Every year, thousands of students fail to apply for international scholarships — not because they are ineligible, but because they assume they need IELTS or TOEFL and cannot afford the test, the preparation time, or both.
The Medium of Instruction (MOI) Certificate changes that.
Your own university issues this document at zero cost — and DAAD, GKS, MEXT, CSC China, Erasmus Mundus, and more than 20 other major scholarship programs accept it as a valid substitute for IELTS and TOEFL.
This guide explains exactly what an MOI Certificate is, which scholarships accept it, how to request one from your university, and the mistakes that cause scholarship bodies to reject applications over a poorly written MOI.
What Is a Medium of Instruction (MOI) Certificate?
A Medium of Instruction (MOI) Certificate is an official letter your university issues to confirm that your degree program — all lectures, coursework, examinations, laboratory work, and academic assessments — ran entirely in the English language.
It is not a language test and it is not a proficiency score. Your institution issues it as a formal declaration that English was the medium through which it delivered your education.
Scholarship committees accept this as proof of English proficiency because the logic is straightforward: if you completed a four-year engineering degree taught entirely in English, passed your examinations in English, and wrote your thesis in English, you have demonstrated English proficiency in an academic context — arguably more meaningfully than a three-hour test.
Which Scholarships Accept MOI Instead of IELTS?
The following major scholarship programs formally accept or routinely approve the MOI Certificate as an IELTS/TOEFL substitute:
Germany: DAAD Scholarship — MOI accepted for English-taught programs when the applicant’s previous degree was conducted in English. Must be on official letterhead with registrar signature and university stamp.
South Korea: Global Korea Scholarship (GKS / KGSP) — MOI officially accepted. The NIIED guidelines explicitly list MOI as an accepted English proficiency document for English-medium program applicants.
Japan: MEXT Scholarship — MOI accepted when previous degree was taught in English. The Japanese Embassy evaluates the document during the Embassy Track selection.
China: Chinese Government Scholarship (CSC) — MOI accepted for English-taught programs. Some universities require notarization of the document — confirm with the specific host university.
Europe: Erasmus Mundus — most consortiums accept MOI from English-medium institutions. Acceptance varies by program — always check the specific consortium’s language requirements.
Turkey: Turkiye Burslari — MOI accepted for applicants from English-medium universities.
Australia: Australia Awards — may waive the English test requirement if previous degree was entirely in English. MOI is the primary supporting document for this waiver.
UK: Chevening Scholarship — accepts MOI at the initial application stage for English-medium degree holders. Some UK universities may still require IELTS for the actual university admission — check with the specific institution.
Other programs: Commonwealth Scholarship, Aga Khan Foundation, Swedish Institute, KAIST Korea, Stipendium Hungaricum, Dutch Government OKP, HEC Pakistan, PEEF Pakistan, Inlaks Foundation, and GREAT Scholarship UK also accept MOI from accredited English-medium institutions.
Who Qualifies for an MOI Certificate?
You qualify for an MOI Certificate if:
Your previous degree — Bachelor’s, Master’s, or PhD — must have been taught entirely in English. Your professors delivered all lectures in English, you sat all written examinations in English, you submitted all coursework and assignments in English, and you wrote and defended your thesis or final project in English.
You do not qualify if another language was the medium of your program — even if your professors used English-language textbooks, or if your university taught English as a subject within the curriculum. The entire medium of instruction must have been English.
Students from Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, and other countries where universities use English as the primary medium of instruction typically satisfy this requirement automatically.
How to Request Your MOI Certificate — Step by Step
Step 1 — Confirm your university issues MOI Certificates
Visit or email your university’s Registrar’s Office or Examination Division. Ask whether they issue Medium of Instruction Certificates for scholarship purposes. At virtually all English-medium universities, the answer will be yes — this is a standard academic document.
Step 2 — Prepare a formal request letter
Write a formal letter to the Registrar requesting the certificate. Include your full name, student ID, degree program, duration of study, and the scholarship you are applying for. Explain that the certificate is required as a language proficiency document for the application.
Email Template:
Subject: Request for Medium of Instruction (MOI) Certificate
Dear [Registrar’s Name / Sir or Madam],
I am writing to request a Medium of Instruction (MOI) Certificate for my [Degree Program] completed at [University Name] from [Start Year] to [End Year].
I require this certificate as part of my application for the [Scholarship Name] scholarship, which accepts MOI as proof of English language proficiency in lieu of IELTS/TOEFL.
Could you please confirm whether the certificate can be issued on official university letterhead with an authorized signature and official stamp?
My details are as follows:
- Full Name: [Your Name]
- Student ID: [ID Number]
- Degree Program: [Your Degree]
- Duration: [Start Date] to [End Date]
I would be grateful if the certificate could be ready within [timeframe].
Yours sincerely, [Your Name]
Step 3 — Collect the certificate on official letterhead
Print the MOI Certificate on your university’s official letterhead — not a plain sheet of paper. An authorized university official must sign it — your Registrar, Controller of Examinations, or Head of Department — and the university’s official seal must appear on it.
No scholarship program accepts a typed certificate on plain paper without a stamp.
Step 4 — Make certified copies
Make at least three certified photocopies of the original certificate. Some scholarship programs require an attested or notarized copy — confirm the specific requirement for your target scholarship.
Step 5 — Scan at high resolution
Scan the signed and stamped certificate at 300 DPI minimum. Most online scholarship portals require a PDF or high-resolution JPEG upload. A blurry or low-resolution scan is treated as an invalid document.
What the MOI Certificate Must Include
For a scholarship committee to accept your MOI Certificate, it must contain the following elements:
The university’s official name and address — printed on official letterhead.
The student’s full name and student ID number.
The specific degree program and its exact duration — month and year of start and completion.
A clear statement that the entire program was conducted in the English language — not just that English was “used” or that English-language textbooks were used.
The name, designation, and signature of the issuing authority — Registrar, Controller of Examinations, or equivalent.
The university’s official seal or stamp.
The date of issue.
What the MOI Certificate Must NOT Say
There are specific phrases and formulations that raise red flags with scholarship committees and can cause your MOI to be rejected:
Do not say: “English was used as a medium of instruction” — this is ambiguous. Say instead: “the entire program was conducted exclusively in the English language.”
- Do not say: “The student has studied English” — this refers to English as a subject, not as a medium of instruction.
- Do not say: “English was one of the languages of instruction” — this implies other languages were also used, which disqualifies the certificate for most programs.
- Do not use informal language or non-standard phrasing. The document must read as a formal official certificate.
MOI Certificate vs IELTS — Which Is Better?
For students from English-medium universities, the MOI Certificate is superior to IELTS in several practical ways.
Cost: IELTS costs $200 to $250 per attempt. An MOI Certificate costs nothing.
Time: IELTS requires weeks or months of preparation plus the test date. An MOI Certificate can be requested and collected within days.
Stress: IELTS is a high-pressure timed examination. An MOI Certificate is an administrative document.
Validity: IELTS scores expire after two years. An MOI Certificate does not expire.
However, MOI has limitations. Not all scholarships accept it — Gates Cambridge requires IELTS 7.5 regardless of medium of instruction. Some UK universities require IELTS for actual admission even if the scholarship body accepts MOI. Always verify the specific requirement of each scholarship and each target university.
Common Reasons MOI Certificates Are Rejected
Reason 1 — Not on official letterhead The most common rejection reason. The certificate must be on the university’s printed official letterhead, not a typed document on a plain sheet.
Reason 2 — Missing stamp or seal A signature without the official university stamp is not sufficient. The stamp is what makes the document officially authenticated.
Reason 3 — Vague language Phrases like “English was used” or “the student attended English classes” do not confirm exclusive English-medium instruction. Write instead: “the entire program was conducted exclusively in the English language.” The certificate must leave no room for interpretation.
Reason 4 — Wrong issuing authority Your Registrar, Controller of Examinations, or an equally senior academic authority must sign the certificate. When a professor or department head signs it instead, most scholarship bodies reject it outright — they require a university-level authority, not a departmental one.
Reason 5 — Low-resolution scan Scan your certificate at 300 DPI minimum. When scholarship portals receive a blurry or unclear scan, they treat the document as unverifiable and remove it from consideration — even if the original certificate is perfectly valid.
Use Our Free MOI Certificate Generator
Not sure how to word your MOI Certificate correctly? Our Free MOI Certificate Generator creates the complete certificate text — with all required sections, correct formal language, and proper structure — that you take to your registrar to print, sign, and stamp.
It takes under 5 minutes and produces a scholarship-standard document accepted by DAAD, GKS, MEXT, CSC, Erasmus, and 20+ other programs.
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Complete Your Application — Free Tools
Once your MOI Certificate is ready, you will need the rest of your application documents too. ScholarWing has free generators for all of them:
- Free SOP Generator — Generate a scholarship-specific Statement of Purpose
- Free Reference Letter Generator — Professor-ready reference letter
- Free CV Builder — Scholarship-standard CV with 3 templates
- Free Cover Letter Generator — For university applications
- IELTS & TOEFL Practice Tests — For scholarships that require English tests
FAQ — MOI Certificate for Scholarships
Q: Can I use an MOI Certificate for DAAD?
Yes. DAAD formally accepts MOI Certificates for applicants from English-medium universities applying to English-taught programs in Germany. The certificate must be on official letterhead with registrar signature and university stamp.
Q: Does GKS Korea accept MOI?
Yes. The official NIIED guidelines for GKS list MOI as an accepted English proficiency document. It is one of the most straightforwardly MOI-friendly scholarship programs available.
Q: Do I need to get my MOI Certificate notarized?
It depends on the scholarship. DAAD and GKS generally do not require notarization. CSC China sometimes requires it depending on the host university. Always check the specific requirements of the scholarship you are applying for.
Q: My degree was taught partially in English and partially in another language. Can I still get an MOI?
If part of your program was in another language, you generally do not qualify for MOI as a full IELTS substitute. Some scholarships may accept a partial MOI — confirm with the scholarship body directly.
Q: How long does it take to get an MOI Certificate?
Typically 2 to 7 working days. At some universities it is issued on the same day. Apply well in advance of your scholarship deadline.
Q: Is there a specific format scholarships require?
Most scholarship programs do not prescribe an exact format. They require the document to be on official letterhead, signed by an authorized official, and stamped. Our Free MOI Certificate Generator produces text that meets these requirements for all major programs.
Q: My MOI was rejected — what do I do?
Check whether it was on official letterhead, properly signed and stamped, and contained clear language about English as the exclusive medium. Reissue with corrections and resubmit.
Summary
The MOI Certificate is one of the most valuable and underused documents in scholarship applications. For students from English-medium universities, it eliminates the cost, time, and stress of IELTS preparation — and is accepted by the majority of the world’s top scholarship programs.
Request it early, ensure it is properly formatted, and use our free generator to get the wording right the first time.
👉 Generate Your Free MOI Certificate → 👉 Browse All Scholarships 👉 Check Your Eligibility 👉 View All Deadlines