Entry requirements

Applicants to degree programmes will usually be expected to have studied three subjects at A level.

All conditional offers will ordinarily be made on the basis of three full A levels (some subjects are not included – please see our course pages). Where applicants are taking four A levels, conditional offers will usually only be based upon obtaining three grades (including any subject specific requirements). The grade achieved in the fourth subject may have significance when an applicant has narrowly failed to achieve the specified grades at A level.

Applicants to degree programmes should have studied either the full IB Diploma programme, or a minimum of three Higher Level certificates.

Conditional offers will be made on the basis of either a total points requirement or three Higher Level certificates, with specified achievement in some Higher or Standard level subjects if appropriate.

Our standard equivalencies for IB qualifications can be found below. You should refer to the relevant course page for further information and details on specific subject requirements.

We consider the IB Career-related Programme, in combination with another Level 3 qualification, on a case by case basis.

We accept applicants with BTEC* qualifications to the majority of degree programmes, subject to course-specific requirements. Each course page will detail the exact BTEC subject combination required.

Our standard equivalencies for BTEC qualifications can be found below. Equivalencies are listed in the following order: BTEC Extended Diploma, then BTEC Diploma plus 1 A Level, then BTEC Subsidiary Diploma plus 2 A Levels.

You may be required to meet each grade in a specific subject and you should refer to the course page for further information.

These requirements only apply to reformed 'RQF' UK and International BTEC qualifications.

We accept applicants with Access to HE qualifications to a number of degree programmes, subject to course specific requirements. Each course page will detail the exact subject and module combination required.

Our standard equivalencies for Access to HE qualifications can be found below. You will need to achieve 60 credits overall, with 45 credits at the levels listed below, and you may be required to achieve specific grades in certain modules.

You should refer to the specific course page for further information.

Whilst the university accepts T-levels as equivalent to A-levels and considers applicants with T-Level qualifications, some courses may require additional qualifications to support meeting course specific requirements.

Where subject specific requirements cannot be met, or where no directly relevant T-level course exists, we may not be able to make an offer.

We value the skills that applicants gain when completing Extended Project and Core Maths qualifications alongside their other Level 3 studies. For some of our courses we are able to make 1 grade reduced offers to applicants with these qualifications - refer to the course pages for further information.

Applicants are not required to take the English Baccalaureate in order to be considered for courses at Nottingham.

Some courses require specific subjects at GCSE at a specific grade and other courses require a certain number of GCSEs at A grade. We advise students to check our entry requirements carefully before applying.

All GCSE requirements are outlined in our course pages and UCAS listings.

Applicants will usually be expected to have studied two Advanced Highers alongside five Highers in order to meet the university minimum. 

For courses with subject specific requirements, applicants will need to be taking these subjects at Advanced Higher level in order to be considered.

Specific grade requirements are listed for each individual course on UCAS. 

National 5 English can usually be accepted in lieu of GCSE English for applicants with Home fee status. For international applicants, Higher/Advanced Higher English is required.

Please see our policy on minimum English language entry requirements for more information.

Compulsory subject requirements for admission to specific degree programmes are specified in our course pages and UCAS listings.

We make contextual offers to students whose personal circumstances may have restricted achievement at school or college. Find out more and check if you may be eligible.

Our admission process recognises that applicants have a wealth of different experiences and may have followed various educational pathways. While our publicity materials generally express entry requirements in terms of A levels, most of our schools and faculties accept a much broader range of qualifications. The following list is not exhaustive and the University treats applicants with other qualifications on an individual basis.

The entry requirements for alternative qualifications can be quite specific – for example, you may need to take certain modules and achieve a specified grade in those modules. It is important to find out any such requirements in time for you to make the right choices at school or college. If you have already chosen all your modules, then you need to check carefully whether these match our entry requirements. If in doubt, please contact us.

If your qualifications don't match your first choice of course at the University of Nottingham, a related course here may be open to you. The best place to start is the UCAS course listings, where there is detailed information about what we require from alternative qualifications for each course.

If you can't see what you are looking for or require further information, please view the UCAS course listings for specific courses or make an enquiry to discuss your qualification.

For qualifications from outside the UK, please see our information about entry requirements by country.

If English isn't your first language, you will need to meet the relevant English language requirements. IELTS requirements are detailed on our course pages, though we also accept a variety of alternative qualifications.

If you are an international student, you should also check our information about applying from specific countries.

If you need extra support to meet the English language requirements for your academic course, you can attend a presessional course at the Centre for English Language Education (CELE). If you pass at the required level, you can progress directly to your academic programme without retaking IELTS.

The University of Nottingham and partner institutions run a number of foundation years giving entry to specified courses at the University. Please see our list of foundation courses for details.

Admissions staff at the University of Nottingham assess many applications using only the information available on the UCAS form. Some courses use additional methods of assessment for all or some applications.

This may be for a range of reasons, including to:

• assess your suitability for the profession linked to the course (for example, nursing or veterinary medicine)
• clarify the material covered by your qualifications or as part of Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning
• assess your achievements, motivation and potential
• distinguish between otherwise similar applicants
  

Additional assessment may include interviews or tests. Some courses may ask for examples of written work. Where courses use additional assessment, admissions staff will send you information explaining the nature of the assessment, what admissions staff will be looking for and how you can prepare.

The University of Nottingham welcomes mature students with a broad range of experience and qualifications. In considering applications from mature students, we take into account a range of vocational qualifications and occupational and life experiences, as well as more traditional qualifications. For more information, see mature students.

Consideration will be given as to whether you will be able to fulfil the objectives of the programme of study and achieve the standards required. A range of factors additional to, and in some cases instead of, formal examination results is considered in the selection process.

These can include:

• the personal statement and reference
• additional evidence of achievement, motivation and potential as gathered through interview or assessment of written materials
• other factors as appropriate to the discipline, such as employment or volunteer work in relevant fields and sustained critical engagement with relevant issues.

The potential variety in the range and breadth of qualifications presented by applicants, referred to above, makes a school reference a key aspect in informing our admissions staff of students' abilities and the context in which they have studied.

University of Nottingham asks staff writing references to confirm in the reference any factors, if known, that might have affected the applicant’s achievement. These factors can relate to the student’s personal circumstances and background or to the educational context. Please see our policy for details.

If you are an international student, you should also check our information about applying from specific countries.