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As higher education becomes increasingly global, language testing is crucial for assessing students’ abilities to succeed academically and engage with their peers in an environment where English is the primary language of communication. 

During a discussion at the 2025 HashtagHigherEd UK event, held in partnership with Password English Language Testing, panellists explored the benefits of using language tests as a strategic tool for recruitment and retention at universities. “One of the main benefits of using your own test is that it enhances the student experience so you have a student-friendly approach to English language testing,” said Shelley Vink, head of university partnerships at Password English Language Testing. 

The test offers many advantages to universities, such as supporting institutional branding, managing costs and streamlining the admissions journey. “Since 2008, we have been working with institutions for their admissions testing, specifically English language testing, where institutions purchase a test from us and use it under their own brand,” said Vink. 

The Password Skills test offers applicants and institutions an affordable alternative to other tests available on the market today. Universities can integrate the test into their admissions systems to streamline the process and improve efficiency. The results are delivered within five working days directly to the institution, which eliminates the need to follow up with students for their test results. “With Password, you have access to a results dashboard so you can manage the results and gain insights for faster decision making. There’s also an option to have a bespoke test with programme-specific questions so you can also look at programme readiness alongside language proficiency,” Vink said. 

Raluca Pasare, regional manager for East Asia at the University of Huddersfield, spoke about the benefits of Password tests from the perspective of user experience and recruitment strategy. “Universities have quite a few options for the way we use it,” said Pasare. “We are able to invigilate the tests and ensure that the student journey is smooth and students feel supported. It has helped us in recruitment and conversion because students not only gain confidence in our team and processes, but they also feel like they are being helped throughout their journey.”

Simi Kohli, head of global partnerships and communications at Password English Language Testing, said: “Research has shown time and time again that the English language is the key predictor of international students’ academic success. It’s an important indicator of how your students are going to perform once they arrive at the university, so it should be a key part of your admissions process – not as a checkbox exercise but to ensure your students are coming in with the right language levels.”

Adam-Lucas Pettit, director of partnerships at the student recruitment agency, AECC Global, echoed this point: “Students with marginal proficiency are not only less likely to achieve academically but also socially, which impacts retention.” 

Agents and institutions often treat English tests as a box-ticking exercise rather than a strategic tool, Pettit said. “As agents, we can provide a test to assess the level of the course we should be helping the student to apply to and whether they need a pre-session or foundation course. As universities, diagnostically testing students on arrival could help identify support needs early to retain them throughout their course,” he added.

“What we need to do as a sector is reframe the role of language assessments,” Kohli said. “Let’s stop seeing it as a hurdle that students need to jump to get their place at university. These are vital skills that students need to be able to succeed in their academic programmes. We need to start encouraging students to focus on language learning as opposed to how to pass a test,” she concluded.

The panel:

• Simi Kohli, head of global partnerships and communications, Password English Language Testing
• Raluca Pasare, regional manager for East Asia, University of Huddersfield
• Adam-Lucas Pettit, director of partnerships, AECC Global
• Shelley Vink, head of university partnerships, Password English Language Testing

about Password English Language Testing.