Russell Group IB Requirements: Typical Offers by University
By Michael Thompson · Education Specialist; 10 years teaching the IB at Bromsgrove School · Published 4 October 2026 · Updated 6 October 2026
Russell Group universities ask for anything from 26 to 43 IB points, and the typical offer is 34. This page puts the Russell Group IB requirements side by side for every university that lists them, from the UCAS entry requirements for 3,853 courses in our directory: the lowest, typical and highest offer each university makes, the same figures by subject area, and the courses at either end of the range.
Key Takeaways
- Typical offer: 34 points: the median across 3,853 Russell Group courses with a published IB offer.
- Range: 32 to 38: 3 universities have a typical offer of 32 points; Imperial College London, University of Oxford and LSE sit at 38.
- 1,107 courses at 32 points or fewer: across 17 Russell Group universities, for anyone searching for the lowest entry requirements.
- 98 courses at 40 points or more: mostly at University of Edinburgh, Imperial College London and University of Oxford.
- Points plus higher-level grades: most offers also name grades in specific HL subjects; the course page shows the full wording.
In This Article
- Russell Group IB requirements at a glance
- Typical IB offers by subject area
- The lowest Russell Group IB offers
- The highest offers: 40 points and above
- How Russell Group IB offers work
- How this table was built
- What to do next
1. Russell Group IB requirements at a glance
22 of the 24 Russell Group universities publish IB offers for 3,853 undergraduate courses in our directory, and the typical offer across all of them is 34 points. The spread is wide: the table ranks each university by its typical (median) IB offer and shows the lowest and highest it makes.
| University | Courses with an IB offer | Lowest | Typical (median) | Highest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Imperial College London | 55 | 38 | 38 | 41 |
| University of Oxford | 259 | 38 | 38 | 40 |
| LSE | 41 | 37 | 38 | 39 |
| Durham University | 91 | 34 | 36 | 38 |
| University of Edinburgh | 330 | 32 | 36 | 43 |
| King's College London | 96 | 31 | 36 | 39 |
| University of Bristol | 140 | 29 | 36 | 40 |
| University of Leeds | 123 | 31 | 35 | 36 |
| University of York | 170 | 31 | 35 | 37 |
| University of Manchester | 234 | 30 | 35 | 38 |
| UCL | 351 | 34 | 34 | 40 |
| University of Sheffield | 81 | 32 | 34 | 38 |
| University of Warwick | 145 | 32 | 34 | 39 |
| Cardiff University | 143 | 30 | 34 | 36 |
| Newcastle University | 112 | 30 | 34 | 36 |
| University of Exeter | 246 | 30 | 34 | 38 |
| University of Nottingham | 131 | 28 | 34 | 36 |
| University of Southampton | 198 | 28 | 34 | 38 |
| Queen's University Belfast | 143 | 30 | 33 | 37 |
| University of Birmingham | 179 | 32 | 32 | 32 |
| Queen Mary University of London | 118 | 30 | 32 | 37 |
| University of Liverpool | 467 | 26 | 32 | 36 |
University of Cambridge and University of Glasgow are missing because their UCAS course listings in our directory carry no 2026-entry IB points figure; both publish IB requirements on their own course pages, and Cambridge's typical offer of 40-42 points with 776 at higher level sits at the top of the range.
2. Typical IB offers by subject area
The same universities, with the typical offer for eight of the most searched subject areas. Each cell is the median offer across that university's courses in the area, with the range in brackets where it varies; a dash means the directory holds no IB offer for that area at that university.
| University | Medicine & Dentistry | Law | Engineering | Economics | Computing | Psychology | History & Archaeology | Biological Sciences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Imperial College London | 38 | - | 40 (38-40) | - | 41 | - | - | 38 (38-39) |
| University of Oxford | 39 | 38 | 40 | 39 (38-39) | 39 | 39 | 39 (38-39) | 39 (38-40) |
| LSE | - | 38 (37-39) | - | 38 (37-39) | - | 39 | 38 | - |
| Durham University | - | 36 (35-37) | 37 | 37 (35-37) | 37 | 36 (35-36) | 36 (35-37) | 36 (35-37) |
| University of Edinburgh | 38 (34-38) | 42 (40-42) | 37 (34-37) | 42 (36-43) | 43 (37-43) | 42 (34-42) | 36 (34-40) | 37 (34-37) |
| King's College London | 35 (32-38) | 38 | 36 | 38 (36-38) | 39 (36-39) | 38 | 35 (35-36) | 36 |
| University of Bristol | 36 (34-36) | 36 (34-38) | 38 (36-38) | 36 (36-38) | 38 | 38 (32-38) | 32 (32-36) | 36 (32-38) |
| University of Leeds | 31 | 35 | 35 | 35 | - | 35 | 35 (34-35) | 31 (31-34) |
| University of York | 35 | 36 (34-36) | 36 (34-36) | 35 (35-36) | 37 (36-37) | 34 (34-36) | 35 (34-36) | 36 (34-36) |
| University of Manchester | 36 (34-36) | 36 (34-37) | 37 (36-38) | 36 | 36 (35-38) | 35 (35-36) | 35 (34-37) | 36 |
| UCL | 38 (38-39) | 39 (36-39) | 39 (36-39) | 39 (38-39) | 40 (34-40) | 38 (38-39) | 34 (34-38) | 38 (38-39) |
| University of Sheffield | 35 (34-36) | 35 (34-36) | 36 (34-38) | 34 (34-36) | 38 (34-38) | 34 | 34 (33-34) | 36 (34-36) |
| University of Warwick | 36 (34-38) | 35 (32-38) | 37 (36-38) | 34 (34-39) | 38 (36-39) | 35 (34-38) | 34 (32-36) | 37 (34-38) |
| Cardiff University | 36 (34-36) | 36 (32-36) | 34 (32-36) | 34 | 32 | 36 | 32 (31-34) | 35 (34-36) |
| Newcastle University | 34 | 34 | 34 (32-34) | 34 | 34 (32-34) | 33 (32-34) | 32 (30-34) | 32 |
| University of Exeter | 35 (32-38) | 34 (32-38) | 34 (32-34) | 38 (34-38) | 36 (34-36) | 36 | 32 (32-34) | 32 (32-36) |
| University of Nottingham | 32 | 32 (30-34) | 34 (30-36) | 36 (34-36) | 36 (30-36) | 34 (32-36) | 30 (28-34) | 32 (30-34) |
| University of Southampton | 36 | 36 (32-36) | 38 (34-38) | 34 (32-36) | 38 (28-38) | 35 (34-36) | 32 (30-32) | 34 (32-38) |
| Queen's University Belfast | 34 | 33 | 34 (33-36) | 33 (33-36) | 33 (33-36) | - | 33 (32-33) | 36 (32-36) |
| University of Birmingham | 32 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 32 |
| Queen Mary University of London | 36 (32-37) | 36 | 34 (32-36) | 36 | 36 (32-36) | 36 | 30 | 33 (32-36) |
| University of Liverpool | 33 (32-36) | 32 (30-36) | 34 (32-34) | 34 (32-35) | 34 (32-34) | 32 | 30 (30-32) | 32 (30-34) |
3. The lowest Russell Group IB offers
Searches for the lowest Russell Group entry requirements usually mean this: 1,107 Russell Group courses list 32 IB points or fewer as their standard offer, at 17 universities. Three universities share the lowest typical offer in the group, 32 points: University of Birmingham, Queen Mary University of London and University of Liverpool.
All of these are full Russell Group degrees; the lower offers tend to be in subjects with more places or less competition rather than in different kinds of course.
4. The highest offers: 40 points and above
98 Russell Group courses ask for 40 IB points or more, concentrated at University of Edinburgh, Imperial College London, University of Oxford and University of Bristol. Three universities share the highest typical offer in the group, 38 points: Imperial College London, University of Oxford and LSE.
| University | Courses at 40 points or more | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| University of Edinburgh | 62 | Economics (43); Informatics (43); Computer Science (43) |
| Imperial College London | 17 | Computing (41); Computing (Software Engineering) (41); Mathematics and Computer Science (41) |
| University of Oxford | 9 | Chemistry (40); Engineering (40); Civil Engineering (40) |
| University of Bristol | 7 | Mathematics (40); Mathematics and Physics (40); Economics and Mathematics (40) |
| UCL | 3 | Computer Science (40); Robotics and Artificial Intelligence (40); Computer Science and Mathematics MEng (40) |
At this level the points total is only part of the selection: these courses also set specific higher-level grades, and many use admissions tests and interviews.
5. How Russell Group IB offers work
- The total usually comes with higher-level conditions. A typical offer reads like "36 points with 6, 6, 6 at higher level" or names a grade in one subject; the course page in our directory shows the full wording.
- Points are not UCAS Tariff points. Russell Group universities make IB offers as diploma totals. If you want to compare with an A-level offer, use the A-level equivalent the university itself lists rather than a tariff conversion.
- Contextual offers are common. Most of these universities make reduced offers to eligible applicants, often one to three points below the standard figure.
- Applying from outside the UK? IB students applying to UK universities explains predicted grades, how offers are confirmed on results day and what else is asked for.
- Offers move. The figures here are the 2026-entry requirements in UCAS listings; check the university's own page for the cycle you are applying in.
6. How this table was built
Entry requirements come from the UCAS course listings for 2026 entry held in the MyRevisionAgent course directory (snapshot June 2026): 10,917 undergraduate degree courses at 119 UK universities that list an IB points offer. Delivery variants of the same course (placement year, year abroad) are counted once, and foundation-year routes are left out because their offers are for a preparatory year rather than the degree. The figure shown is the IB points total each university lists as its standard offer; where a listing gives a range, such as a contextual offer alongside the standard one, the higher figure is used, because it is the one that meets the offer in every case. Most also require specific grades at higher level, which the course page shows. Offers change between cycles and contextual offers can be lower, so confirm the current requirement with the university before you apply. The Russell Group tables include only the 24 member universities, as listed by the group itself.
7. What to do next
Pick the three or four universities whose typical offer sits around your predicted total and open their rows in the subject table, then follow the course links to read the full higher-level requirement. If your predicted total is below a university's typical offer, check its lowest offers and its contextual offer scheme before you rule it out; if it is above, use the Russell Group universities guide to compare the universities themselves rather than the numbers.
FAQ
What IB points do you need for a Russell Group university?
Typical offers in our directory range from 32 points (University of Birmingham, Queen Mary University of London and University of Liverpool) to 38 points (Imperial College London, University of Oxford and LSE), with a median of 34 across all 3,853 Russell Group courses that publish an IB offer.
Which Russell Group university has the lowest IB requirements?
Three universities share the lowest typical offer in the group, 32 points: University of Birmingham, Queen Mary University of London and University of Liverpool. 1,107 Russell Group courses across 17 universities list 32 points or fewer.
Is 34 IB points enough for a Russell Group university?
Yes for many courses: 2,210 Russell Group courses in our directory list 34 points or fewer as their standard offer, though the most selective universities and subjects ask for more.
Do Oxford and Cambridge accept 36 IB points?
Oxford's lowest IB offer in our directory is 38 points, with specific higher-level grades and an interview on top, and most Oxford courses also set an admissions test. Cambridge's UCAS listings in our directory carry no 2026-entry IB figure; its typical offer is 40-42 points with 776 at higher level, at the top of the Russell Group range.
Why are Cambridge and Glasgow missing from the table?
Their UCAS course listings in our directory carry no 2026-entry IB points figure, so there is nothing to tabulate. Both publish IB requirements on their own course pages; check there directly.