Do GCSE grades matter when applying to uni?

My intelligence is not very evenly spread - I consistently get 9's in the subjects I'm good at (English, History, Art, R.E), but I'm doing foundation maths and I doubt I'll get above a 6 in science. Would this reflect badly upon my academic ability when applying for university? Do they even look at your GCSE grades? Wanting to go to Durham (or another Russell Group Uni) and doing English Lit.

Reply 1

PetitePanda

Study Forum Helper

Yes they do matter for more selective unis but for less selective ones, you just need to pass. For selectives ones, they look all of them overall but for any uni, they have more emphasis on the one that's relevant to your course. RG groups will definitely look at your grades.

Reply 2

Rolo1234

Original post by PetitePanda

RG unis do care about GCSEs as long as you meet requirements, A-levels matter way more. They will look at it but if you met the requirements, they wont care too much. However, Oxbridge is an exception as they want people to get high grades at GCSEs or else you wouldnt stand a chance :smile:

Reply 3

redmeercat

It depends a bit. Some unis just want passes, some unis (not necessarily just the Russel Group, which is a research group rather than a selective ranking system) will take them more into account. In terms of Oxbridge, Cambridge care less than Oxford, Ive heard, but it's more about your general average than each individual grade - Cb didn't care about my C because my average was higher.