Admissions

The Wales Evangelical School of Theological expects applicants to be godly Christians and recommended by their church.

Procedure
WEST encourages interested persons to visit the School on an informal basis before making an application. The purpose of the visit is to attend worship times as well as classes and mix freely with students and staff. This is a good opportunity to find out what it is like to study at WEST.

If required, overnight accommodation on campus at Bryntirion may be available.

Once an application has been received by WEST, references are sought, including one from the home church. If the applicant lives in, or can travel to, the UK, then s/he will be invited to WEST for a formal interview with the Academic Board.

Normally, a decision is made immediately at the end of the interview and communicated to the applicant.

International students at WEST
For international students for whom English is not their first language, there is an English language minimum requirement. WEST accepts applicants with a minimum IELTS grade of 7.0 from the outset.  This is the requirement for all programmes.  Please note also that:

- there should be an IELTS score of no less than 6.5 in any category (ie reading, writing etc)
- IELTS scores will only be accepted within two years of the test result
- Interviews or decisions on applications will not occur until an IELTS result certificate has been received at WEST showing that the minimum requirement has been met
- if you require information on local English language courses you could pursue to help you achieve the required level, please contact us

International students with a Tier 4 Student Visa must by law be enrolled as full-time students.  The minimum level of class attendance required for students on taught programmes is 80%.  WEST is legally obliged to report to the UK Border Agency any students who fail to enrol or meet the attendance requirements.  Under no circumstances will a student be able to suspend studies/a module to a future year.  The attendance of taught postgraduates doing their dissertations and research students must also be monitored.

International students / Immigration
Since April 2009, students living outside the European Union and wishing to study in the United Kingdom will be required to apply for a visa under the new Points Based System.  For further information on the Points Based System and how to apply for a student visa to study at WEST, please click here

Choice when studying at WEST
The School recognises that a university degree is not an essential requirement for Christian work and that non-accredited studies may be a more appropriate option for some. Freedom from university regulations provides considerable flexibility. For example, modules from different levels of the BA menu may be studied during the same year and there is no obligation to write essays or take exams.
NB: Visa students will not be permitted to do non-accredited study.

Advice
Advice is available to each applicant of WEST concerning the course most appropriate to his/her needs.

For more information, see the Courses page or contact us.