Top 5 UK Universities for Maths

The study of Mathematics, or Maths, to university level and beyond has far more real world applications than many people realise, which is why so many students choose to study it at degree level.

As a highly academic subject you’ll need a glowing education record to be successful in getting a place at a top university. If you’re still considering which universities to apply to, here are the top five UK universities for studying Maths.

University of Cambridge

As one of the best universities in the world it’s unsurprising that this university comes out on top for Maths students.

The course is three or four years, depending on whether you want to graduate with a BA or stay on to graduate with a BA and MMath. To continue on to the fourth year you need to have achieved a first class in your third year or demonstrate that you’re likely to do this in the fourth year.

To allow you to focus solely on your subject there isn’t the option for joint honours which other universities offer. A typical offer for the course is A*A*A.

University of Oxford

Just like Cambridge, the University of Oxford offers a three year BA or a four year MMath course to students. With an average intake of roughly 176 each academic year you’ll need to have a near perfect application to be successful.

There is also the option to study one of three joint honours degrees: Mathematics and Computer Science, Mathematics and Philosophy, and Mathematics and Statistics.

Typical offers are A*A*A, with Mathematics as a required subject at A Level and Further Mathematics is also highly recommended.

Imperial College London

This university has a great range of courses on offer with 11 streams of study available in Mathematics and a further four joint honours Mathematics and computing courses offered.

Mathematics courses include: BSc Mathematics, BSc Mathematics (Pure Mathematics), BSc Mathematics with Statistics, and BSc Mathematics with Education.

The total expected intake is usually around 257, one of the highest in the top five universities, and the minimum entry requirements range from A*A*A – AAA.

University of St Andrews

There are a number of different degree programmes for undergraduate students who want to study Mathematics at St Andrews including: Mathematics BSc, Statistics BSc, Pure Mathematics MMath, and Applied Mathematics MMath.

Typical entry requirements are AAA, including an A in Mathematics at A Level, or for direct entry on to the 2000 level courses you’ll need AAA including an A in both Mathematics and Further Mathematics at A Level.

The flexible structure of the courses are part of what makes St Andrews so popular with students and in your final year you’ll have a choice of a range of specialist options for your dissertation.

Durham University

Durham is another university to give students the option of the BSc or MMath degree route. They also offer students the chance to spend a year abroad or complete a placement year as part of the Mathematics courses.

As well as the BSc Mathematics and MMath Mathematics courses there are a range of joint honours degrees available by combining Mathematics with another subject in the Natural Sciences degree or with an Arts degree.

Typical offers are A*A*A (including A* or A in Mathematics and Further Mathematics at A Level) and from 2016 the university will be piloting an admissions test for potential Mathematics students – the Test of Mathematics for University Admission (TMUA) – so you’ll also need to score well on this.