Can I get into a top uni with bad gcse grades?

its rare. like really rare but possible.

I sound so conceited but I was wondering just because all my mates at my new school got all 8s and 9s and want to apply for the same unis as me and so as someone who didn’t get any A*s, I was and still am really unsure as to where to apply.

Also I sound like I’m living under a rock but I didn’t know that was humanly possible getting into Oxford with those kinds of GCSEs???

You might find the following thread of interest:

"Are these GCSEs good enough for ..."

Does that mean I should apply next year when I have already got my A-levels??

Most universities will look at your A-Levels first, GCSE should not make a difference. Top universities may look at them afterwards if everything is the same for all students.

When I mean mature, I mean way past the age of 25. That is a entirely different application process, whereby ones' GCSE history becomes irrelevant and what they have done since then takes precedence.