Universities That Accept 40+ IB Points: Courses and Offers

By Michael Thompson · Education Specialist; 10 years teaching the IB at Bromsgrove School · Published 4 October 2026 · Updated 6 October 2026

98 undergraduate courses at 5 UK universities list 40 or more IB points as their standard offer, according to the UCAS entry requirements in our course directory, and a 40-point total meets the standard points offer for 99% of the 10,917 UK courses that publish one; the rest ask for 41 to 43. 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

• 98 courses at 5 universities: list 40 or more IB points as their standard offer in our directory (2026 entry).
• 99% of all IB offers are within reach: so 40 points meets the published points total for almost every course with a published offer; the higher-level grades decide the rest.
• 98 Russell Group courses: at 5 universities ask for 40 or more points, led by University of Edinburgh (62), Imperial College London (17) and University of Oxford (9).
• Biggest subject areas: Law (16), Business & Management (15) and Computing (14).
• *Most often paired with AAA - AAA at A-level*: 39% of these courses list that A-level offer alongside 40 or more points.
• 791 courses list exactly 38 points: every lower band is open to a 40-point total too.

In This Article

1. What 40 or more IB points gets you in the UK
2. Courses asking for 40 or more points, by subject area
3. Russell Group courses at 40 or more points
4. Medicine, dentistry, law and veterinary science at 40 or more points
5. What 38 points still gets you
6. How to use this list
7. How this list was built
8. What to do next

1. What 40 or more IB points gets you in the UK

In our directory, 98 undergraduate courses at 5 UK universities list 40 or more IB points as their standard offer. The question behind a search for universities that accept 40 IB points has a long answer, so this page sorts it by subject area and by university, and shows what 38 points still gets you.

For context, a total of 40 meets the standard points offer for 99% of the 10,917 courses with a published IB offer; the other 59 courses ask for 41 to 43, at Imperial College London and University of Edinburgh. Universities that ask for 40 or more IB points most often ask A-level applicants for AAA - AAA (39% 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; 42% of the courses at 40 or more 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 40 or more points, by subject area

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 40 or more points

98 of the courses at 40 or more points are at Russell Group universities: Imperial College London, University of Oxford, UCL, University of Edinburgh and University of Bristol. 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.

The other 83 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 40 or more points

Medicine and dentistry: no medicine or dental surgery degree in the directory lists 40 or more points as its standard offer; the highest medicine and dentistry offers in the directory are 39 points.

Law: 16 degrees with "law" in the title at 40 or more points, including Law (University of Edinburgh).

Veterinary science: no veterinary medicine or science degree in the directory lists 40 or more points as its standard offer; the highest veterinary science offers in the directory are 38 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 38 points still gets you

At 38 points, 791 courses at 17 universities list that as their standard offer, so a result slightly below target still leaves a wide choice.

Because an offer is a minimum, a total of 40 is enough on points for 99% of the courses in the directory with a published IB offer, and 41 to 43 covers the rest; the higher-level grades, admissions tests and interviews decide what is left.

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 38-point list; if you are ahead, use the same subject area at other universities to see what else is open to you.

FAQ

Is 40 IB points a good score for UK universities?

It meets the standard points offer for 99% of the 10,917 UK courses in our directory that publish an IB requirement, and 98 courses list 40 or more points as their offer, most often alongside an A-level offer of AAA - AAA.

What is 40 IB points in A-levels?

Universities that ask for 40 or more IB points most often ask A-level applicants for AAA - AAA (39% 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 40 IB points?

No medicine or dentistry course in our directory lists 40 or more points as its standard offer; the highest medicine and dentistry offers in the directory are 39 points, and every one also requires an admissions test, specific higher-level sciences and an interview.

Which Russell Group universities accept 40 IB points?

5 Russell Group universities list at least one course at 40 or more points in our directory: Imperial College London, University of Oxford, UCL, University of Edinburgh and University of Bristol.

Do Oxford and Cambridge accept 40 IB points?

The lowest IB offer in our directory at Oxford is 38 points, so 40 points meets the points total for every Oxford course in the directory, though all of them also require specific higher-level grades and an interview, and most also set an admissions test. 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