Do universities really care about GCSE grades?

Hello All,

Feeling anxious about this, does it REALLY matter?

Yes it does matter, it’s how they judge their candidates at the end of the day. However, some universities will just ask for a grade 4 in English, maths and science - depending on the degree.

If I have a 6 in maths and a 5 in english, would it make up for the fact that I have a 4-3 in science.

How much they value GCSEs is entirely dependant on the course but I believe a pass in English and maths is essential.

What courses/universities are you specifically looking at?

Computer Science or Computer Systems engineering. Something to do with computers lol.

Have you had a look at the entry requirements for certain universities? You'll then be able to see if GCSEs are that important for the university.

Yeah I think I will check now. Ty.

@Sinnoh has made a wonderful thread for precisely these queries.

For the vast majority of universities and courses the only requirement as far as GCSEs are concerned will be the pass grade in English and Maths (4/5?). Anything else most universities will consider broadly irrelevant. They may notice if you got 7 GCSEs all at grade 2, but if your GCSEs look typical then it's really not important what the grades are.

Your qualifications at level 3 (A Levels etc.) will be considered with far more importance than your GCSEs.

The biggest exceptions to this are medicine (some other courses also have very solid GCSE requirements but medicine is the biggie); and Oxford, who's colleges and courses each specify what they want to see from your GCSEs - so check the webpages.

Some unis may take it into consideration but by and large this is never defined properly by admissions staff.

TL;DR No.

FYI @Hazelly for future reference.

Hi,

Thanks for tagging me Is it alright to keep a memo of this and reuse it for a similar post whenever?

Absolutely