Top uni with bad GCSEs?

Is it possible to have a chance to receive an offer for a top university such as LSE, UCL, Oxbridge, Imperial etc, even though i received 5s and 6s in GCSE

Original post by JPF6

Is it possible to have a chance to receive an offer for a top university such as LSE, UCL, Oxbridge, Imperial etc, even though i received 5s and 6s in GCSE

From LSE website;
GCSEs
A strong pre-16 academic profile such as several GCSE grades of A (or 7) and A* (or 8-9)
GCSE English Language and Mathematics grades should be no lower than B (or 6)
We also consider your overall GCSE subject profile

Reply 2

ageshallnot

21

Original post by JPF6

Is it possible to have a chance to receive an offer for a top university such as LSE, UCL, Oxbridge, Imperial etc, even though i received 5s and 6s in GCSE

And from Cambridge:

"There are no GCSE (or equivalent) requirements for entry to Cambridge. GCSE results are looked at as a performance indicator, but within the context of the performance of the school/college where they were achieved."

Reply 3

Admit-One

Universities Forum Helper

21

I don’t disclose where I work, but it’s in the ballpark of the above. We would only closely score GCSE’s for competitive courses like Law, ACCYFIN, COMPSCI etc. Everything else just needs you to meet the minimum Eng and Maths requirements.

Reply 4

McGinger

18

Remember that you can retake any vital GCSEs to - meet the required grades - typically Maths and English - alongside your A levels etc.
Just ask you school/college.

Reply 5

dovame8675

3

Original post by Admit-One

I don’t disclose where I work, but it’s in the ballpark of the above. We would only closely score GCSE’s for competitive courses like Law, ACCYFIN, COMPSCI etc. Everything else just needs you to meet the minimum Eng and Maths requirements.

I'm applying for Law soon with A*AA (predicted), but my GCSEs are 44567 (awful I know). I want to apply to Exeter, Bristol, Birmingham, Sheffield, and York/or Newcastle. Do you think that my GCSEs will disparage my application greatly, given the competitiveness of these universities? Thanks :smile:

Reply 6

Jonathanãƒ„

19

Really depends on the subject but I recently applied to UCL with GCSE grades 5,5,5,5,5,6,6,6,7

If I get an offer ill be sure to give you an update

Reply 7

swanseajack1

19

Original post by dovame8675

I'm applying for Law soon with A*AA (predicted), but my GCSEs are 44567 (awful I know). I want to apply to Exeter, Bristol, Birmingham, Sheffield, and York/or Newcastle. Do you think that my GCSEs will disparage my application greatly, given the competitiveness of these universities? Thanks :smile:

You would need to check the individual entry requirements but provided you meet them you would have a decent chance. The one key issue might be your grade in English Language where some universities might require higher than a 4. It might be worth selecting 1 or 2 less competitive universities in case of rejection. If you are applying for this years entry some of these may have closed the course o you would need to check this before applying otherwise it will be an automatic rejection.

Reply 8

dovame8675

3

Original post by swanseajack1

You would need to check the individual entry requirements but provided you meet them you would have a decent chance. The one key issue might be your grade in English Language where some universities might require higher than a 4. It might be worth selecting 1 or 2 less competitive universities in case of rejection. If you are applying for this years entry some of these may have closed the course o you would need to check this before applying otherwise it will be an automatic rejection.

So I meet the entry requirements luckily, and my English Language is a 5 which is so annoying since I was predicted a 7 but had a huge panic attack and practically missed out half of the second paper :frown:

. I'm also applying next year, so do you think those choices are ok, or would you aim lower?

Reply 9

swanseajack1

19

Original post by dovame8675

So I meet the entry requirements luckily, and my English Language is a 5 which is so annoying since I was predicted a 7 but had a huge panic attack and practically missed out half of the second paper :frown:

. I'm also applying next year, so do you think those choices are ok, or would you aim lower?

I havent checked each universities entrance but I would go with 3 and possibly look at 2 less competitive universities. I think it might be a good idea to resit English Language. I assume you have at least a 4 in Maths. Is there any reason why you only sat 5. Maybe your referee can explain that.

Reply 10

dovame8675

3

Original post by swanseajack1

I havent checked each universities entrance but I would go with 3 and possibly look at 2 less competitive universities. I think it might be a good idea to resit English Language. I assume you have at least a 4 in Maths. Is there any reason why you only sat 5. Maybe your referee can explain that.

I got a 7 in maths. I had really bad mental health at that time and actually took all my GCSEs a year later and paid to sit them myself, extenuating circumstances essentially.

Reply 11

Rainyzack

12

Original post by Jonathanツ

Really depends on the subject but I recently applied to UCL with GCSE grades 5,5,5,5,5,6,6,6,7

If I get an offer ill be sure to give you an update

Did u get any offers. I’m worried by GCSE will hold be back so I wanna know if that is or isn’t the case.

Reply 12

Rainyzack

12

Original post by dovame8675

I'm applying for Law soon with A*AA (predicted), but my GCSEs are 44567 (awful I know). I want to apply to Exeter, Bristol, Birmingham, Sheffield, and York/or Newcastle. Do you think that my GCSEs will disparage my application greatly, given the competitiveness of these universities? Thanks :smile:

Did u get an offer?