Although the majority of our applicants will have A levels, we welcome and value a wide range of alternative qualifications.

If you have a qualification which isn’t listed here, please make an enquiry.Entry requirements in the prospectus may not always apply and individual offers may vary.

• A level requirements
• English Baccalaureate
• Subject requirements
• Alternative qualifications
• Alternative entry pathways

• English language requirements
• Mature applicants
• International applicants
• What we are looking for
• School reference

A level

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) and students will only be required to have achieved a pass in the fourth subject, if taken. The grade achieved in the fourth subject may have significance when an applicant has narrowly failed to achieve the specified grades at A level.

English Baccalaureate

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 the online prospectus and on the UCAS Entry Profiles.

Subject requirements

Compulsory subject requirements for admission to specific degree programmes are specified in the online prospectus and on the UCAS Entry Profiles.

Alternative qualifications

English language requirements

Alternative entry pathways

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.

Additional entry requirements

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 applicants.

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.

Mature applicants

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 or alternative qualifications.

What we are looking for

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 role of the school reference

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 a school does not offer the breadth of provision which enables students to follow more than three subjects at A level then this should be stated in the reference. This will allow all students to be treated fairly.

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