Entry Requirements & Getting In
Getting an offer is about meeting the specific bar each course sets - and those bars are higher and more precise than most applicants assume. These guides break down what competitive UK degrees actually require: subject prerequisites, grade profiles, GCSE conditions, admissions tests, and the contextual offers that can lower the bar for eligible students.
We cover both the general rules - which A-Level subjects keep the most doors open, how contextual admissions work - and the course-specific routes into the hardest-to-enter degrees, including medicine, dentistry, veterinary science, law, and computer science, with the admissions tests and choice limits that come with them.
Check the entry requirements for every course on your shortlist before you write a word of your personal statement; a statement aimed at a course you cannot enter is wasted effort.
Guides in this category
- Required A-Level Subjects for University: What You Need - Required A-level subjects for university vary by degree. Learn which subjects are hard gates, which are preferred, and how IB students should choose their HLs.
- Contextual Offers Explained: How to Get One at UK Universities - Contextual offers are lower entry requirements for eligible UK applicants. Learn the criteria, how universities decide, and how to check if you qualify.
- How to Get Into Medicine in the UK: Complete Guide - How to get into medicine in the UK: A-levels, IB, UCAT, work experience, personal statement, MMI interviews, and UCAS deadlines explained.
- Medicine Degree Entry Requirements: A Complete UK Guide - Medicine degree entry requirements explained: A-levels, IB, GCSEs, UCAT, graduate entry and foundation year routes - all verified against official sources.
- How Many Medicine Choices on UCAS? The Four-Choice Cap Explained - How many medicine choices can you make on UCAS? The cap is four - here's what that means for your fifth slot, the October deadline, and IB offers.
- How to Get Into Dentistry: The Complete UK Guide - How to get into dentistry in the UK: A-levels, IB offers, UCAT, UCAS rules, work experience, personal statement, and MMI interviews explained.
- How to Get Into Veterinary School in the UK - How to get into veterinary school in the UK: A-levels, IB, work experience, interviews, UCAS rules and personal statement tips for 2026 entry.
- How to Get Into Law School in the UK: Complete Guide - How to get into law school in the UK: A-levels, IB offers, LNAT prep, personal statement tips, and what a law degree actually leads to.
- Law Degree Entry Requirements: What UK Students Actually Need - Law degree entry requirements explained: A-levels, IB, LNAT, GCSE minimums and a comparison table of UK universities from accessible to competitive.
- How to Get Into Computer Science at UK Universities - How to get into computer science in the UK: A-level requirements, IB offers, admissions tests, portfolio tips, and Oxbridge interviews explained.
- Computer Science Degree Entry Requirements: UK Guide - What A-levels, IB grades, and admissions tests do you need for a computer science degree in the UK? Clear entry requirements for top universities.
- Engineering Degree Entry Requirements: A Complete UK Guide - Engineering degree entry requirements explained: A-levels, IB routes, admissions tests, foundation years, and a course comparison table.
- Economics Degree Entry Requirements: A Complete UK Guide - Economics degree entry requirements covered: A-level Maths, IB routes, contextual offers, and a UK university comparison from LSE to wider access.
- Psychology Degree Entry Requirements: UK Guide - Psychology degree entry requirements in the UK explained: typical A-level and IB grades, science conditions, BPS accreditation, and routes in with lower grades.
- Nursing Degree Entry Requirements: The Full UK Guide - Nursing degree entry requirements explained: GCSE gates, A-level and BTEC offers, IB route, NMC approval, and non-academic checks every applicant needs to know.