The ranking
| Rank | Country | Typical band | MOI accepted | University's own test | Verdict without a test |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cyprus | 5.5-6.0 | No — a state minimum applies (IELTS 5.0 or a listed test) | Placement only, not instead of the state minimum | Low bar: IELTS 5.0 or a cheaper listed test |
| 2 | Bulgaria | 5.5 | Often | Yes, common | Routinely works |
| 3 | Italy | 6.0 | Many master's programmes | Sometimes | Admission often works — the Dhaka visa wants IELTS 6.0 unless the university verified you on Universitaly |
| 4 | Greece | 5.5-6.0 | Some institutions | Sometimes | Programme-dependent |
| 5 | Hungary | 5.5-6.0 | Some programmes | Yes, some | Often with an interview |
| 6 | Malta | 6.0-6.5 | No — listed countries only | Yes — the University of Malta's own ISET | Test needed; A-Level English (grade D) exempts |
| 7 | Finland | 6.0-6.5 | No — Bangladesh not listed | No | Test needed |
| 8 | Denmark | 6.5 | No | No | Effectively closed |
| 9 | Sweden | 6.5 | Generally not | No | Closed |
The pattern is broadly geographic and it has been stable for years: Bulgaria, Greece and Hungary are the flexible ones, Cyprus is flexible about which test counts but not about needing one, and Malta and the Nordics want a recognised test. If you have no English test and no realistic path to one this cycle, Finland, Sweden and Denmark are not your countries, and Malta is one only if you passed A-Level English.
⚠️ Italy is the row that catches people out, and it catches them late. Italian universities really are flexible, because the national admission rule is CEFR B2 in the language of instruction rather than a named test — so an MOI letter or a previous English-taught degree often wins the offer. The Embassy of Italy in Dhaka then applies its own visa checklist, which asks for a language certificate unless your university has already verified your language and reported it on your Universitaly pre-enrolment; when it asks, it accepts B2 for Italian or another European language, or, for English, a score no lower than 6 with IELTS the only English certificate it names, issued within the last two years. Read Italy's row as admission only: ask your university whether it will record that check, and if it will not and your course is not taught in Italian, budget for IELTS 6.0. Italy without IELTS has the detail.
Five of the nine have a page of their own on exactly this question, naming institutions and what each accepts in place of a test: Cyprus, Italy, Malta, Hungary and Finland — the Finnish one is largely an explanation of why the answer there is no.
What a Medium of Instruction letter is worth
An MOI letter is a statement from your previous institution that your programme was taught and examined in English. A strong one carries the institution's letterhead, your name and student ID, the exact dates of study, the registrar's signature and seal, and that explicit phrase.
⚠️ The commonest weakness is a letter that mentions instruction and omits examination. Many universities check for both. Ask for the exact wording when you request it, and read the MOI guide before you go to your registrar's office.
Three real limits are worth knowing before you build a plan on it:
It rarely works at bachelor's level. The whole argument is that a previous degree was in English. After HSC there is no previous degree to point at.
It loses to a test score in competitive programmes. Where applicants outnumber seats, the IELTS holder is ahead even where an MOI is technically accepted.
It usually fails for scholarships. This is the expensive one. Most funded schemes specify a test score, so you can be admitted on an MOI and then find yourself excluded from the money — often after the scholarship deadline has passed.
The other two routes
The university's own English test. Common in Bulgaria and at some Hungarian universities, usually online and free or inexpensive, and the University of Malta runs one too, its International Student English Test (ISET), which counts as a secure English test there. It is real and it works, but it is valid only at that university. It cannot be reused elsewhere and it is worth nothing at a visa interview. In Cyprus a university's own test can place you but does not replace the state minimum.
Duolingo. Accepted at a growing number of institutions and refused at many, and it is not accepted by every country as visa-stage evidence even where a university takes it. Check both the university and the immigration authority before relying on it — see the Duolingo guide.
The arithmetic nobody does
IELTS Academic costs roughly BDT 20,000 to 26,000, and a serious preparation plan takes six to eight weeks. Set that against what going without costs you:
| Without a test | With a 6.5 |
|---|---|
| Two or three countries realistically open | All nine open |
| Most funded scholarships closed | All open |
| Weaker in competitive programmes | Competitive |
| An extra unknown at the visa stage | One less thing to explain |
| Sometimes an interview instead | No interview needed |
For most applicants the test pays for itself the moment it puts one funded programme within reach. If you are set on Bulgaria, self-funded, and applying to a programme that publishes an MOI route, going without is a defensible decision; for Cyprus, the saving is a cheaper listed test, not no test. In every other case it narrows your options far more than it saves.
What to do
- 1Check the actual admission page of two programmes you want. The rule belongs to the programme, not the country.
- 2Request an MOI letter regardless — it costs nothing and occasionally proves useful.
- 3If any funded route interests you, book the test. Read the country-by-country requirements and the preparation plan first.
Official sources — check for yourself
- IELTS — official site
- British Council Bangladesh — IELTS
- Higher Education Authority — Cyprus
- University Admissions Sweden
- Duolingo English Test
- Cyprus Department of Higher Education — knowledge of English (national minimum)
- University of Malta — exemptions from the English requirement
- UASinfo — language requirements for the joint application
- University of Copenhagen — language requirements, master's
- Aarhus University — English language requirements, master's
Rules and figures change. We review these articles periodically and show the date above, but always confirm the current requirement with the official source before you act on it.
Common questions
Which European country can I study in without IELTS?+
Cyprus and Bulgaria are the two of our nine where it works most often, for different reasons: Cyprus has no Medium of Instruction route, but its state minimum is IELTS 5.0 or a cheaper listed test such as PTE Academic 58, while in Bulgaria the university's own online English test is common and some institutions accept an MOI. Italy is a partial exception and a common misunderstanding: its universities accept an MOI on many master's programmes, but the Italian Embassy in Dhaka asks for a language certificate unless the university has already verified your language and reported it on your Universitaly pre-enrolment, and when it asks, IELTS at 6.0 or above is the only English certificate it lists. So Italy is a without-IELTS route only if your university will record that check; ask before relying on it. Malta, Finland and Denmark require a recognised test, and Sweden generally does.
Does a Medium of Instruction certificate replace IELTS everywhere?+
No. It is accepted often in Bulgaria and by Italian universities and sometimes in Greece and Hungary, but not in Cyprus, Malta, Finland or Denmark, and Sweden generally does not take one either. Italy adds a second hurdle: the Italian Embassy in Dhaka's own visa checklist asks for a language certificate unless the university has already verified your language and reported it on your Universitaly pre-enrolment, and then names IELTS at 6.0 or above as the only English certificate, so an MOI can win the offer there and still leave the visa file short. An MOI also fails for most scholarships, which specify a test score, so it can win you admission and still lock you out of the funding.
Is it worth taking IELTS if I only want a cheap country?+
Usually yes. The test costs roughly BDT 20,000 to 26,000 and six to eight weeks, and it opens all nine countries plus every funded scheme. Going without is only a sensible trade if you are self-funded and applying to specific programmes that publish an MOI route.
Tuition, funds, IELTS band and the visa route — side by side.
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