ENGLISH LANGUAGE CENTER (ELC)

ENGLISH PROFICIENCY REQUIREMENTS

Students who register at Koç University are required to pass the Koç University English Proficiency Exam or provide a valid English proficiency exam score accepted by the university to start studying at their departments.

Placement Exam and Koç University English Proficiency Exam (KUEPE)

Students who are eligible to register at Koç University and do not submit a valid English proficiency exam score accepted by the university during the registration are required to take the Placement Exam. This exam aims to determine students’ English language level through multiple choice questions, assessing reading, vocabulary, and grammar. As this exam assesses students’ current level of English, it does not require any studying or prior preparation. Placement Exam will be administered at 10:30 on Tuesday, September 5, 2023, face to face on Rumelifeneri Campus. All students who do not submit a valid English proficiency exam score accepted by the university during the registration and those who have decided to study at the Preparatory Program are required to take the Placement Exam. The Placement Exam lists and detailed information about the exam will be available on the ELC website at 13:00 on Monday, September 4, 2023. This information will also be sent to students’ KU email addresses and personal email addresses. All students are expected to check the website and their emails regularly.

Students who do not take the Placement Exam cannot take the KUEPE. These students are not placed at a level in the Preparatory Program.

Placement Exam results will be announced on the ELC website at 19:00 on Tuesday, September 5, 2023. Based on the exam results, students will either be eligible to take the KUEPE or be placed at an appropriate level in the Preparatory Program.

KUEPE assesses reading, listening, writing, and speaking skills, as well as use of English (grammar and vocabulary). Detailed information about the content of the KUEPE is available on the ELC website.

KUEPE will be administered on the following dates and venues:

Wednesday, September 6, 2023	10:00-16:00	Reading, Use of English, Listening, and Writing (face to face on Rumelifeneri Campus)
Thursday-Friday, September 7-8, 2023	09:00-16:00	Speaking (face to face on Rumelifeneri Campus; 10-min. appointments)

Detailed information about students who will be eligible to take the sections of the KUEPE listed in the table above, exam schedule and exam venues will be sent to students’ KU email addresses and personal email addresses at 19:00 on Tuesday, September 5, 2023.

KUEPE results will be announced on the ELC website at 12:00 on Wednesday, September 13, 2023. Students who achieve a score of 60 out of 100 in total KUEPE will be able to enroll in their departments. Students who take the KUEPE but score less than 60 out of 100 will be placed at an appropriate level in the Preparatory Program according to their scores in KUEPE and the Placement Exam and will study at the Preparatory Program for at least one semester depending on their level.                                                           

Accepted External Exams

Students who submit one of the following exams with the minimum required scores listed below will be exempt from the Preparatory Program and directly become freshman.

•         YDS / E-YDS: 80 out of 100. Valid for 5 years.
•         TOEFL IBT*: 80 (total) / 20 (minimum score required on the writing section). Home Edition and My Best Score are not accepted. Valid for 2 years.
•         PTE Academic* (Pearson Test of English): 67 out of 90. Valid for 2 years.
•         CAE/CPE*: Grade of C. Valid for 3 years.

*Per the latest instruction letter for Foreign Language Exam Equivalencies issued by the Center for Selection and Placement of Students (OSYM), in order for an international language exam taken in Turkey to be accepted as equivalent, it must be taken in a state university building.

Students with a valid TOEFL IBT score are required to have their original score report form sent to our university by ETS. Our university code is 0163. Student copies are not considered as a valid document. If the official document has not arrived at the university by the registration period, if any, student copies will be temporarily processed. In this case, these students will be required to fill out and sign a form indicating that their official TOEFL score report will be sent to our university within one month.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

•         What should I do if I do not receive the emails sent to my KU email account?

Please check the Spam box in your email account first and contact the IT department for support as soon as possible. IT contact information: IT@ku.edu.tr   Phone: +90 212 3381111

•         Am I required to take the Placement Exam before taking an external exam that you accept? Or if I have a valid external exam score, do I have to take the Placement Exam?

If you submit a valid English proficiency exam score accepted by the university during the registration, you do not have to take the Placement Exam. However, if you do not submit a valid exam score during the registration or if you are not sure whether the result you submit will be approved, then you are required to take the Placement Exam.

•         May I take the Placement Exam more than once?

No. You can take it only once.

•         If I am sure that my English is insufficient and I need to start from the Foundation level, do I still have to take the Placement Exam?

Yes, you do. You have to take the Placement Exam so that you are placed at the most appropriate level based on reliable test results. You cannot be placed at the lowest level without taking the Placement Exam.

•         May I access a sample of the Placement Exam? Do I need to study for this exam?

There is no sample for the Placement Exam, and it does not require any preparation. It is approximately a 100-minute exam, including 160 multiple-choice questions and 2 sections, assessing reading, vocabulary, and grammar. This exam aims to measure students’ current level of English, and its results are not used for exemption purposes from the preparatory program. Therefore, students are expected to answer only the questions they are sure of. Otherwise, they may be placed at a wrong level.

•         May I access a sample of the KUEPE?

The detailed information about the content of the KUEPE is available on the ELC website. A sample copy is not provided.

•         Is there a makeup for the KUEPE? Will it be administered again?

No. There is no makeup for the KUEPE. If you miss the exam for any reason (including health reports), you may consider taking an external exam accepted by the university and submit a valid score by the deadline stated on the academic calendar to start studying at your departments.

•         What is the deadline to submit a valid passing exam score?

To be able to start studying at your department per the academic calendar, you may submit it by Wednesday, October 4, 2023, during the week when Fall 2023 classes start.

•         How many levels are there in the ELC?

There are 4 levels in the Preparatory Program:

–          Foundation

–          Pre-intermediate

–          Intermediate

–          Upper-intermediate

•         When will I learn my level?  

You will learn your level at the Preparatory Program at 13:00 on Friday, September 15, 2023, on the ELC website.

•         Where can I find more detailed information about the Preparatory Program?

Please visit the ELC website for program details first, and for any other questions, you may contact us at ELC@ku.edu.tr.

Welcome to our university. We wish you success in your academic life.

English Language Center Directorate