What are the entry requirements for an US student applying to in the UK?

I'm a mediocre students. I have 3's in AP US History and AP Literature and a 4 in AP US government. I have a pretty good GPA and a sat score of 1370. I'm planning on taking 4 APs next year. I generally do well on AP tests and didn't really try in the begging because I wasn't planning on going to UK schools, but a lot of UK schools like Warwick, St. Andrews, Darham, Emperial, LSE, etc. require a lot of 5 on APS. I was wondering how important that is and is there a way for me to get in without that many 5s? Also, I plan on studying economics.

Reply 1

Puck Ariel

This will vary between universities. 433 is generally equivalent to BCC at A Level, and you will struggle to be admitted to a competitive course with those grades. Durham, for example, requires at least a 54 plus 1290 SAT score for entry to courses that require ABB grades, and their Economics BSc requires AAB. Note that these are usually the minimum requirements and universities like those you list have many more applicants than they have places, so simply meeting the minimums won't be sufficient. Such competitive courses are unlikely to have much if any leeway with their minimum requirements, and applying for an AAB course with the equivalent of BCC is unlikely to be worth the effort, even with a decent SAT score.

Courses at less competitive universities that don't require APs at all and will accept a 3.0+ GPA and a good SAT score would be within reach. The University of Westminster, for example. You could also apply for a course with a foundation year. But since you're a US student, it would be difficult to advise you to pay such exorbitant international fees when you could get a comparable (or better) education much more cheaply at your state school.

If for whatever reason you have your heart set on studying in the UK, your best course of action is to excel on your next APs and get at least two 5s. With 554 you would be eligible to apply for more competitive courses.