Applying with the minimum requirements

Are the minimum requirements usually accepted easily or do Unis go for the highers grades only, for instance im applying to UCL, King's, Bath, LSE and Royal Hollaway for Computer Science (with management at kings)/Data science. Most of the minimum requirements are A*A*A. Do I have a chance of getting in or not?

Reply 1

swanseajack1

19

For most universities you will get offers if you meet or are just below the entry requirements. For very competitive courses and universities you will need to exceed these requirements. For example LSE you will usually require higher than their entry requirements.

Reply 2

ChildshDXB

OP

3

Original post by swanseajack1

For most universities you will get offers if you meet or are just below the entry requirements. For very competitive courses and universities you will need to exceed these requirements. For example LSE you will usually require higher than their entry requirements.

yes, LSE is AAA, but what about UCL?

Reply 3

vnayak

16

Original post by ChildshDXB

yes, LSE is AAA, but what about UCL?

Definitely....I would define competitive as any university in the top 20 in the country for a given course. UCL is insanely competitive and popular due its location in central London meaning there are good industry connections and internship opportunities. There will indeed be people who are achieving above the asking requirements but if you have a strong personal statement which demonstrates your interest, then you have good chances I would say.

Also, Bath have increased current minimum entry requirements for their CS course from AAA to 2 A* 1 A (according to an email one of my friends who applied to Bath received).

It's always good to have a few high options, a couple of on par options and one insurance or all just on par. However, if you feel that your predicted grades aren't realistic to what you are getting in mocks, I would recommend applying to some lower requirement unis.

For instance, I achieved 3 A* and A in my mocks (A in Further Maths and I was two marks off). This led me to believe that I could take on higher tariff unis for CS like Manchester and Edinburgh (both 3 A stars offers).

They also provide me with good cover options in the eventuality I didn't get into either of may top two (deffo not getting into both Imperial and Cambridge and my judgement was right because in November, I got rejected by Cambridge and I got an offer from Imperial in December).

I am now just waiting on Durham. If I secure that offer, I will most likely firm Imperial and insure Durham but insurance option may change.

Reply 4

rowan_willow

12

Original post by ChildshDXB

Are the minimum requirements usually accepted easily or do Unis go for the highers grades only, for instance im applying to UCL, King's, Bath, LSE and Royal Hollaway for Computer Science (with management at kings)/Data science. Most of the minimum requirements are A*A*A. Do I have a chance of getting in or not?

Honestly, it depends on the uni. Most Russell group unis have a baseline for the lowest grades they put on their website (AAB for example) but if your course is competitive then you stand a better chance at getting in with higher grades but not by much. But don't apply to something you won't be able to meet the grades for at exam time.

Reply 5

McGinger

18

Many of these Unis will not make the bulk of their offers until Feb/March so if you are just worried that you are still 'waiting', there is no need to panic.

Reply 6

Scotney

20

Original post by ChildshDXB

Are the minimum requirements usually accepted easily or do Unis go for the highers grades only, for instance im applying to UCL, King's, Bath, LSE and Royal Hollaway for Computer Science (with management at kings)/Data science. Most of the minimum requirements are A*A*A. Do I have a chance of getting in or not?

Are you taking FM?

Reply 7

ChildshDXB

OP

3

Original post by Scotney

Are you taking FM?

No.

Reply 8

Scotney

20

Original post by ChildshDXB

No.

Some of top unis for CS favour applicants with FM but do not officially declare it.

Original post by ChildshDXB

Are the minimum requirements usually accepted easily or do Unis go for the highers grades only, for instance im applying to UCL, King's, Bath, LSE and Royal Hollaway for Computer Science (with management at kings)/Data science. Most of the minimum requirements are A*A*A. Do I have a chance of getting in or not?

Most unis require meeting their minimum entry requirements or scoring higher so it's definitely worth applying to some universities that meet the grades of your predicted, some unis that are above and some that are below your predicted grades so you have a variety of options available to you. It's also useful to call/email the university to ask about their minimum requirements and layaways for meeting them. Hope this helps!

Reply 10

ChildshDXB

OP

3

Original post by SOAS Student Rep

Most unis require meeting their minimum entry requirements or scoring higher so it's definitely worth applying to some universities that meet the grades of your predicted, some unis that are above and some that are below your predicted grades so you have a variety of options available to you. It's also useful to call/email the university to ask about their minimum requirements and layaways for meeting them. Hope this helps!