Admissions decisions - GCSE requirements and our approach

GCSE requirements for all courses

For all our courses we require applicants to have 5 GCSE’s in different subjects at grade C or above or an equivalent recognised by our Admissions policy. These five different subjects must include English and Maths at the time of their UCAS application.

Below is a list of what qualifications taken in the UK and Ireland we’ll accept. For qualifications from other EU countries, as well as countries outside the EU please see individual country web pages.

BTEC Level 2 First Award/Certificate/Extended Certificate/Diploma– counted as one subject at GCSE level.

English requirement:

Qualification	Subject title	Grade
GCSE	English Language	C/4
GCSE	English Literature	B/5
Access to HE Diploma 12 level 2 credits or 9 level 3 credits	English GCSE equivalent	Pass
IB Standard	English A Language/Literature	5
IB Higher	English A Language/Literature	4
SQA Intermediate 2	English	C
SQA National 5	English	C
SQA Standard Grade	English	3
ILC Ordinary	English	O5
ILC Higher	English	H6
City and Guild Key Skills level 2	English	Only accepted for BSc Nursing
Functional Skills level 2	English	Only accepted for BSc Nursing
Learn Direct	Adult Literacy	Not accepted
OCR level 2 (ALAN)	Adult Literacy	not accepted

Maths requirement:

Qualification	Subject title	Grade
GCSE	Maths	C/4
Access to HE Diploma 12 level 2 credits or 9 level 3 credits	Maths GCSE equivalent	Pass
IB Standard	Maths	2
IB Higher	Maths	2
SQA Intermediate 2	Maths	C
SQA National 5	Maths	C
SQA Standard Grade	Maths	3
ILC Ordinary	Maths	O5
ILC Higher	Maths	H6
GCSE	Additional Maths	Not accepted
City and Guild Key Skills level 2	Maths	May be accepted for Mature students
City and Guild level 2	Application of Number	May be accepted for Mature students
Functional Skills level 2	Maths	May be accepted for Mature students
Learn Direct	Adult Numeracy	Not accepted
OCR level 2 (ALAN)	Adult Numeracy	Not accepted

Admissions decisions - 360 degree approach to applications

When you apply to us, we’re looking for applicants who will be successful on our degree programmes. Although we’re looking for students with academic ability, we recognise that this may not be the only indicator of your likely success.

We also consider the transferable skills you have that will help you to be successful at university. These transferable skills should be demonstrated in the UCAS application primarily within the Personal Statement and confirmed in the reference. For courses that interview, we’ll also be looking at performance at interview.

We therefore treat your application with a 360 degree approach. This means that, when making decisions on your application, we’ll take a number of different factors into consideration. We will fully review your UCAS application and, where we’re able to offer a place, this will be personalised to you based on your application and education journey.

We’re proud to support a diverse student population. We recognise that our students bring a variety of skills and experience to their course and their interactions with other students. This ensures a rich learning environment.