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What are our University entry requirements?

When you apply to study with us at Canterbury Christ Church, we will treat you as an individual. We will read your personal statement and consider it alongside your academic qualifications and references, as well as any other relevant experience. 

Most of our degree entry requirements are shown in terms of grades. You can find the exact requirements for each course on the relevant course page

UCAS points are also important to understand when applying to study with us. When you apply through UCAS, each of your qualifications is assigned a certain number of UCAS points. Add them together to find your UCAS points score. 

You can use use the UCAS point calculator on the UCAS website to help with this. 

Don't forget, if you have any questions about your personal situation it's always worth contacting our friendly Course Enquiry Team

Further information

The sections below contains more detailed information you may find useful.

The University has general minimum entry requirements which all students must meet before they register with us.

At the point of registration onto the first year of a degree, we require you to have achieved:

  • a minimum of two A Levels or
  • a BTEC National Diploma or
  • a combination of BTEC and A Level qualifications equivalent to two A Levels (such as a BTEC subsidiary certificate) and one A Level or
  • a pass at T Level or
  • an Access to Higher Education Diploma or
  • an International or Welsh Baccalaureate or
  • a Higher National Diploma/Higher National Certificate or
  • a minimum of two Advanced Highers from Scotland or
  • the Irish Leaving Certificate or
  • the European Baccalaureate Diploma or
  • an equivalent overseas qualification.

For specific course entry requirements, please check the individual course pages.

Advice for mature students

If you've taken some time out of studying you may not need to meet our general minimum entrance requirements. This is because if you are returning to education, we look at things differently.

If you can demonstrate your commitment to studying a degree, we will always consider your application. In these cases your experience and any qualifications you may have through work will be taken into consideration.

For more information, please contact our Course Enquiry Team, who will be happy to help and advise.

Generally, offers will be made in terms of grades but there are exceptions to this. Some courses require you to achieve specific grades in particular subjects. For some courses you will need to have studied a particular subject at Level 3 (A-Level, BTEC, IBCP, OCR or equivalent). This will be made clear when an offer of a place is made.

Some courses, particularly those in the health and education subject areas, have their own additional entry requirements. For instance they may require English and Maths GCSEs, or evidence of work experience.

Please check individual course pages for specific requirements.

We ensure that access to higher education and Canterbury Christ Church University is as wide as possible. As such, the University considers applications from those with a wide range of general qualifications that attract UCAS Tariff points either on their own or in combination with others.

Below shows the list of frequently accepted qualifications.

The list is not exhaustive and if your qualification does not feature here then you should contact contact our Course Enquiry Team for advice.

  • A-levels
  • Vocational A-levels
  • T Levels
  • Accredited Access qualifications
  • Diploma in Foundation Studies (Art and Design)
  • BTEC Qualifications
  • CACHE qualifications
  • Cambridge Pre-U
  • OCR qualifications
  • Certificate/Diploma in Financial Studies
  • Higher Apprenticeships
  • International Baccalaureate
  • Irish Highers
  • NVQ 3 qualifications
  • International Baccalaureate Career-related programme
  • Scottish Highers
  • European Baccalaureate
  • Welsh Baccalaureate

A small number of courses require grade C passes in specific GCSEs or the equivalent.

GCSE English and Maths exams are graded 9 (highest) - 1 (lowest) instead of A-G. From summer 2019 all GCSEs will be graded this way.

We will require applicants to achieve four or higher for those courses with GCSEs as part of the entry requirements.

If you do not have GCSEs, the University will only accept Level 2 credits from accredited Access courses. These will be treated as the equivalent to GCSE passes if completed in 2014 or earlier .

Functional skills at Level 2 are widely accepted for our courses. However, the University does not currently accept functional skills at level 2 as the equivalent of GCSEs passes for any other degree programmes that recruit via UCAS. O-Levels sat in, or after, summer 1975 must be at grade C or above. CSE grade 1 is accepted as equivalent to GCSE at grade C.

Schools, colleges and universities are getting used to T Levels both in terms of curriculum content and progression routes. We look forward to welcoming students to Canterbury Christ Church University from this new pathway.

We are supporting a large number of T Level students into higher education through our engagement with schools and colleges. Undergraduate students who join from T Levels will bring a wealth of experience and practical knowledge from their industry placement.

This aligns perfectly with our approach to practical learning here at Canterbury Christ Church University.

Degrees with a Foundation Year are a fantastic way of studying the subject you want, even if you don't quite meet the entry requirements for a normal three-year degree. During the Foundation Year, we will prepare you so that when you start the normal degree programme in your second year with us, you can excel!

We expect all students registering onto a Foundation Year to have:

  • Completed the equivalent of Year 13 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland
  • Completed Scottish Advanced Highers
  • Students starting in a foundation year usually have not met the exact grade and/or subject requirements for degree entry study, as listed on our individual course pages, or are mature applicants.

Please visit the Foundation Year page for more information.

If you have been out of education for some time relevant experience will be taken into consideration. Our Course Enquiry Team will be happy to advise.

Generally applicants will be required to have 48 UCAS Tariff points inclusive of at least one A-level or equivalent.

You may be able to demonstrate learning which has occurred in the past by way of certification or experience. This is particularly useful for mature students.

In these case we rely solely on the provision of evidence of learning by way of certification from another university or college. Applicants will need to provide appropriate documentation including certificates and details of the awarding body. Applicants should apply via UCAS.

Non-UK qualifications equivalent to Level 3 study in the UK, GCSEs and the others mentioned above are accepted by the University.

Further information on the equivalence of non-UK qualifications can be obtained from International Admissions, email: international.admissions@canterbury.ac.uk. If you are based overseas, you can obtain these from your local British Council office.

When you finish your course we'll give you a document called a European Diploma Supplement. You can show this to universities and employers throughout Europe so they can see details of your qualification.

If you have previously studied part of a degree at another university then you may be able to transfer directly into Level 5 or 6.

If you would like to request a transfer into one of our undergraduate courses then please indicate this on your application form.