RefugEAP Network

Pal-EAP Scheme

This section outlines the Pal-EAP scheme, which is a way in which we are facilitating access to English for Academic Purposes (EAP) provision for Palestinian students and academics, as a means of offering solidarity and practical support during the ongoing genocide in Gaza. We are asking UK universities to pledge one or more place to a Palestinian student on an online pre-sessional programme in Summer 2025

Quick links

Guidance notes for universities

Flexibility guidelines for universities (evidencing English language level)

The Pal-EAP Scheme: Information for Universities and Potential Participants

A bit of background

The RefugEAP Network has been working closely with ELT Professionals for Palestine to set up the Pal-EAP scheme, which is an offer of places on UK universities’ online pre-sessional programmes to Palestinian students and academics, with priority given to those in or from Gaza.

We ran a small pilot of this scheme in Summer 2024 with three students situated in Gaza. Two students joined the online OLIve programme via the University of Bristol, and one joined the University of Birmingham’s online pre-sessional. The latter student is Ibrahim Aldalis, who, after completing his online pre-sessional, wrote a powerful blog post about his experience entitled Testimonial of an Online Pre-sessional Student Displaced in Gaza. He also shared his experience at RefugEAP Network Meet Up #5: Online EAP for Students in Gaza.

What is the Pal-EAP Scheme?

As part of this scheme, UK universities are offering places to Palestinian students on their online pre-sessional academic English programmes in the summer of 2025. UK universities interested in participating in this scheme should fill out the RefugEAP Network’s Pal-EAP Scheme: Submission form for organisations with details of their pre-sessional(s).

In the meantime, Palestinian students and academics keen to participate in the scheme fill out the Participant Expression of Interest Form: RefugEAP Network’s Pal-EAP Scheme. ELT Professionals for Palestine have a colleague on the ground in Gaza who is actively identifying potential participants who fit the criteria to apply.

A small group of RefugEAP Network volunteers will then work to match potential participants with suitable opportunities on the online pre-sessional programmes participating in this scheme. If there are more applicants than the number of places available, a small panel will be put together to select the most suitable applicants.

What are pre-sessional programmes, and what do they lead to?

Pre-sessional programmes are typically intensive courses which prepare students for study at a UK university by focusing on improving academic English skills. These are not primarily language courses; they focus more on academic language skills such as speaking in seminar discussions, listening to lectures, extracting key points from academic articles and writing an effective essay using sources appropriately. They are mainly aimed at students who want to start an undergraduate or postgraduate course at university, but who first need to improve and evidence their level of academic English and skills.

Pre-sessional programmes will give people valuable academic English skills to succeed at university. They should also provide a certificate at the end which indicates what level was achieved. If this level is high enough to join an academic programme, and if that programme is at the same university as the pre-sessional, they should accept this certificate as proof that you meet the English language requirement for that programme. If a student has applied to study at a different university, we recommend checking with them whether they will accept the pre-sessional certificate from another university as proof of English language level.

What are the eligibility criteria for applicants?

This opportunity is for Palestinian students and lecturers. In view of the urgency of the situation, applicants from Gaza will be given priority, but all Palestinian students and academics who meet the requirements below are welcome to apply. Applicants should:

already have a conditional offer of a place at a UK university or on a Fellowship scheme, but have not yet met the English language requirement

already have an English proficiency level of at least IELTS 5.5 (or B2 or above). If you don’t have evidence of this already, you can take a free online English test and share the results with us – please see below for details

have access to a laptop/computer, relatively reliable electricity/internet connection, and a relatively safe/quiet place to study (we understand that it is difficult to predict these conditions at the moment)

are able to commit to attending an intensive online programme for a number of weeks in the summer of 2025, including both live classes and asynchronous study

Frequently Asked Questions for applicants

If you are a Palestinian student or academic considering studying on a pre-sessional programme, please read the following Frequently Asked Questions to see if this type of course is suitable for you:

Do I really need to do a pre-sessional programme? If you already have the required level of English to start your degree programme/scholarship/fellowship, but you just need to demonstrate it formally, it may be better for you to take an English language test such as the Duolingo English Test rather than joining a pre-sessional programme. Duolingo issues free test codes for displaced people through participating organisations. To request a code, please use the form for participants below
Are these courses face-to-face or online? All of the programmes on offer via this initiative are online
How much work do they involve? These courses are typically intensive and require a lot of independent study outside class time. Please only apply if you are in a situation in which you can do this
What are the tech requirements? To access these courses, you typically need to have access to: a good wifi connection, reliable electricity, a computer, microphone, speakers and a webcam. You cannot usually access these courses on a mobile phone
Will there be live sessions? There will usually be a mix of live online classes and asynchronous self-study activities (some of which could be completed off-line)
What is the deadline for applying? As different universities have different deadlines for applications to their pre-sessionals, the deadlinefor signing up to this Pal-EAP scheme is rolling, but the earlier we receive your applications, the more chance we have of being able to place you this summer
How do I demonstrate my level of English when I apply? If you do not know your English language level, or do not have evidence of your level (such as an IELTS certificate or transcript), please complete one of the following mini-assessments and attach the transcript or screenshot of your results via the form below, so we get a rough idea of your level. If your level is B2, C1 or C2, a university that you apply to may be able to offer you a chance to take a fuller online assessment:
- the 50-minute EF SET test: https://www.efset.org/ef-set-50/launch/ (this will test your reading and listening skills)
- the EnglishScore assessment on this British Council web page: https://www.britishcouncil.org/english/learn-online/englishscore (this is a 40-minute test that you can take on your mobile phone – you need a working camera and microphone)
- if you are unable to check your level using one of the tests above, please try this shorter Cambridge English test instead: https://www.cambridgeenglish.org/test-your-english/general-english/ (this does not require a camera or microphone)
What if I don’t meet the requirements to join a pre-sessional programme? Depending on what you need, you could:
- if you need to improve your level of English, join a less demanding English language programme, such as ELT Professionals for Palestine’s English tutoring programme, or another scheme listed in this ELT for Palestine Padlet
- if you are at the right level of English language proficiency and just need to demonstrate this, fill in this form and specify this in Section 8. We will then see if we can find an opportunity for you to take a suitable test (we can’t guarantee that we will be able to do this, but we will try!)

Guidance for Universities

Before deciding whether to participate in this opportunity, it is helpful to consider the information in the following docuent: Pal-EAP Scheme (Summer 2025): Guidelines for Universities.

The main points to highlight are:

there is not a great deal of additional work/administration involved in participating in this initiative, but some flexibility is likely to be required
ensure that the teachers who are working with this student are able to be empathetic, flexible and trauma-informed, and that they are well-supported by your department
for universities looking to become a University of Sanctuary or sign up to the UNHCR’s 15by30 pledge, this scheme will stand them in good stead. Universities participating in Pal-EAP can also sign up to the RefugEAP Network’s joint pledge (submitted at the Global Refugee Forum in Geneva in December 2023) via this form.