Quick answer: a term of adult education language classes in the UK typically costs £107–£239 (Horsforth Evening Classes and City Lit), with concession rates from about £97–£155. University evening courses open to the public run from £110 (a short Glasgow course) to £475 for a 10-class term at UCL. Private tutors average £14–£22 an hour on one tutoring marketplace and £35–£50 in an agency guide. ESOL up to level 2 is free in England if you earn under £26,800 or are unemployed.
Language course cost checker
Pick a course type to see the typical UK price range and where the figure comes from.
Prices change and depend on the size of the job, the property, access and location. Figures were last checked . Always get a written quote before work starts.
Request a free quoteThere are two price systems. Publicly funded adult education, delivered by councils, colleges and adult education charities, sets fees that change with your income, age and residency, and some courses are free. Universities, cultural institutes, private schools and tutors set their own prices. The table below shows both. Every figure comes from a named source, checked in September 2026. Where we could not find a published price, we have left the item out rather than guess.
UK language course prices
| Course type | Price | What you get | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adult education evening class, one term | £107–£239 | Horsforth: 2-hour class weekly, autumn term. City Lit: French beginners, 8–11 sessions | Horsforth Evening Classes (Leeds); City Lit (London) |
| Adult education, reduced or concession rate | £97–£155 | Same courses at the reduced rate: Horsforth £97 a term, City Lit concession £155 | Horsforth Evening Classes; City Lit |
| ESOL up to level 2 (England) | Free if you meet the earnings threshold; co-funded otherwise | National threshold £26,800 for 2026/27; some regions set their own | Adult skills fund funding rules 2026 to 2027 (gov.uk) |
| University short language course, public rate | £110–£475 | Glasgow: 5, 10 or 20 weeks, £110–£310. UCL: one 10-class term £475 | University of Glasgow short courses; UCL Centre for Languages & International Education |
| University evening course, full year (three terms) | £1,025 | UCL: 30 classes, public rate | UCL Centre for Languages & International Education |
| Cultural institute group course, 30 hours | £325–£435 | Instituto Cervantes London, Spanish A1.1, price varies by time slot | Instituto Cervantes London |
| Cultural institute group course, per hour | From £10 an hour | Alliance Française de Manchester beginner groups; more advanced from £12 | Alliance Française de Manchester |
| Private tutor, per hour (marketplace averages) | £14–£22 | Average rates by language, e.g. Spanish £14–£19, French £18–£20, German £18–£22 | Findtutors average rates (findtutors.co.uk) |
| Private tutor, per hour (agency guide) | £35–£50 | French or Spanish, UK average range | Average Tutoring Rates UK: 2026 (tutorcruncher.com) |
| English school for international students, per week | £250–£275 | Bayswater Leeds; plus a £95 registration fee | Bayswater Leeds price list (leedsenglish.com) |
The cheapest route per hour is almost always a funded adult education course or a free ESOL class, if you qualify. University and cultural institute courses cost more, but they tend to offer more levels, a clear CEFR outcome and the option of a recognised exam at the end.
Exam fees
Exams are usually charged on top of the course. These are the published UK fees we found:
| Exam | Fee | Source |
|---|---|---|
| IELTS Academic or General Training (not for UK visas) | £215–£250, depending on location | British Council IELTS (takeielts.britishcouncil.org) |
| IELTS for UKVI (Academic or General Training) | £257–£313 | British Council IELTS |
| IELTS Life Skills (speaking and listening) | £182–£209 | British Council IELTS |
| DELE Spanish diplomas, A1 to C2 | £130–£245 (20% less for Instituto Cervantes students) | Instituto Cervantes Manchester, examination fees 2026 |
If you need English for a visa, check which test the Home Office accepts before you book: see UK visa English requirements by route. For other languages, our guide to DELF, DELE and Goethe certificates explains the main exams.
Who pays less: public funding rules
England. Under the national Adult Skills Fund rules for 2026 to 2027, ESOL learning up to and including level 2 is fully funded for learners who meet the earnings threshold, including people who are unemployed, and co-funded for everyone else. The earnings threshold is £26,800. Our explainer on free ESOL classes in England covers the detail.
London and the combined authorities. Some areas run the fund themselves. Westminster Adult Education Service says Greater London residents qualify if they earn less than the London Living Wage (£28,860 a year as of October 2025). The West Midlands Combined Authority’s 2025 to 2026 rules fully fund eligible learners earning below £34,194.
Scotland. Colleges use a fee waiver funded by the Scottish Funding Council. Glasgow Clyde College, for example, waives part-time fees for people on qualifying benefits, asylum seekers and households under set income limits, but not for its leisure programme. University part-time courses may qualify for a SAAS Part-Time Fee Grant if you earn £25,000 or less and study more than 30 SCQF credits.
Leisure courses. Modern foreign language classes taken for pleasure are often outside these free entitlements, so expect to pay the listed fee unless the provider offers its own concession.
Extras to budget for
- Books. The Alliance Française de Manchester lists the coursebooks for each level separately from the course price.
- Registration fees. Private English schools often add one, like the £95 at Bayswater Leeds.
- Exam and re-sit fees. Morley College London notes that accredited courses can carry extra registration and examination fees, and re-sits may cost more.
- International fees. Publicly funded providers charge more if you do not meet the residency rules. Morley and Westminster Adult Education Service both say so.
Paying through an employer? See how HMRC treats employer-paid language courses. Whether VAT is added depends on the provider: our guide to VAT on language classes explains why.
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How to keep the cost down
- Check your local adult education service first, especially if you are on a low income or benefits.
- Use your library card. Leeds Libraries, for example, offers the Road to IELTS preparation course and Oxford Dictionaries in many languages free with a library card.
- Book early and ask about returning-student discounts. Instituto Cervantes London and the Alliance Française de Manchester both publish them.
- Combine a group class with free resources: see our list of free British Council resources.
Local detail, including council and college classes, is in our guides for London, Birmingham, Manchester, Glasgow and Leeds. You can also compare course types.
Are council language classes free?
ESOL often is, for adults who meet the earnings or benefits rules. Modern foreign language classes for leisure usually carry a fee, with concession rates at many providers.
Is a private tutor cheaper than a class?
Not usually per hour. City Lit’s £239 French beginners course is 8 two-hour or 11 ninety-minute sessions, about 16 hours of teaching, so roughly £15 an hour, or under £10 at the £155 concession rate. Tutors charge £14–£50 an hour in the sources above, though you get one-to-one attention. See tutoring vs group classes.
Do university evening courses give a qualification?
Some carry credit. Glasgow’s short language courses offer 10 SCQF credits if you complete the optional assessment; UCL’s evening courses are CPD-accredited.
Why do fees differ so much between cities?
Funding is devolved. London, the West Midlands and Scotland all set different rules for who gets free or reduced-fee learning, and each provider prices its own leisure courses.
Sources
- Spanish (horsfortheveningclasses.org.uk)
- French beginners: module 1; Languages courses (citylit.ac.uk)
- Adult skills fund: funding and performance management rules 2026 to 2027 (gov.uk)
- Short language courses; Spanish Beginners A1; Fees and funding (gla.ac.uk)
- Evening language courses: fees and terms and conditions (ucl.ac.uk)
- Spanish courses (londres.cervantes.es)
- Adult group courses (afmanchester.org)
- Average rates (findtutors.co.uk)
- Average Tutoring Rates UK: 2026 (tutorcruncher.com)
- Prices (leedsenglish.com)
- IELTS in the UK: test fees (takeielts.britishcouncil.org)
- DELE examination fees and dates 2026 (manchester.cervantes.es)
- Fees and funding (waes.ac.uk)
- Adult Skills Funding Programme Rules 2025/26 (wmca.org.uk)
- Tuition fees for part-time courses (glasgowclyde.ac.uk)
- Fees, funding and bursaries 2026/27 (morleycollege.ac.uk)
- Digital library (libraries.leeds.gov.uk)
Last checked: September 2026. Fees usually change each academic year, so confirm the current price when you enrol.
Compare Language Courses is a comparison and referral service, not a language school. We do not teach courses, and a listing here is not a recommendation.