{"id":77728,"date":"2025-07-30T00:22:15","date_gmt":"2025-07-30T04:22:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/world.edu\/?p=77728"},"modified":"2025-07-30T00:22:15","modified_gmt":"2025-07-30T04:22:15","slug":"planning-to-take-a-degree-taught-in-english-when-its-not-your-first-language-here-are-some-tips-for-success","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/world.edu\/planning-to-take-a-degree-taught-in-english-when-its-not-your-first-language-here-are-some-tips-for-success\/","title":{"rendered":"Planning to take a degree taught in English when it\u2019s not your first language? Here are some tips for success"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

Every year,\u00a0millions<\/a>\u00a0of students from all parts of the globe study for a degree through a language other than their first, usually English. In 2023,\u00a025%<\/a>\u00a0of all higher education students in the UK were international students.<\/p>\n

The understanding is that the incoming students will have, or develop,\u00a0enough proficiency<\/a>\u00a0in English as a second language to study engineering, history, physics and other courses taught in English.<\/p>\n

English-medium courses are also offered in countries where English is not the first language. In Sweden, where English has no official status,\u00a066% of master\u2019s programmes<\/a>\u00a0were taught through English in 2020. Universities in\u00a0France<\/a>\u00a0primarily attract overseas students from Francophone Africa, to study in French, but they also offer\u00a0courses taught in English<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Where\u00a0domestic and international students study together<\/a>, even those students who stay at home get to have an international experience when they meet students from other countries.<\/p>\n

In\u00a0some parts of the world<\/a>, English is preferred over local languages for domestic students, in the belief that this will\u00a0equip them for their professional lives<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Learning plans<\/strong><\/h4>\n

If you\u2019re planning on taking a degree taught in English and it\u2019s not your first language, you already know that it will probably be more challenging than learning in your\u00a0mother tongue<\/a>\u00a0would be.<\/p>\n

Following what is being explained in\u00a0lectures<\/a>\u00a0may be more difficult, and you may come up against unfamiliar vocabulary in\u00a0the course literature<\/a>. Group work can also be hard if students have\u00a0varying levels of proficiency in English<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Lecturers may also be\u00a0uncomfortable<\/a>\u00a0helping students with English, and\u00a0do not see themselves as language teachers<\/a>, even though all students need to become familiar with the specific language used in the field they are studying.<\/p>\n

Fortunately, there is a lot you can\u00a0do as a student<\/a>\u00a0to meet the challenges of studying in a second language.<\/p>\n