Pre-University: English Language

Course teachers

Laura Nicolo, Seline Okeno and Rona Wilkie

Credit bearing

No

Eligibility

Students must be in their penultimate or final year of high school and aged 16-18 years.

Language requirements

This intensive course is for students who have achieved a B1 level of the Common European Framework of Reference and are at the start of the B2 level or are between a 5 and a 5.5 IELTS overall.

Please assess your level before applying. You can use this free Cambridge English Test for General English. If you need any support assessing your language, please contact us at languagesforall-english@ed.ac.uk.

Device requirements

Course materials will be delivered via the University of Edinburgh's Virtual Learning Environment. To access these materials, you will require a suitable device, such as a laptop or tablet. 

Teaching location

Holyrood Campus

Dates

29 June - 10 July 2026

Length

2 weeks

Course fee

£5,250 

Application deadline

Applications will close on 19 May 2026 at 17:00 (BST)

Laura Nicolo Duenas is a Teaching Fellow at the Centre for Open Learning where she teaches English and Italian. She holds a BA (Hons) in English Philology (language, literature, history and teaching) with Italian as a second language from the University of Valencia, Spain and a Postgraduate Certificate in English Language Teaching from the University of Valencia. She is an expert language educator and has extensive experience in language teaching and curriculum development. She has been teaching languages in Spain and in the UK since 2005 at all proficiency levels to learners of various backgrounds.

Seline Okeno is a Teaching Fellow at the Centre for Open Learning where she is teaching English and Swahili. She holds a Bachelor of Educations in Arts with IT, English Language and Literature from Maseno University, Kenya and a Master's degree in Applied Linguistics from Ohio University, USA. An expert language educator, she has experience in curriculum development and teaching Swahili and English at various proficiency levels to varied audiences both online and in-person. Her previous teaching roles include K-12 postings in Nairobi, Arusha, and Dodoma and higher education postings in the USA in Evanston, IL and Athens, OH.

Rona Wilkie is a Lecturer at the Centre for Open Learning where she teaches Scottish Gaelic and Gaelic culture. She holds an MA (Hons) from the University of Edinburgh, an MMus from the University of Newcastle and she is currently writing her PhD in Scottish Studies. As well as lecturing at COL, Rona regularly works with other universities and organisations such as Sabhal Mòr Ostaig, University of the Highlands and Islands, and the National Museum of Scotland. 

In addition, Rona is a musician and composer of traditional Gaelic music and a former winner of the BBC Young Traditional Musician of the Year. She performs and works internationally with musicians from many genres including classical music, jazz and popular music. 

This course offers students a unique opportunity to further develop their English language skills while enjoying an immersive cultural experience, in Scotland, and at the University of Edinburgh.

Students will strengthen the language they need to discuss their educational background, as well as their future academic and career ambitions. Through a combination of lectures, presentations and guided tours, they will learn about the University of Edinburgh while exploring the history and culture of Edinburgh and Scotland.

Teaching takes place in small, interactive language classes that encourage active participation. Students will engage in whole-class activities, pair and group work, role-plays, discussions of short texts, and listening and viewing tasks using dialogues and video clips. Vocabulary and grammar are practised in meaningful contexts, and students collaborate on a team project that culminates in a final presentation.

Additional speaking and listening opportunities are built into the social programme and city excursions. The cultural and social activities form an integral part of the course, broadening students’ perspectives and deepening their understanding of life and culture in the UK, with a particular focus on Scotland. Students will also receive guidance from the University of Edinburgh Admissions team and have the opportunity to ask questions about applying to a UK university.

Class times

• Monday, Wednesday, Friday: 10:00 - 12:00
• Tuesday, Thursday: 10:00 – 16:00

On successful completion of the course students will be able to:

1. Talk about or give a presentation, in English, on past and future studies
2. Use a variety of strategies to develop your comprehension of written and spoken English
3. Take notes and report on main points of a presentation
4. Identify and reflect on aspects of Scottish history and cultures

The Pre-University courses are based at the University of Edinburgh’s Holyrood campus. This campus sits just off the Royal Mile, which connects Holyrood Palace to Edinburgh Caste. The campus houses a library, cafe and several study spaces and is surrounded by a number of cafes and grocery stores where you can buy lunch. It is also just around the corner from the Pleasance Sports Complex and Gym which you will have the opportunity to visit as part of the programme.

The Holyrood campus is approximately 20 minutes from the accommodation. You will be expected to walk to and from campus each day. The weather in Edinburgh can be changeable - so make sure to pack a rain coat and umbrella!

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