now open. The annual competition supports IELTS test-takers with up to £5,000 (close to HKD50,000) towards tuition fees in both domestic and international universities accepting IELTS in their admission requirements.

This year, the IELTS Prize is open to test takers living in China, Japan, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal and Sri Lanka.

It will be open to students who have applied for undergraduate or postgraduate studies locally or overseas and who are scheduled to begin their course from January 2023 to March 2024. Applicants must have taken the IELTS test with the British Council on or after 1 April 2022 and hold a minimum band score of 5.5

The deadline for submitting completed applications is 15 September 2023.

A total of three winners will be selected through a competitive application process in each country to receive the cash prize to support their studies.

Since 2011, the British Council IELTS Prize has enabled nearly 360 students across East Asia to pursue their studies at any chosen course in higher institutions around the world, local and overseas, that accept IELTS as part of its admission requirements.

Heather Forbes, Regional Exams Director for the British Council in East Asia said, “We believe international study and collaboration are key to building a more peaceful and prosperous world for everyone, and we are proud to support these ambitious and dynamic individuals in achieving their goals. The IELTS Prize provides an opportunity for candidates to get the most of their higher education studies, and return with fresh insights and new knowledge which they can apply in their home country and to the global communities they feel passionate about. The IELTS Prize is indeed a catalyst in advancing the careers of future leaders.”

Applicants who wish to find out more information about the prize, the application process, and review frequently asked questions should visit https://takeielts.britishcouncil.org/take-ielts/study-work-abroad/ielts-prize.

Notes to Editor

About IELTS   

The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) is the world’s most popular English language proficiency test for higher education and global migration. More than 11,500 organisations globally trust IELTS. These organisations include educational institutions, employers, governments and professional bodies.   

IELTS is jointly owned by British Council, IDP: IELTS Australia and Cambridge English. Find out more about IELTS here: www.ielts.org   

About the British Council

The British Council is the UK’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities. We support peace and prosperity by building connections, understanding and trust between people in the UK and countries worldwide. We do this through our work in arts and culture, education and the English language. We work with people in over 200 countries and territories and are on the ground in more than 100 countries. In 2021-22 we reached 650 million people.