Open College
UCAS Points

When looking at going to university to study a degree, it’s important that you look at the UCAS tariff and the requirements you need to reach in order to be successful with your application. For most degree courses there is a minimum requirement of approximately 112 points for a student to be accepted.

In this blog, we’re going to look at what these points are, how you can earn them with A-Levels and what one A-Level course will get you in terms of points.

What are UCAS Points?

UCAS points are a way for educational faculties to apply a relative value to all post 16 UK qualifications. They apply a numerical value to each achievable grade (for each qualification) and provide a way for universities to set entry requirements. Simply put, the higher the grade you achieve, the higher the value of points you receive.

How many Points will one A-Level get me?

As it currently stands, the points achievable for each A-Level are as follows:

  • A* grade is worth 56 points.
  • A grade is worth 48 points.
  • B grade is worth 40 points.
  • C grade is worth 32 points.
  • D grade is worth 24 points.
  • E grade is worth 16 points.

Now referring back to earlier in the blog, you will remember that most degree courses require a minimum of 112 points, so usually students need to study a combination of 3 or 4 A-Levels to ensure they achieve enough points to get an offer for a place on a course.

It is important to mention, that you need to also pay attention to the subject requirements of the university you want to attend. There is no point in you holding 3 A-Levels with A* grades worth 168 UCAS points, if those three A-Levels are in the wrong subjects. For example, if you wanted to study Medicine, regardless of your grades, you would not be accepted onto a course if you didn’t hold your qualifications in all three of the sciences.

Once you know how many points you need and the subjects you need, then it’s just a case of starting your studying on the courses and ensuring you hit those grades you need.