Russell Group Universities Entry Requirements: Your Essential Guide

Russell Group Universities are considered to be some of the best in the UK, which means that competition for offers is high. As such, these universities tend to have higher entry requirements than your average university, although there's a large amount of variance between courses and universities. In this guide, we'll explore the standard entry requirements for getting a place at each Russell Group university.

Last Updated: 27th January 2025

Author: Matthew Amalfitano-Stroud

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Russell Group Universities Entry Requirements: Your Essential Guide

If you’re planning to apply to one of the UK’s 24 Russell Group universities, you’re likely going to need to be prepared for a tough admissions process.

These universities are considered some of the best in the whole UK, so many of their courses have high entry requirements to even be considered. In this guide, we’ll be exploring what each university requires from its applicants, including grades, interviews and additional tasks.

Russell Group Universities

Want to skip to a specific university’s entry requirements? Select your choice below:

UK University Entry Requirements

If you aren’t already aware, it’s important to understand how university applications work in the UK, as the process is unique compared to most other places in the world.

For anyone applying to a university in the UK (including those applying from overseas), the majority of the process is completed via the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS). UCAS is an organisation that centralises all UK university applications into one centralised system, meaning applicants don’t have to send unique applications to each university they want to apply for.

This system facilitates everything for users, from choosing their university options to informing applicants of their offers. Personal Statements and References are also managed through UCAS (more on this later). The system has many benefits, but it also has some drawbacks, including the restriction of only being able to apply to up to five universities in a single admissions cycle. A small fee is also required to apply to university via UCAS.

Besides the UCAS application, there are other elements to the application process, including grade requirements for both GCSEs and A-Levels (or equivalents). Let’s review the major steps of a standard university application.

Grades

In order to apply to a university, each applicant must achieve a minimum grade requirement for their Sixth Form qualification (e.g. A-Level, International Baccalaureate). These grade boundaries can vary greatly depending on the university and course that you apply for, with some being very low and others requiring near-perfect performance in your qualification.

Beyond the A-Level requirements, many universities will have minimum requirements for your GCSEs. These usually aren’t too harsh, mostly requiring an average grade in Maths and/or English. Some more competitive courses will require GCSEs or A-Levels in a specific subject related to the degree, such a most medicine degrees requiring Chemistry or Biology A-Level/equivalent.

Each country will typically have its own A-Level equivalent qualification, but not every one of these will be accepted by every university. Be sure to review the accepted qualifications for your university before applying. Two qualifications that are almost universally considered at UK universities are Scottish Advanced Highers and the International Baccalaureate (IB).

UCAS Application

As mentioned, all applicants will need to complete a UCAS application. This is a digital form that will require you to complete multiple forms and tasks. Some of the key elements of the UCAS application include:

All of this is essential for submitting your application to your chosen universities and it cannot be completed in an alternative manner. You can learn more about submitting your UCAS application, including key dates and deadlines, in our UCAS Guide here.

Bear in mind that UCAS also has a system for providing points based on qualifications earned. This is called the UCAS Tariff system and is used by some universities alongside grade requirements. This is to support applicants who have completed two forms of qualification, as the points from each will be added to one total. If the applicant has enough Tariff points to meet the minimum requirement, they will be offered a place.

Personal Statement

Although your Personal Statement is submitted as a part of your UCAS application, the process of writing it is a whole separate task compared to the rest of the process.

The Personal Statement requires applicants to answer three questions relating to their qualifications, experiences and motivations for applying to their degree. The three answers cannot exceed 4,000 characters and should provide the read with an insight into your own personal reasons for why you should be admitted.

Be aware that the process of writing your Personal Statement was changed in 2025. Prior to this, the process involved applicants writing a free-form document rather than asking questions. However, the quality of your writing is still important to stand out, so be sure to write from the heart and avoid excessive use of tools like generative AI.

These are the primary steps a standard applicant would have to take to apply to a university, but that’s likely not all you’ll have to contend with if you’re applying to a more competitive degree or university. Alongside the standard application process, you may have to complete one or more of the following extra steps:

Admissions Tests

Admissions tests are exams that universities implement to review their applicants’ academic skills in a more controlled environment. These tests will sometimes by solely focused on testing subject knowledge, while others will test more general thinking or writing skills.

University admissions tests vary from multiple-choice quizzes to essay writing tasks, but each one is designed to fit the needs of the university and tests skills that will be vital for studying there.

Some key examples of universities that use admissions tests include the University of Oxford, the University of Cambridge, Imperial College London and UCL. All medical and dentistry schools in the UK require applicants to complete the University Clinical Aptitude Test (UCAT). In most cases, admissions tests will be mandatory, but some will just use a score as an additional consideration.

When applying as an applicant whose first language isn’t English, an English Language Proficiency Test will also be required. Each university will have information about the required standards on its website.

Interviews

Sometimes, university admissions teams will want to meet their most promising applicants before giving out offers, so interviews will be held to facilitate this. These will usually be the last step of a university application, with shortlisting being based on all of your previously submitted applications.

These interviews can be either in-person or remote and can take multiple forms, including panel interviews, applicant days and Multiple-Mini Interviews (MMIs). A standard interview will involve questions about your motivations and experiences, as well as sometimes solving problems or discussing subject-related topics.

The primary UK universities that use interviews are Oxford and Cambridge, as well as all UK medical/dentistry schools. Many other medicine-adjacent courses will also interview applicants, although that’s not always the case. Other Russell Group universities may interview certain applicants, but the Oxbridge universities are the only ones that interview for every course.

Submitted Work

In some cases, applicants will need to submit a piece of work or portfolio to the admissions team. This will often involve sending pre-made work that has been made for your qualifications, such as essay, music or art pieces.

Some Oxbridge courses require written work to be submitted, while almost any creative arts degree will require some form of example piece or portfolio to be provided. This will usually have to be done digitally.

That covers all of the major potential entry requirements for UK university applications. The amount you’ll have to complete and the standards you’ll have to achieve will vary based on where you apply and what you apply to, but most Russell Group universities will require students to meet fair high requirements.

Russell Group Entry Requirements

When it comes to Russell Group entry requirements, there are a few key points that need to be explained. Firstly, it is very rare for Russell Group universities to consider UCAS Tariff points during an application. This means that applicants who earned enough Tariff points across two qualifications but didn’t earn the required grades in either one – will not be admitted into the university.

The qualifications that are accepted by these universities also vary depending on where you apply. We’ve already said that international qualifications should be checked before applying, but some UK qualifications, such as BTECs or T-Levels, may not be accepted at all or only considered for foundation degrees. Each university will have a fill list of accepted qualifications for each course, so be sure to review it before applying.

It’s also important to be aware of the various restrictions and rules put in place via the UCAS application. The most important ones state that you cannot apply to both Oxford and Cambridge in the same application cycle and that you can only apply to four Medicine degrees per year. All Oxford, Cambridge and medical school applications also need to be submitted several months earlier than normal. The deadline is typically set to October 15th rather than the end of January, as most universities require.

However, now we understand what a typical university degree will require from its applicants, it’s time to review the entry requirements for all 24 Russell Group universities.

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Russell Group University Entry Requirements

For each university, we will be looking at the highest and lowest grade requirements for both A-Levels and IBs, as well as any specified GCSE requirements, admissions tests or interviews. We will be focusing on undergraduate bachelors degrees for this analysis, so be aware that requirements may differ for other types of degrees.

University of Birmingham Entry Requirements

Lowest A-Level Requirement: ABB
Highest A-Level Requirement: A*AA
Lowest IB Requirement: 32 (5,5,5 HL)
Highest IB Requirement: 32 (7,7,7 HL)
GCSE Requirement: Grade 4 in Maths and English
Admissions Tests: UCAT, Engineering Mathematics Aptitude Test
Interviews: MMI, Offer Holder Visit Day

Starting off with the University of Birmingham, we can see the variance between the highest and lowest entry requirements isn’t too large. The highest entry requirements are reserved for courses like Computer Science, which are traditionally very competitive at every university. The lowest entry requirements generally fall around ABB, reserved for niche humanities subjects, though the lowest grade requirement is for Nursing, which generally has a requirement of BBB at every university that teaches it.

As for additional requirements, Birmingham Medical School requires the UCAT and uses MMIs for its interviews. Beyond this, the Engineering Mathematics Aptitude Test is sometimes required by applicants who apply to certain degrees with a UK qualification other than A-Levels, mainly engineering. Lastly, the Offer Holder Visit Day is less of an interview, but an interview may be conducted in some cases.

University of Bristol Entry Requirements

Lowest A-Level Requirement: BBC
Highest A-Level Requirement: A*AA
Lowest IB Requirement: 31 (15 HL)
Highest IB Requirement: 38 (18 HL)
GCSE Requirement: GCSE Profile Set Per Course
Admissions Tests: UCAT, LNAT, Maths Test
Interviews: Various Styles

The University of Bristol features fairly standard entry requirements, though it specifies the boundaries for contextual offers, which are offers that some universities will offer based on an applicant’s mitigating circumstances or socioeconomic background. In this case, we can see that the highest grade requirement of A*AA – used for competitive subjects like Aerospace Engineering and Computer Science – can be reduced to AAB with a contextual offer.

This isn’t the case for the lower grade requirement of BBC, which is used for Bristol’s Veterinary Nursing and Companion Animal Behaviour degree. However, degrees that AAB provide a contextual offer as low as BBC. GCSE profiles are set for some subjects and will have varying subject and grade requirements, ranging from Grade 4 to 6.

Bristol uses the UCAT and the Law National Aptitude Test (LNAT), which is used by certain law schools across the UK. As well as this, a unique Mathematics test is also implemented for certain engineering applicants who have not completed A-Levels, similar to Birmingham.

As for interviews, the university implements MMIs for Medicine and Veterinary Medicine, alongside structured interviews for Dentistry and Dental Therapy. Subjects like Chemistry, Earth Sciences, Law, Physics, Psychology and Veterinary Science may interview applicants.

University of Cambridge Entry Requirements

Lowest A-Level Requirement: A*AA
Highest A-Level Requirement: A*A*A
Lowest IB Requirement: 41 (7,7,6 HL)
Highest IB Requirement: 42 (7,7,6 HL)
GCSE Requirement: Considered (No Boundaries)
Admissions Tests: Multiple
Interviews: Panel (All courses)

Cambridge has the highest entry requirements of any Russell Group university. As we can see, no applicants who don’t achieve at least one A* will be considered (although Cambridge also hosts foundation degrees, which have lower entry requirements). Despite these being the minimum requirements, most admitted students at Cambridge actually achieve A*A*A*, so consider this when applying.

Despite this, Cambridge doesn’t set any GCSE grade boundaries, although your results will be considered. A variety of admissions tests are also implemented for certain courses, although not every course requires one. These include the Engineering and Science Admissions Test (ESAT), Test of Mathematics for University Admission (TMUA), and a variety of Cambridge-exclusive admissions tests for specific subjects. The UCAT and LNAT are also used.

Courses that don’t require an admissions test may require some form of work to be submitted instead, although not every course will. However, all applicants need to complete the MyCambridge Application Form, which acts as an application form similar to UCAS, complete with a Personal Statement.

As for interviews, all shortlisted applicants will need to attend at least two panel interviews with at least one college at the university. These can be held online or in-person depending on the college and, typically last 20 – 30 minutes each. Applicants may also find themselves being placed into the Winter Pool if their chosen college doesn’t accept them. This occasionally requires additional interviews, but you should receive your offer on the same day as other applicants.

Cardiff University Entry Requirements

Lowest A-Level Requirement: BBB
Highest A-Level Requirement: AAA
Lowest IB Requirement: 31 (6,6,5 HL)
Highest IB Requirement: 36 (6,6,6 HL)
GCSE Requirement: Course Dependant
Admissions Tests: UCAT
Interviews: Various Styles

Cardiff University has fairly modest entry requirements, with the highest courses only requiring AAA. The lowest standard grade requirement is BBB, but many courses offer contextual offers as low as BBC. GCSE requirements are also set per course, usually asking for a Grade 4 – 6 in English or a Grade 4 – 7 in a relevant subject.

The only admissions test used is the UCAT, while MMIs are also used for Medicine and Dental subjects. Other interview formats may also be used for other courses, including auditions and panel, research discussions. These are not usually used but may be required under certain circumstances.

Durham University Entry Requirements

Lowest A-Level Requirement: AAB
Highest A-Level Requirement: A*A*A
Lowest IB Requirement: 36 (6,6,5 HL)
Highest IB Requirement: 38 (7,7,6 HL)
GCSE Requirement: Course Dependant
Admissions Tests: Multiple
Interviews: Selection Days

Outside of the G5 Universities, Durham University has some of the highest entry requirements of the Russell Group. As it’s one of the highest-ranked universities in the UK, places here can be very competitive. While the lowest standard offer is AAB, this can be lowered to BBB with a contextual offer. The higher entry requirements can also be lowered to A*A*C, though this requirement is mainly placed for Mathematics, which is one of Durham’s most popular courses.

GCSE grades are considered, with many courses requiring a Grade 6 in Maths to be admitted. As for admissions tests, Law and Medicine applicants must complete the LNAT and UCAT. Beyond this, applicants for Maths and Maths & Statistics can submit a TMUA score to strengthen their application, as well as a Sixth Term Examination Paper (STEP) result.

Interviews are held as Selection Days, which include group tasks and one-to-one interviews. These courses aren’t held for every course, however, with Primary Education being the only undergraduate degree to require an interview for admission.

University of Edinburgh Entry Requirements

Lowest A-Level Requirement: ABB
Highest A-Level Requirement: A*AA
Lowest Scottish Highers Requirement: ABBB
Highest Scottish Highers Requirement: AAAA
Lowest IB Requirement: 34 (6,5,5 HL)
Highest IB Requirement: 39 (6,6,6 HL)
GCSE Requirement: English Grade 4
Admissions Tests: UCAT, Selection Tests
Interviews: MMI and Panel

The University of Edinburgh is the hardest of the Scottish Russell Group universities to get into, with the lowest grade requirement of AAB. The highest minimum grade is required for subjects like Medicine and Computer Science, but Edinburgh states that the average offer holder will actually achieve grades as high as A*A*A* for certain courses.

The university has a universal GCSE requirement of Grade 4 English, but some courses will set additional subject requirements. The UCAT is used by the medical school, along with MMIs, but there are additional selection tests for science and engineering courses. These consist of Multiple-Choice Questions and written questions. Panel interviews are used for the Teacher Education and Nursing courses.

University of Exeter Entry Requirements

Lowest A-Level Requirement: BBB
Highest A-Level Requirement: A*AA
Lowest IB Requirement: 32 (6,5,5 HL)
Highest IB Requirement: 38 (7,6,6 HL)
GCSE Requirement: English Grade 4
Admissions Tests: UCAT
Interviews: MMI

Entry requirements at the University of Exeter are fairly standard for a Russell Group University. The lowest grade requirement is mainly for Nursing, which can be lowered to BCC for contextual offers, while the highest grade requirement is only for courses with professional placements. Most courses’ grade requirements fall between ABB and AAA.

A Grade 4 in GCSE English is required by all applicants, while a Grade 5 in Maths is sometimes required too. The only admissions test used is the UCAT, while MMIs are used for medicine and standard interviews for Nursing and Medical Imaging.

University of Glasgow Entry Requirements

Lowest A-Level Requirement: BBB
Highest A-Level Requirement: AAA
Lowest Scottish Highers Requirement: BBBB
Highest Scottish Highers Requirement: AAAAB
Lowest IB Requirement: 34 (6,5,5 HL)
Highest IB Requirement: 38 (6,6,6 HL)
GCSE Requirement: Course Dependant
Admissions Tests: UCAT, LNAT
Interviews: Panel

Entry requirements aren’t too high at the University of Glasgow, with no courses requiring applicants to achieve an A* in A-Levels. Although the lowest offer for Advanced Highers is BBBB, it’s stated that a typical offer will be AAAA, with higher offers requiring an extra B grade. GCSE requirements are course dependant. For example, Medicine requires applicants to have six subjects at Grade 7 or higher, including English and Maths or Physics.

Both the LNAT and UCAT are used, and panel interviews are required for Medicine, Dentistry, Nursing, Music, Teaching, Community Development and Veterinary Medicine & Surgery. Those applying for Year 2 entry may also need to attend an interview.

Imperial College London Entry Requirements

Lowest A-Level Requirement: AAA
Highest A-Level Requirement: A*A*A
Lowest IB Requirement: 38 (7,6,6 HL)
Highest IB Requirement: 40 (7,6,6 HL)
GCSE Requirement: Mostly Grades 7 - 9
Admissions Tests: UCAT, TMUA, ESAT
Interviews: Various Styles

Imperial College London is widely seen as one of the most prestigious universities in the UK outside of Oxbridge, and one of the top universities in the world. This, combined with a full focus on STEM subjects, means it’s not surprising that it has such high entry requirements. Like Cambridge, the minimum required grade is usually surpassed by successful applicants, with many achieving three A*s.

Applicants must have achieved Grades 7 – 9 in most of their GCSEs, including Maths and Science. The UCAT, TMUA and ESAT are all required for certain courses, and a variety of interview formats are used for most courses. These include MMIs, panels and insight sessions. You can learn more about the Imperial application process in our guide on how to get into Imperial.

King's College London Entry Requirements

Lowest A-Level Requirement: ABB
Highest A-Level Requirement: A*A*A
Lowest IB Requirement: 33 (16 HL)
Highest IB Requirement: 39 (20 HL)
GCSE Requirement: Course Dependant
Admissions Tests: UCAT, LNAT
Interviews: MMI, Panel

King’s College London’s lowest A-Level requirement is for its Nursing degree, though most courses don’t require grades below AAB. This can be lowered to ABC for a contextual offer, while the highest requirement of A*A*A can be lowered to AAA. Some courses will set requirements for GCSEs, such as the requirement for Grade 6 in Maths.

The LNAT and UCAT are required for the relevant courses. Medicine and Dentistry both use MMIs, while various other courses will use panel interviews.

University of Leeds Entry Requirements

Lowest A-Level Requirement: BBC
Highest A-Level Requirement: A*AA
Lowest IB Requirement: 34 (5,5,5 HL)
Highest IB Requirement: 18 HL
GCSE Requirement: Five Passing GCSEs
Admissions Tests: UCAT
Interviews: MMI

The lowest A-Level requirement at the University of Leeds is specifically for Adult Nursing, which has a slightly lower requirement than other nursing courses taught there. As well as this, some courses only consider Higher Level IB results, which will typically require results in a specific subject.

Applicants must have passing GCSEs Grade 4+, including English and, in some cases, Maths. The only admissions tests and interviews are used for Medicine and Dentistry.

University of Liverpool Entry Requirements

Lowest A-Level Requirement: BBB
Highest A-Level Requirement: AAA
Lowest IB Requirement: 30 (4,4,4 HL)
Highest IB Requirement: 36 (No HL score below 4)
GCSE Requirement: Grade 4 English and Maths
Admissions Tests: UCAT
Interviews: MMI, Panel

Although the grade requirements for the University of Liverpool are fairly low, there are multiple options for those who don’t meet them. In some cases, the university will consider the subjects you have taken if you narrowly miss the required results, while foundation year courses are also available with lower grade requirements. As well as this, some courses will allow you to submit an EPQ to lower your grade requirement (e.g. AAA – AAB + A Grade EPQ).

All applicants need to achieve a Grade 4 in English and Maths, though some courses will increase this to Grade 5. Only the UCAT is used at the university, but both MMIs and panel interviews are used across various healthcare courses, with the panel interviews being used for subjects outside of Medicine (e.g. Occupational Therapy).

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London School of Economics (LSE) Entry Requirements

Lowest A-Level Requirement: AAB
Highest A-Level Requirement: A*AA
Lowest IB Requirement: 37 (6,6,6 HL)
Highest IB Requirement: 38 (7,6,6)
GCSE Requirement: Grade 6 English and Maths
Admissions Tests: LNAT, TMUA, UGAA
Interviews: None

London School of Economics (LSE) is another of the UK’s top universities, but its entry requirements aren’t quite as high as other top-ranking universities. The highest requirement of A*AA can be lowered to A*AB with a contextual offer, though an A*. in Maths is often required. The lowest requirement can also be brought down to ABB.

All applicants need to have achieved a Grade 6 in GCSE English and Maths. The university uses a variety of admissions tests, including the LNAT and Undergraduate Admissions Assessment (UGAA). The TMUA is also used, though some courses require it and others allow it as an option. No interviews are conducted at LSE.

University of Manchester Entry Requirements

Lowest A-Level Requirement: BBC
Highest A-Level Requirement: A*A*A
Lowest IB Requirement: 30 (5,5,4 HL)
Highest IB Requirement: 38 (7,7,6)
GCSE Requirement: Grade 4 English and Maths
Admissions Tests: UCAT
Interviews: MMI

The University of Manchester has fairly high entry requirements compared to other city universities, although the lowest requirement is solely for Nursing. Most degrees don’t have a standard grade requirement lower than ABB, though this can be lowered to BBC. The highest requirement can be lowered to AAA.

A Grade 4 is English and Maths, though Medicine applicants are required to have seven Grade 7s. The UCAT and MMIs are also used for the medicine degree, but no other admissions tests or interviews are required.

Newcastle University Entry Requirements

Lowest A-Level Requirement: BBB
Highest A-Level Requirement: AAB
Lowest IB Requirement: 30 (5,5,5 HL)
Highest IB Requirement: 34 (5,5,5 HL)
GCSE Requirement: Grade 6 English and Maths
Admissions Tests: UCAT
Interviews: Panel

Newcastle University has some of the lowest entry requirements of all the Russell Group universities, with most courses having a grade requirement of ABB (as stated on the university website). Contextual offers can lower requirements by up to three grades, with a BBB offer lowering to CCC and an AAB offer lowering to BBC,

Although the GCSE requirement is stated to be a Grade 6 in English and/or Maths, this is not enforced for every course. The only use of admissions tests is the UCAT for Medicine and Dentistry, alongside Panel interviews for both courses.

University of Nottingham Entry Requirements

Lowest A-Level Requirement: BBB
Highest A-Level Requirement: A*AA
Lowest IB Requirement: 28 (5,5,5 HL)
Highest IB Requirement: 36 (7,6,6 HL)
GCSE Requirement: Grade 4 English and Maths
Admissions Tests: UCAT
Interviews: MMI

The University of Nottingham has a fairly wide range of grade requirements, although the highest requirement of A*AA is used by very few courses compared to the lowest requirement. There is also a lower grade requirement for courses with Foundation Years, which ask for BCC instead.

Applicants need to have achieved Grade 4 in English and Maths to apply. The only admissions tests and interviews are used for Medicine, which uses an MMI format.

University of Oxford Entry Requirements

Lowest A-Level Requirement: AAA
Highest A-Level Requirement: A*A*A
Lowest IB Requirement: 38 (6,6,6 HL)
Highest IB Requirement: 40 (7,7,6 HL)
GCSE Requirement: No Set Requirement
Admissions Tests: Multiple
Interviews: Panel

The University of Oxford has very high entry standards for applicants, although they are often slightly lower than Cambridge, Despite this, most offer-holders still achieve top marks in their exams. Oxford doesn’t state a GCSE requirement, but it’s recommended that applicants have mostly Grades 7+.

The university implements a lot of admissions tests, including the UCAT and LNAT. Many others are unique to Oxford, including the Physics Admissions Test (PAT), Thinking Skills Assessment (TSA) and Biomedical Sciences Admissions Test (BMSAT). Not all courses require admissions tests, but every course requires multiple interviews in a panel format. This is a very similar system to Cambridge, although Oxford doesn’t implement an in-depth pooling system.

Queen Mary University of London Entry Requirements

Lowest A-Level Requirement: BBB
Highest A-Level Requirement: A*AA
Lowest IB Requirement: 30 (5,5,5 HL)
Highest IB Requirement: 37 (6,6,6 HL)
GCSE Requirement: Grade 4 English and Maths
Admissions Tests: UCAT
Interviews: MMI

Most courses at Queen Mary University of London will require A-Levels between BBB and AAA. However, the Medical and Dental Schools here will require A*AA, plus six GCSEs at grades 777666. Most other courses require at least five GCSEs, including English and Maths.

Admissions tests and interviews are only used at the medical and dentistry schools, requiring the UCAT and an MMI during the process.

Queen's University Belfast Entry Requirements

Lowest A-Level Requirement: BBB
Highest A-Level Requirement: A*AA
Lowest IB Requirement: 29 (5,5,5 HL)
Highest IB Requirement: 37 (6,6,6 HL)
GCSE Requirement: Grade 4 English and Maths
Admissions Tests: UCAT
Interviews: MMI

Queen’s University Belfast has similar entry requirements to Queen Mary, although some grade requirements have additional caveats. For example, courses that offer a minimum grade of BBB require one subject to be from a list of preferred subjects for the course. Inversely, the highest requirement of A*AA can sometimes be substituted for AAA with an additional AS qualification of A.

Applicants must meet Grade 4 in GCSE English and Maths and the UCAT and MMIs are used for medicine admissions.

University of Sheffield Entry Requirements

Lowest A-Level Requirement: BBB
Highest A-Level Requirement: A*AA
Lowest IB Requirement: 32
Highest IB Requirement: 38
GCSE Requirement: Grade 4 English and Maths
Admissions Tests: UCAT
Interviews: Various Styles

At the University of Sheffield, most courses will have a grade requirement between ABB and AAA. The grade requirement of BBB is primarily for the university’s Nursing degree, as well as contextual offers for other degrees (Nursing contextual offer is BBC). As well as this, a standard offer can be lowered to BBB when paired with an A grade in an EPQ.

On the higher end, grade requirements can be lowered to AAB through contextual offers or when an A grade AS qualification is added. The Computer Science degree at Sheffield will require applicants to achieve A*AA instead of AAA if they do not have a Computer Science A-Level qualification, making this the highest entry requirement at the university. it’s also worth noting that the IB requirements for courses do not state any Higher Level requirements except in cases when a specific subject is required (e.g. a 6 in Maths).

A Grade 4 in English and Maths GCSE will be required by all applicants, although the Nursing course specificities that at least five grades must be achieved. Only the UCAT is used for Medicine degrees, while multiple formats of interviews are used for different subjects. This includes MMIs for various medical courses and offer holder days for other courses.

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University of Southampton Entry Requirements

Lowest A-Level Requirement: BBB
Highest A-Level Requirement: A*AA
Lowest IB Requirement: 30 (15 HL)
Highest IB Requirement: 38 (7,6,6 HL)
GCSE Requirement: Grade 4 English and Maths
Admissions Tests: UCAT
Interviews: Selection Days, Group Interviews

At the University of Southampton, there is a wide range of grade requirements. However, in many cases, these requirements can be lowered by submitting an EPQ, although the level to which offers are lowered varies. Grade 4 in English and Maths at GCSE is required for all courses, but some courses will have higher requirements than this, such as Medicine requiring seven Grades 7+, including English, Maths and at least one science.

The only admissions test required is the UCAT, while interview formats include Selection Days for Medicine (which include a panel interview) and Group interviews for subjects like Computer Science. However, it’s stated that these may not hold too much importance in the admissions process.

UCL Entry Requirements (University College London)

Lowest A-Level Requirement: ABB
Highest A-Level Requirement: A*A*A
Lowest IB Requirement: 34 (16 HL)
Highest IB Requirement: 40 (20 HL)
GCSE Requirement: Grade 4 English and Maths
Admissions Tests: UCAT, LNAT, STAT
Interviews: MMI

As one of London’s top universities, UCL has understandably high entry requirements, although they’re not as high as other G5 universities. Due to how many degrees are taught there, the variance of grade requirements is wider. UCL also accepts UCAS Tariff points in some instances, although this is only for degrees with Foundation Years (e.g. Engineering with Foundation Year requires 100 points).

Grades 4 in English and Maths are required for GCSEs. The university implements a few admissions tests including the UCAT, LNAT and Skills for Tertiary Admissions Test (STAT), which is an Australian test only required in the UK for UCL’s Computer Science degree. MMIs are used for Medicine while some other courses may rarely require standard interviews with applicants.

University of Warwick Entry Requirements

Lowest A-Level Requirement: ABB
Highest A-Level Requirement: A*A*A
Lowest IB Requirement: 32
Highest IB Requirement: 39 (7,6,6 HL)
GCSE Requirement: Grade 4 English and Maths
Admissions Tests: TMUA, UCAT
Interviews: MMI

The University of Warwick is another that features a wide spread of entry requirements. These grade requirements can be lowered with contextual offers, with ABB becoming BBB and A*A*A becoming A*AA. Grade 4 in GCSE English and Maths. is required, but this may sometimes increase to as high as Grade 7 for certain courses such as Computer Science.

The UCAT is used for Warwick’s Medicine degree, while the use of the TMUA varies based on the course. Some courses will require the exam, such as Discrete Mathematics and Economics, while others accept the TMUA without it being a requirement, including Data Science and Mathematics & Statistics. MMIs are used for Medicine, but it’s rare for other courses to require interviews.

University of York Entry Requirements

Lowest A-Level Requirement: BBB
Highest A-Level Requirement: AAA
Lowest IB Requirement: 31
Highest IB Requirement: 36 (6 HL)
GCSE Requirement: Course Dependant
Admissions Tests: UCAT
Interviews: MMI

As the last university in the Russell Group, we can see that the grade requirements for the University of York are fairly standard. These grades can be lowered with contextual offers (BBB becomes BBC and AAA becomes ABB). Grade 4 GCSEs are generally required, though the required subjects vary based on the course.

The University of York itself doesn’t teach Medicine, instead working with the University of Hull to form Hull York Medical School. This school uses the UCAT and MMIs to assess applicants.

That concludes our guide to entry requirements at every Russell Group university. While these universities generally have high requirements for applicants, we can see that there are also plenty of examples of courses with lower entry requirements. This shows that you don’t have to have perfect results in order to successfully earn your place at a Russel. Group university, so don’t be put off from applying if you have doubts about your capabilities.

If you’re worried about your chances of getting into a top UK university like Oxford, Cambridge or Imperial, there is plenty of support available to help you navigate the application process. UniAdmissions is the world’s first Oxbridge preparatory school, specialising in getting applicants into their dream universities via our Full-Blue Programmes. We work with applicants for almost every Oxbridge course, as well as medicine courses, Imperial College London courses and more.

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