Economics Degree Entry Requirements UK

If you're thinking about studying an economics degree in the UK, you'll need to be aware of the various entry requirements required to get your place. From grades to tests and interviews, some of the top universities for Economics in the UK have strict entry requirements, so this covers everything you to do to find success.

Last Updated: 21st June 2024

Author: Matthew Amalfitano-Stroud

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Economics Degree Entry Requirements UK

Economics has become one of the most sought-after courses to attend at university due to its emolument prospects and importance within the business and political fields.

Plenty of universities in the UK teach this subject, but these courses aren’t easy to get into. Competition is fierce, especially for the highest-rated Economics courses, so this guide will explore the entry requirements for studying Economics in the UK.

Types Of Economics Degree

Firstly, let’s look at the types of degrees available to study in the field of Economics. Looking at standard economics, there are two types of degrees offered at UK universities: BEng (Bachelor of Economics) and MEng (Master in Economics).

A BEng is a standard three-year degree for undergraduates, while a Master’s degree for postgraduates can last another 1 -2 years. Graduates with just a Bachelor’s degree shouldn’t have a hard time finding relevant employment (especially with first-class honours), those with a Master’s degree may have access to higher-paid positions sooner in their career.

We’ll be focusing on undergraduate degrees in this guide, but be aware that postgraduate degrees will have fairly high entry standards.

Economics as a subject isn’t as diverse as fields such as Engineering as there are fewer specialities that are specifically taught. Therefore, standard Economics degrees will be the standard at many universities in the UK.

However, beyond the standard Economics degrees, there are a small number of more specialised options available to apply for:

Of these, the most notable is Economics and Management, as this is the Economics course offered by the University of Oxford. While this doesn’t change the admissions requirements too much for the course, it does mean that additional topics relating to management are taught in the curriculum. Beyond Oxford, Economics and Management is also taught at King’s College London, the London School of Economics (postgraduate), the University of Bristol and many more.

Philosophy, Politics and Economics

Another course offered at Oxford and multiple other UK universities is Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE). PPE is fairly self-explanatory as a degree, as the course is split between the three subjects in the title. Depending on where you apply, equal time may be spent on each of these subjects (such as at Oxford), while others will place more importance on certain parts.

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Economics Entry Requirements

With that in mind, let’s next look at the minimum entry requirements for studying Economics in the UK, including the requirements for some of the top courses in the country.

GCSEs

For Economics, universities usually don’t state specific requirements for GCSE grades (nor do most courses at Oxbridge). Some may have standard requirements across the whole of the university that relate to English and Mathematics (these are usually set at a Grade 6), but you will normally be able to apply for Economics no matter what grades you achieved.

Subject choices also don’t matter too much for your application. Relevant qualifications like Further Maths and Business Studies may have a positive impact on your application, but they aren’t going to be essential to earning your offer.

There are some exceptions to this, such as the London School of Economics, which requires applicants to have achieved several Grades 7 – 9, including 6 in English Language and Mathematics. However, specific requirements are more of an exception. Everything that comes after GCSEs will be much more important, however.

A-Levels

A-Level requirements for Economics courses will vary greatly depending on high competitive and reputable the university is. While some degrees will have fairly low entry requirements (sometimes as low as CCC), the most popular and highly-rated courses will have very high grade boundaries.

As well as this, in many cases, you’ll be required to have taken Mathematics and achieved a certain grade to be considered. Since Economics is heavily dependent on Mathematical ability, this requirement is understandable and shouldn’t be too difficult for any prospective Economics students to achieve. Other subjects that are seen as relevant are Further Mathematics and Economics.

Below are the A-Level Entry Requirements for some of the top Economics courses in the UK:

Oxford Economics & Management A-Level Requirements

A*AA including Mathematics

Cambridge Economics A-Level Requirements

A*A*A including Mathematics.

Imperial College London Economics A-Level Requirements

A*AA including Mathematics at A*.

LSE Economics A-Level Requirements

A*AA including Mathematics at A*.

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UCAS

Completing the UCAS application isn’t unique to any specific subject in the UK, but it’s still a requirement for entry that must be completed. While much of this process is filling out personal details and education history (as well as selecting your university picks), there are two sections that are very important to complete; the Personal Statement and Reference.

The Personal Statement is a 4,000-character-long piece of writing that must demonstrate why you deserve to be admitted to your university choices. The same Personal Statement is sent to all five of your choices, so it needs to be general enough to apply to all of them.

In many cases, the Personal Statement is your only chance to communicate your abilities to the admissions teams yourself, so it’s important that you include the right amount of academic achievement, evidence of further exploration of your subject, reflection of relevant work experience and reasoning of your motivations to study. Your statement needs to stand out to be competitive, so everything you write needs to offer your unique perfective and life experience.

Your reference, meanwhile, needs to be provided by a member of faculty at your school, be It a teacher, department head or head of Sixth Form. You can work with them so they understand what is required from your statement, but you cannot directly write or edit what they have provided.

Admissions Tests

Admissions tests are fairly uncommon for most university degrees in the UK, including Economics. Most universities won’t require them, but there are three major exceptions:

Oxford

Oxford applicants for both Economics and Management and PPE will need to take the Thinking Skills Assessment (TSA). The TSA is a two-part computer-based test that consists of a multiple-choice quiz and a short essay writing task.

The test isn’t subject-specific, meaning you’ll be tested on general skills like critical thinking and problem-solving. These fundamental skills are important for anyone studying Economics, making the test results valuable for admissions tutors. The test must be sat between October 21st – October 31st at a dedicated Pearson VUE testing centre.

Cambridge

Cambridge also uses an admissions test for its Economics course – the Test of Mathematics for University Admission (TMUA). The TMUS is a multiple-choice mathematics quiz that is split into two parts. This test is also computer-based and run by Pearson VUE; Cambridge applicants will need to sit the test between the 16th and 17th October 2024.

The two sections of the test will see applicants answering pure mathematical questions and context-based questions that require more reasoning. The content of the test covers mathematics at a lower A-Level standard.

Imperial College London

Imperial College London also uses the TMUA for admissions to their Economics, Finance and Data Science course. Imperial applicants can sit their TMUA in October, but they also have the option to sit the test between the 8th and 9th January 2025.

Interviews

Most universities that offer Economics degrees in the UK won’t require applicants to attend an interview. However, the two UK universities that consistently interview all shortlisted applicants are the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge.

Both Oxbridge universities interview applicants in a panel format, which are run by faculty within the college that each applicant has applied for. These are traditional panel interviews in which the applicant will answer questions and engage in conversation with 2 – 3 interviewers.

These interviews typically last 30 minutes and will be held either remotely or in-person depending on the college you’re applying for (Oxford currently hosts all interview online). A typical applicant should expect to sit 2 – 3 interviews during the standard interview period, which runs for three weeks in December each year. If you’re rejected from your college choice, you may have the option to interview at a second college in January or be entered into the Winter Pool at Cambridge.

Interviews at other universities aren’t impossible, but they’re mostly used in special cases.

Conclusion

You should now have a better understanding of what will be required of you during your application to study Economics. Depending on where you apply, this process will be more or less difficult, but it’s important that you try your best to achieve high grades wherever you apply.

If you’re applying to Oxbridge, your application will be even tougher as you’ll be contending with high grade requirements and additional steps like the admissions test and interviews. All of these tasks will need to be thoughtfully prepared for, so it’s vital that you start early to ensure you can learn the process well enough and develop enough skills to succeed.

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