UCAS Points Calculator - Learn How To Use It

Using the UCAS Points Calculator

Many universities now express their entry requirements in terms of UCAS points rather than CCC or AAA*. This move by UCAS is in response to the growing number and type of qualifications offered across the UK, including BTEC qualifications and the International Baccalaureate.

The UCAS tariff was devised by UCAS to standardise the way that universities could rate different qualifications so that their decisions were fair to all students, no matter what college courses they had opted for.

How do grades equate to UCAS points?

You don’t have to use a UCAS points calculator to find this out as the information is readily available on the UCAS site, on their tariff tables page. 

A very brief summary:

If you have done anything outside GCE A levels, you will need to check the page for your particular qualification. You can also download the UCAS points tariff data as a pdf table, which you can print out for easy reference.

The advantage of a UCAS points calculator

You type in the subject of the course you are taking, choose the course from the drop down box, add your attained or predicted grade and click on the calculate button. You can put in single courses or a whole list of them in one go on the Apply to Uni UCAS points calculator.

Printing out the results can give you a quick report that you can then discuss with your college tutors, careers advisers or with your prospective university if you go on an interview.

The limitations of using a UCAS points calculator

Although the UCAS points tariff that you end up with will give you a good idea of how close you are to fulfilling the entry requirements of your chosen university, don’t forget that UCAS points are not the only criteria that are used to formulate entry requirements.

Check your university and the course you want to do on their website to find out if they list a specific grade at GCSE or at A level or mention a particular qualification or skills that you need.

For example, someone wanting to study Medicine at Manchester University would have to have predicted grades of AAA in their A2 levels and they specify that chemistry is required plus either Biology, Physics, Human Biology, Maths or Further Maths plus one other subject. They do not accept Critical Thinking (i.e. General Studies) or Maths and Further Maths as two of the options.