If you are holding a Chinese bachelor's degree and checking whether Essex clears your bar, the university asks for 65%–70% at postgraduate level, with 65% as the lower figure in that published band. Some routes sit higher, and some courses ask about your subject background rather than just your average.
Here is what the published 2025 requirements say, and where you need to read your own course page before you apply.
The score bands
| Route | Published requirement |
|---|---|
| UK bachelor's degree | 2:2 |
| Chinese bachelor's degree | 65%–70% |
| Chinese self-study degree with double certificates | 65% |
| Chinese cooperative programme, 3+1 or 4+0 | No IELTS required |
| Chinese pre-master's programme | 75% |
| MBA | College degree plus 3 years' work experience |
Note the direction of travel: the pre-master's route asks for 75%, which is above the general Chinese bachelor's band. If your degree came through that pathway, that is the number to plan around.
Not every MSc takes the same applicant
The average matters, but so does what you studied. Essex groups its master's courses by expected background.
Any bachelor's background accepted — including engineering, arts and humanities:
- MSc Management
- MSc Management (Leadership)
- MSc Management (International)
- MSc Management (Marketing)
- MSc Management (Advertising and Corporate Communications)
- MSc Global Project Management
- Master of Business Management
Prior study in social science or science (for example business, sociology, or engineering degrees):
- MSc Accounting and Financial Management
- MSc International Accounting and Banking
Accounting experience within your degree required:
- MSc Accounting and Finance
- MSc Accounting
A related business or social science background:
- MSc Human Resource Management
- MSc Marketing and Brand Management
- MSc Business Analytics
- Master of Business Administration: The Essex MBA
- MSc International Logistics and Supply Chain Management
Related subjects such as finance, economics, mathematics or computer science:
- MSc Finance and Management
- MSc Banking and Finance
- MSc Finance
- MSc Finance and Investment
- MSc Financial Engineering and Risk Management
- MSc Finance and Data Analytics
- MSc Finance and Global Trading
- MSc Computational Finance
Popular master's options also include international trade law, international business and corporate law, international journalism, sports therapy and coaching science.
English requirements and how long a score stays valid
If you enter a degree course directly, Essex extends how long it accepts a recent IELTS score:
- Undergraduate main course: IELTS valid within 5 years
- Postgraduate main course: IELTS valid within 3 years
On combining scores, the maximum is two IELTS results. Direct-entry main-course applicants are not restricted to UKVI or non-UKVI when combining. For the offline pre-sessional English programme, the requirement is two UKVI results, each within two years.
Routes that do not need an English test
English qualifications are waived for master's applications if you have obtained a UK bachelor's degree within the last five years, including the 3+1 top-up model.
A separate exception: a college diploma (专科) is accepted with 2–3 years of work experience. The MBA route in the published list asks for a college degree plus three years' work experience, and the MBA (5 years of work experience) variant appears in the popular-programmes list.
Professional exemptions
Business courses carry ACCA exemptions.
Undergraduate — ACCA F1 to F9 exempted:
- BSc Accounting
- BSc Accounting and Finance
- BSc Accounting and Management
- BSc Accounting with Economics
- BSc Finance
- BSc Banking and Finance
Master's — ACCA F1 to F4 exempted:
- MSc Accounting and Financial Management
- MSc Accounting
- MSc Accounting and Finance
What you should check yourself before applying
- Open the individual course page on essex.ac.uk, not just the general requirements page.
- Compare your degree subject against that course's stated background requirement.
- Check your average against the band for your specific route.
- Count how old your IELTS result is, against the 3-year or 5-year limit that applies to your course level.
- Confirm the study modes listed for that course directly on the page.
On the last point, be aware of a gap: the published requirements we worked from do not state which study modes are unavailable for any given course. The university's own course pages are the place to confirm that, not an inference from the entry requirements.