engineering at uni without maths a level

gotten my gcse results and was a grade off the required grade for maths a level, very close to it too in marks which was a pain. i dont struggle in maths at all but i tend to have major exam anxiety which really does affect how well i perform in certain exams, however i am working on this! i’m taking on a path of engineering which i would like to do a degree in at university. a levels i chose were physics, computer science, english (instead of maths) and epq. because i was not able to take maths a level, i know this does close a few doors on a few universities and such, but is there any other way around this? i would also like to try to study university internationally (us or canada), and i know the process to this would be by taking the act or sat which i’m looking to do as well as seeking out scholarship programs! but as for uk universities, how does taking a degree in engineering without maths a level work? any other options and recommendations would be helpful too!

Strictly speaking, you can do A Level Maths privately since the exam boards don't require specific GCSE grades to study it (yeah, I'm annoyed as well).

You can alternatively try to persuade your college to let you study it since you're not off the required grade by that much.

The alternative to doing A Level Maths privately would then be to do a foundation year in engineering. The foundation year courses can be flexible with what engineering course you can later do, but they are a complete pain when it comes to transferring universities should you want to do your degree elsewhere.
Do note, some foundation year courses might only accept you if you picked the right subjects but missed the grades they asked for.

Other alternatives include:


The other thing you would have to bear in mind is that maths and engineering are predominantly an exam based subjects pretty much all the way up to master's degree level. If you have exam anxiety, it's something you would need to really work on. If that doesn't resolve then it wouldn't make much difference even if you managed to get onto A Level Maths or onto a degree for engineering (and these tend to be more difficult).

What I'm surprised with is that your college would have lower requirements for physics, which is considered mathematical and en par in difficulty with maths.

In terms of studying in Canada or US, note that their SAT is similar in equivalency to our GCSE Maths and English Language to my understanding. Then the fact if you have studied A Levels, you are essentially have completed in their first year of Associates's or Bachelor's degree. I think you typically start picking your majors and minors in the 2nd or 3rd year.
You should also be able to get funding from the UK government to study abroad, but you would need to check on that.

Personally, I would speak to the college first to see what they say. If they say no, for whatever reason, then consider your other UK options before looking abroad.

Is paying to go to the US for a full 4 to 5 years feasible?

What grade did you get in maths?

a 6, although i got a 7 in mocks 😫

Are there not other schools in your area that allow you to take A-level Maths with a grade 6? I understand if you had gotten a grade 5 or lower but you got a grade 6 and I’ve seen some schools let you take Maths (not Further Maths) if you have a grade 6 or above.

for me personally, yes. i have a weekend job and have been saving, as well as actively looking for scholarship programs!

gotten my gcse results and was a grade off the required grade for maths a level, very close to it too in marks which was a pain. i dont struggle in maths at all but i tend to have major exam anxiety which really does affect how well i perform in certain exams, however i am working on this! i’m taking on a path of engineering which i would like to do a degree in at university. a levels i chose were physics, computer science, english (instead of maths) and epq. because i was not able to take maths a level, i know this does close a few doors on a few universities and such, but is there any other way around this? i would also like to try to study university internationally (us or canada), and i know the process to this would be by taking the act or sat which i’m looking to do as well as seeking out scholarship programs! but as for uk universities, how does taking a degree in engineering without maths a level work? any other options and recommendations would be helpful too!

there are but i have already accepted a place at my sixth form today! i’ve heard that a level maths can be taken privately though so i may consider that as an option!

What grade did you get? We ask for a grade 7 but if someone who was expected to get a 7 just misses then we'll let them start A level.

a 6, although i got a 7 in mocks 😫

Hey. I got into uni for Mechanical Engineering without A Level Maths. I would say that your college confuses me. If they think your GCSE grades aren't enough for A Level Maths, why would Physics be fine? A good amount of the things learned in A Level Maths are used for A Level Physics especially the Calculus and Mechanics aspects. Since they're letting you take Physics, they should have let you take Maths too.

That aside, most of the unis I applied to were very adamant about A Level Maths even though I was doing a Maths-Physics access course. In such cases, you do a test. So, I had to self-study any extra A Level Maths topics they expected me to know, and take the specific Maths tests for all the unis. Unis like Nottingham didn't ask me for a Maths test but that's because they were content with the Maths modules I took. Unis like Bath and Bristol made me take extra tests and in Bath's case, a follow-up interview. I got offers from all three but I practically had to self-study A Level Maths on the side.

I'm not good at giving advice for school but hopefully, you can pick a thing or two from my experience. Ask your school for the A Level Maths.

If you're from a low-income family it's more than feasible if your application is competitive, but otherwise it's really not likely that you will afford it without family support

I would speak to your teacher - if a 7 was expected they should let you start on a trial basis. That's what we would do ...

thanks!! will contact them first thing about a trial basis and see what they say.

thank you for this!! will talk to them again about it

i wasn’t aware of this!! if family is low-income how does this increase chances? would it be easier for me to get scholarships or such?