Universities That Accept 30 IB Points: UK Courses and Offers
By Michael Thompson · Education Specialist; 10 years teaching the IB at Bromsgrove School · Published 4 October 2026 · Updated 6 October 2026
1,167 undergraduate courses at 49 UK universities list 30 IB points as their standard offer, according to the UCAS entry requirements in our course directory, and a 30-point total meets the standard points offer for 38% of the 10,917 UK courses that publish one. The higher-level grades and subject requirements then decide the rest. Below, the courses are grouped by subject area and by university, with the Russell Group options at this level and what one or two points either way would change.
Key Takeaways
- 1,167 courses at 49 universities: list 30 IB points as their standard offer in our directory (2026 entry).
- 38% of all IB offers are at or below this level: so 30 points meets the published points total for a minority of courses; the higher-level grades decide the rest.
- 228 Russell Group courses: at 9 universities ask for 30 points, led by University of Liverpool (135), Queen Mary University of London (35) and University of Nottingham (30).
- Biggest subject areas: History & Archaeology (134), Languages & Linguistics (99) and Nursing & Health (92).
- Most often paired with BBB at A-level: 42% of these courses list that A-level offer alongside 30 points.
- 2,350 courses list exactly 32 points: led by Languages & Linguistics, Business & Management and Politics & International Relations.
In This Article
- What 30 IB points gets you in the UK
- Courses asking for 30 points, by subject area
- Russell Group courses at 30 points
- Medicine, dentistry, law and veterinary science at 30 points
- What 32 points unlocks, and what 28 points still gets you
- How to use this list
- How this list was built
- What to do next
1. What 30 IB points gets you in the UK
In our directory, 1,167 undergraduate courses at 49 UK universities list 30 IB points as their standard offer. The question behind a search for universities that accept 30 IB points has a long answer, so this page sorts it by subject area and by university, and shows what one or two more points would add.
For context, 38% of the 10,917 courses with a published IB offer ask for 30 points or fewer. Universities that ask for 30 IB points most often ask A-level applicants for BBB (42% of these courses), which is the clearest guide to how selective this band is.
Two things a points total does not tell you. First, most offers also name grades in specific higher-level subjects; 29% of the courses at 30 points list required subjects in their UCAS entry, and the course page shows the full requirement. Second, the IB points a university asks for is a different thing from the UCAS Tariff points your diploma converts to; universities that make IB offers quote the diploma total, not the tariff.
2. Courses asking for 30 points, by subject area
| Subject area | Courses | Universities | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| History & Archaeology | 134 | 16 | Archaeology (University of Southampton); Classics (University of Nottingham); History (Queen Mary University of London) |
| Languages & Linguistics | 99 | 14 | Language, Culture and Communication (University of Southampton); Linguistics (Queen Mary University of London); French (University of Liverpool) |
| Nursing & Health | 92 | 29 | Adult Nursing (University of Manchester); Nursing (Child) (University of Southampton); Midwifery (University of Nottingham) |
| Biological Sciences | 80 | 15 | Environmental Biology (University of Nottingham); Evolutionary Anthropology (University of Liverpool); Biochemistry (University of Strathclyde) |
| Computing | 80 | 16 | Electronic and Computer Engineering (University of Nottingham); Computer Science (University of Strathclyde); Business Information Technology (Aberystwyth University) |
| Geography & Environment | 68 | 14 | Environmental Science (University of Nottingham); Environment and Planning (University of Liverpool); Geography (Human) (University of Reading) |
| Politics & International Relations | 59 | 9 | History and Politics (Queen Mary University of London); History and Politics (University of Reading); Politics (Aberystwyth University) |
| Sociology & Social Sciences | 53 | 20 | Archaeology and Anthropology (University of Southampton); Sociology (University of Nottingham); Sociology (University of Liverpool) |
| Law | 53 | 14 | Criminology and Sociology (University of Nottingham); Criminology (University of Liverpool); Criminology (Lancaster University) |
| English & Literature | 52 | 11 | English (Queen Mary University of London); English Literature (University of Reading); Drama and English (University of Sussex) |
| Business & Management | 52 | 13 | Russian with Business Management (Queen Mary University of London); Food Business and Marketing (University of Reading); International Event Management (University of Surrey) |
| Mathematics | 49 | 12 | Mathematics (University of Reading); Mathematics (University of Strathclyde); Mathematics (Aberystwyth University) |
| Psychology | 48 | 15 | Consumer Behaviour and Marketing (University of Reading); Education with Psychology (University of Sussex); Psychology (Aberystwyth University) |
| Engineering | 45 | 14 | Electrical Engineering (University of Nottingham); Architectural Engineering (University of Reading); Civil Engineering (Heriot-Watt University) |
| Media & Communication | 36 | 10 | Film and Screen Studies (University of Nottingham); Digital Media (Queen Mary University of London); Art and Film (University of Reading) |
| Economics | 29 | 8 | History and Economics (University of Reading); Economics (Aberystwyth University); Economics (City St George's, University of London) |
The remaining 138 courses are spread across Education, Physical Sciences, Other, Performing Arts, Medicine & Dentistry, Creative Arts & Design, Veterinary, Sport Science, Philosophy & Theology, Architecture & Building and Agriculture.
Every course links to its page in the directory, which carries the full entry requirement, the A-level equivalent and the university's own course page.
3. Russell Group courses at 30 points
228 of the courses at 30 points are at Russell Group universities: University of Manchester, University of Southampton, University of Nottingham, Queen Mary University of London, Newcastle University, University of Liverpool, University of Exeter, Cardiff University and Queen's University Belfast. The table shows up to 25 of them, at most three per university, ordered by the university's position in the directory's ranking; each university's directory page lists the rest.
| University | Course | A-level offer listed |
|---|---|---|
| University of Manchester | Adult Nursing | BBC |
| University of Manchester | Mental Health Nursing | BCC |
| University of Southampton | Archaeology | BBB |
| University of Southampton | Nursing (Child) | BBB |
| University of Southampton | Occupational Therapy | BBB |
| University of Nottingham | Classics | ABB |
| University of Nottingham | Midwifery | ABB |
| University of Nottingham | Nutrition | ABB - BBB |
| Queen Mary University of London | English | BBB |
| Queen Mary University of London | History | BBB |
| Queen Mary University of London | Linguistics | BBB |
| Newcastle University | Education | BBB |
| Newcastle University | Archaeology | BBB |
| Newcastle University | Human Nutrition | BBB |
| University of Liverpool | French | BBB |
| University of Liverpool | German | BBB |
| University of Liverpool | Italian | BBB |
| University of Exeter | Nursing | BBB |
| University of Exeter | Adult Nursing | BBB |
| University of Exeter | Medical Imaging (Diagnostic Radiography) | BBB |
| Cardiff University | Cymraeg | BBC - CCC |
| Queen's University Belfast | Midwifery | BCC - BBC |
| Queen's University Belfast | Professional Nursing (Mental Health) | BCC - BBC |
| Queen's University Belfast | Professional Nursing (Adult) (February) | BCC - BBC |
The other 204 Russell Group courses at this level are on each university's directory page.
For the full picture across all 24 universities, including the lowest and highest IB offers each one makes, see Russell Group IB requirements by university.
4. Medicine, dentistry, law and veterinary science at 30 points
Medicine and dentistry: 1 course at 30 points: Dental Surgery (University of Portsmouth).
Law: 22 degrees with "law" in the title at 30 points, including Criminology and Law (Lancaster University), Law (Aberystwyth University), Law (Coventry University) and Law (Edinburgh Napier University).
Veterinary science: no veterinary medicine or science degree in the directory lists 30 points as its standard offer; the lowest veterinary science offers start at 32 points.
These subjects usually add admissions tests, interviews and specific higher-level sciences on top of the points total, so the points figure is a floor rather than the whole requirement.
5. What 32 points unlocks, and what 28 points still gets you
Two more points, at 32 points, would add 2,350 courses at 60 universities, led by Languages & Linguistics (301), Business & Management (240) and Politics & International Relations (197).
Two points lower, at 28 points, 950 courses at 37 universities list that as their standard offer, so a result slightly below target still leaves a wide choice.
Because an offer is a minimum, the courses at every lower band are open to you as well: 38% of all courses with an IB offer ask for 30 points or fewer.
6. How to use this list
- Read the whole offer, not the total. Open the course page and check the higher-level grades and required subjects before you shortlist; a 36-point course that wants 6 in HL Mathematics is a different proposition from one that does not.
- Build a spread. Five UCAS choices work best as a mix of courses at your predicted total, a couple above it and at least one comfortably below.
- Check contextual offers. Many universities make lower offers to eligible applicants, typically one to three points below the standard figure.
- Studying outside the UK? IB students applying to UK universities covers predicted grades, how offers are expressed and what universities ask for on top of the points total.
- Convert carefully. If a university quotes UCAS Tariff points instead of an IB total, use the UCAS Tariff calculator rather than a rule of thumb.
7. How this list 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.
8. What to do next
Shortlist five to eight courses from the tables above, open each course page and note the higher-level requirements beside the points total. Then check your predicted grades against them: if you are one or two points short on a course you want, look at its contextual offer and at the 28-point list; if you are ahead, use the 32-point list to see what else is open to you.
FAQ
Is 30 IB points a good score for UK universities?
It meets the standard points offer for 38% of the 10,917 UK courses in our directory that publish an IB requirement, and 1,167 courses list exactly 30 points as their offer, most often alongside an A-level offer of BBB.
What is 30 IB points in A-levels?
Universities that ask for 30 IB points most often ask A-level applicants for BBB (42% of courses at this level), though the pairing varies by course. That is a university's judgement of equivalence; the UCAS Tariff conversion is a separate calculation, explained in our IB to UCAS points guide.
Can I get into medicine with 30 IB points?
1 medicine or dentistry course in our directory lists 30 points as the standard offer: Dental Surgery at University of Portsmouth; it also requires an admissions test, specific higher-level sciences and an interview.
Which Russell Group universities accept 30 IB points?
9 Russell Group universities list at least one course at 30 points in our directory: University of Manchester, University of Southampton, University of Nottingham, Queen Mary University of London, Newcastle University, University of Liverpool, University of Exeter, Cardiff University and Queen's University Belfast.
Do Oxford and Cambridge accept 30 IB points?
The lowest IB offer in our directory at Oxford is 38 points, so 30 points is below Oxford's published offers. Cambridge is not in these tables because its UCAS listings in our directory carry no current IB figure; its typical IB offer is 40-42 points with 776 at higher level, so check the course page.
References
- Calculate your UCAS Tariff points - UCAS - https://www.ucas.com/applying/before-you-apply/what-and-where-to-study/entry-requirements/calculate-your-ucas-tariff-points