Here you'll find information about our standard undergraduate entry requirements, how we make offers, and the qualifications we accept – including A Levels and alternatives.
Our standard entry requirement for an undergraduate degree course is a minimum of two GCE A levels and three GCSEs in other subjects.
Each course has specific entry requirements which include a UCAS tariff points requirement. In some cases, a specified subject at GCE A level or equivalent and a GCSE requirement may be requested (see individual course pages for details).
Our offers for undergraduate courses are usually expressed in terms of UCAS tariff points. For example:
We accept UCAS tariff points from GCE A Levels for entry to our undergraduate courses. Please note, however, that we do not consider AS levels to be at the same depth as A Levels and therefore either require all tariff points to come from A Levels or accept only a small number of points from AS Levels towards the overall tariff points requirement. Tariff points from AS Levels can only be counted if they are in different subjects from the points counted at A Level.
We do not use unit grades as part of our decision-making process or make offers including unit grades. We may, however, take unit grades into account during the period following examination results to help us to decide whether to confirm your place if you have just missed the required grade (if places are available).
We accept tariff points from GCE A Level General Studies towards most of our undergraduate degrees. Some courses, such as Optometry and Medicine, ask for specific GCE A Level subjects and these are noted on the course pages.
We are happy to accept tariff points from other qualifications considered to be equivalent to GCE A levels. For further information on the UCAS tariff system, visit the UCAS website.
At ARU, we have a long tradition of welcoming students with a range of qualifications and supporting them to achieve their potential in higher education.
We'll consider applications to Level 4 entry if you don't meet our normal course entry requirements but can demonstrate that you:
In such cases, you'll need to provide documentary evidence, a piece of written work of the required standard, or attend a personal interview.
As a guide, we give examples below of qualifications that we accept as alternatives to GCE A Levels.
At ARU we value the skills of research and independent learning that the Extended Project Qualification is designed to develop. We welcome applications from students offering the Extended Project alongside A levels or equivalent.
All Access to Higher Education courses now lead to the award of the Access to HE Diploma. The standard number of credits required for the award of all Access to HE Diplomas, in all providing institutions, is 60 credits, of which 45 credits must be at Level 3.
We're happy to accept the Access to HE Diploma for entry to most of our undergraduate courses. For entry to some courses we may require a certain number of Level 3 credits in specific subject areas, eg Science.
Our offers will usually be expressed using the UCAS tariff.
For more information on the Access to HE Diploma, please visit www.accesstohe.ac.uk
For many students, BTEC and OCR Cambridge qualifications are an attractive alternative to traditional A level qualifications.
We consider the practical skills and knowledge attained in these qualifications appropriate for gaining entry to most of our undergraduate courses.
For specific entry requirements and grades, please refer to the course entry requirements or to the UCAS website for UCAS tariff points.
We welcome students who are studying T levels and accept all T levels subjects for most of our courses. We consider the academic study in the core content, combined with the specialisms, and the industry placement to be an excellent preparation for university study.
We'll expect you to have achieved the minimum pass threshold in the core and the occupational specialism.
Where a course does not accept T-levels, or will only accept certain T-level subjects, this will be noted on the course page.
T-levels are included in the UCAS tariff. You'll receive an offer in tariff points, except for Medicine where a specific grade profile will be required.
We welcome applicants studying Alternative Academic Qualifications (AAQs). These include:
AAQs are designed to provide a balance of academic and practical learning and are recognised as being comparable in size and standard to AS levels or A levels, depending on the qualification taken. Where these qualifications attract UCAS tariff points, they may be used to meet the overall tariff requirements for entry to our undergraduate courses.
Applicants taking AAQs are typically expected to combine them with other Level 3 qualifications, such as A levels, to demonstrate the breadth and depth of study required for higher education. The suitability of specific AAQs may vary depending on the course; sometimes particular subjects or combinations of qualifications may be required.
As with all Level 3 qualifications, we consider applications on an individual basis, taking into account the content of the qualification and its relevance to the chosen course. For detailed entry requirements, please refer to individual course pages.
We're happy to accept UCAS tariff points from the following qualifications:
We also consider applications from mature applicants with qualifications which are not on the UCAS tariff, such as:
If you need further advice or have any questions about entry requirements, please contact [email protected].