The minimum academic requirements for entry to a
UK degree vary from institution to institution and from one course to the next.
Generally, institutions will quote their requirements for entry onto a specific
course in terms of A-level grades or points and
for some course there may also be specific subject
requirements. Your local British Council office will be able to help you compare
your academic qualifications with those required by the UK institution.
British institutions now have a more flexible
approach to entrance requirements and are willing to consider equivalent
non-traditional and overseas qualifications from candidates applying for various
bachelors degree programmes. However, candidates must satisfy General
Requirements and Course Requirements before their acceptance and the final
decision rests with the individual institution. General requirements are five
subject passes which include two GCE (General Certificate of Education) A levels
and three GCSE (General Certificate of Secondary Education / GCE O level.
Equivalent UK qualifications such as BTEC or SCOTVEC diplomas or overseas
qualifications are also acceptable.
English Language skills
Students from overseas who wish to study a degree
course in the UK need a good level of written and spoken English. This could be
in the form of an acceptable test score result such as an IELTS or TOEFL.
You can get general information about IELTS, how
to register for IELTS, the application from, the IELTS handbook, dates of
British Council British Council Office and your IELTS test result on
ielts.india@in.britishcouncil.org
Degree and Diplomas
Generally, students need a good honours degree or
equivalent to be accepted for postgraduate study. In most universities the
completion of a master's degree is an entry requirements for a doctorate, which
can take three years or more to complete.
Admission Requirements
For postgraduate courses the usual requirement is
an equivalent to a British first degree in a relevant subject. Some institutions
may also ask for a Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT) and International
English Language Testing Service (IELTS) score.
Admission Test
For some courses. e.g. Management, overseas
students must sit the Graduate Management Aptitude test (GMAT). Other courses
require Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or International English
Language Testing Service (IELTS) Scores. The British Council regularly
administers the IELTS test.
Academic records
Transcripts (official certificates) that set out
previous academic qualifications are crucial for your application.
