What are University entry requirements?

In order to be able to apply for a certain degree, all Universities set entry requirements which are grades and conditions that need to be met in order for them to accept you onto their degree course.

These requirements can vary, but usually, come down to A Level qualifications and grades that you must achieve.

Uni entry requirements

If you are wanting to go on to complete a degree after A Levels, you will need to check with the specific University as to what their entry requirements are. These usually show as:-

• Grades: e.g. DDD (BTEC), AAB (A Level), AAAB (Highers)
• UCAS Tariff points: e.g. 112 points
• UCAS tariff points with a grade requirement: e.g. 112 points with a B in a specific subject

Please be aware that DDD at BTEC and DDD at A Level are two very different things.

GCSE Requirements for University

Most universities require at least four or five Cs or above in GCSE subjects. These will generally include Maths and English. Others may just require Maths and English at a C grade or above. They will generally also accept Functional Skills in English and Maths as an alternative to GCSE.

What if I don’t meet the entry requirements for University?

If you find that you are in a situation where you have only just missed out on the entry requirements for your chosen course, contact the University immediately to see if they would be willing to still accept you. There is still a chance that they could, especially if you narrowly missed the mark.

Alternatively, you can still apply for a different course through UCAS clearing.

UCAS Clearing is a chance to grab a place on a similar course. This could be at the original University you applied to or a different one.

UCAS

The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) is a UK-based organisation whose main role is to operate the application process for British universities.

The UCAS tariff for courses starting in September 2017 has changed so that more qualifications could be included.

The new tariff simply uses a different set of numbers, which some universities use to describe qualifications and grades in their entry requirements.

The new Tariff points are much lower than the original Tariff points. For example, an A’ Level grade A* gets 56 points under the new tariff, whereas before it got 140. The value of the A’ Level remains the same, but Universities will just use lower Tariff numbers in their entry requirements than in previous years.

It is really important to check the entry requirements with the University/College for the course you’re interested in.

You can find out how many points your A’ Level qualification will be worth by using the UCAS tariff calculator or alternatively we have the table below.