Do universities care about GCSE's they don't require?

I am looking to apply to university in 2024 (main choice being UCL) and my course requires a 4 in English and Maths. I have received both 9s for both English Language and Literature as well as a 7 for Maths, but I received a fail for my physics. My predicted A-Level grades are A*AB and I have already received an A from a foreign language and an A for EPQ. The universities I'm applying to do not require physics GCSE, but I'm really worried they'll see it and reject me. Will it seriously affect my chances of getting in?

Some will care more than others. First, applications will be filtered to reject those who simply don't meet the mandatory requirements (e.g. a grade 4 in Maths and English in your case). You clearly won't be rejected at this stage. For some unis, they won't look at your GCSE grades further.

Others will include them when they compare applicants "holistically". Your GCSE Physics grade will not be terminal here, but might mean you'd you need to "offset" it with a better personal statement, or a better reference, etc. than someone who has a more solid set of GCSE grades.

Some unis (e.g. Bristol) are very specific in saying that their score students academically based on 20:80 ratio of their GCSE grades and A level grades. (That ratio can vary by subject). Even then, they likely use your best 8 GCSEs (or some similar number) rather than all of them, so your Physics grade might not even be counted if you did more than 8 GCSEs.

In summary, it depends on the uni (and the course in some cases).

Some will care more than others. First, applications will be filtered to reject those who simply don't meet the mandatory requirements (e.g. a grade 4 in Maths and English in your case). You clearly won't be rejected at this stage. For some unis, they won't look at your GCSE grades further.

Others will include them when they compare applicants "holistically". Your GCSE Physics grade will not be terminal here, but might mean you'd you need to "offset" it with a better personal statement, or a better reference, etc. than someone who has a more solid set of GCSE grades.

Some unis (e.g. Bristol) are very specific in saying that their score students academically based on 20:80 ratio of their GCSE grades and A level grades. (That ratio can vary by subject). Even then, they likely use your best 8 GCSEs (or some similar number) rather than all of them, so your Physics grade might not even be counted if you did more than 8 GCSEs.

In summary, it depends on the uni (and the course in some cases).