The Student Room Group

Application advice! US (American) to UK - Junior Year - Aerospace Engineering

Hi! I am a current high school Junior, so I graduate June 2026. I am looking to go into an Aerospace Engineering course and am not sure what unis I should look into. I am definitely more aero-focused than space but I love learning anything so suggestions are welcome and I will look into them!

I took 2 AP's last year - AP Physics 1 (4) and AP European History (5). This year I am taking 5 more (AP Bio, US History, Computer Programming, Pre-calculus, and AP Language - all predicted 4 to 5's) because although the course level at my school is high I wanted to challenge myself and not be bored in normal classes :P However, I am not sure if I should/ have to list all my AP's on my applications since they are so varied and some have little to no connection to my desired course. I am planning on taking 4 more next year as well.

I have also heard a bit about UCAS tariffs and I can't find a consistent conversion from AP credits - are these a required thing? How would I figure this out?

To give slightly more info - I am looking into Swansea (for personal reasons - family close by), Liverpool, Cardiff, and Manchester. I have heard Imperial College London is good, but that living in London is expensive and as I will be a stereotypically broke college student I'm anticipating that will be a bit of an issue.:K::K:

Thank you all! :smile:
Original post by cturli55
Hi! I am a current high school Junior, so I graduate June 2026. I am looking to go into an Aerospace Engineering course and am not sure what unis I should look into. I am definitely more aero-focused than space but I love learning anything so suggestions are welcome and I will look into them!
I took 2 AP's last year - AP Physics 1 (4) and AP European History (5). This year I am taking 5 more (AP Bio, US History, Computer Programming, Pre-calculus, and AP Language - all predicted 4 to 5's) because although the course level at my school is high I wanted to challenge myself and not be bored in normal classes :P However, I am not sure if I should/ have to list all my AP's on my applications since they are so varied and some have little to no connection to my desired course. I am planning on taking 4 more next year as well.
I have also heard a bit about UCAS tariffs and I can't find a consistent conversion from AP credits - are these a required thing? How would I figure this out?
To give slightly more info - I am looking into Swansea (for personal reasons - family close by), Liverpool, Cardiff, and Manchester. I have heard Imperial College London is good, but that living in London is expensive and as I will be a stereotypically broke college student I'm anticipating that will be a bit of an issue.:K::K:
Thank you all! :smile:

Personally if I were to go for an engineering degree to get into aerospace or aeronautical engineering, I would pick mechanical engineering instead of aerospace or aeronautical engineering. This is because the latter 2 are subdisciplines of the former. If you later decide aerospace isn't for you or decide to pivot outside of aerospace, it's probably easier with a degree in mechanical engineering.

In terms of meeting prerequisites, I think Pre-Calculus is a bit too simple for aerospace engineering degrees. Typically, the degree involves a lot of calculus.
See the following for AP in maths: https://blog.collegeboard.org/what-ap-math

If you look at the international entry requirements for each of the individual degrees, you would see that they require AP Physics and AP Calculus BC:
https://www.mace.manchester.ac.uk/study/international-students/country-specific-information/?audience=aerospace
https://www.swansea.ac.uk/international-students/international-student-courses/undergraduate-international-entry-requirements/#united-states-of-america=is-expanded (you will need to check with Swansea on this, as the grades are ambiguous)
https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/courses/2025/aerospace-engineering-beng-hons#entry-requirements (High school graduation diploma with a GPA of 3.0 plus one of the following: College Board AP exams (grades 4, 4, 4 to 5, 5, 5) - maths and a second science)

There are no aerospace engineering degrees at Cardiff at the time of writing. See:
https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/engineering/courses/undergraduate/our-degree-programme

Imperial only does degrees in aeronautical engineering as opposed to aerospace engineering:
https://www.imperial.ac.uk/study/subjects/aerospace-engineering/#d.en.1200061
Entry requirements for the above degree though are 5, 5, 5, 5 overall, to include:

5 Calculus BC

5 in Physics

5 in two further relevant subjects:

https://www.imperial.ac.uk/study/courses/undergraduate/aeronautical-engineering/

In terms of universities offering aerospace engineering, my go to tends to be the Guardian League table:
https://www.theguardian.com/education/ng-interactive/2024/sep/07/best-uk-universities-for-aerospace-engineering-league-table

Other unis that are close to South Wales include Bath, Bristol, UWE, and South Wales.

Other university league tables include:
https://www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk/league-tables/rankings/aeronautical-and-aerospace-engineering
https://www.thetimes.com/uk-university-rankings/league-table (might need subscription)

Having said that, I would take the rankings with a pinch of salt; they aren't always effective indications of how good a uni is relative to another. It's just not likely the league tables are so bad that unis at the bottom of the table are mistaken as the unis that should be at the top.
The leagues tables are good in the sense you get all of the degrees from all unis in one place so it saves you googling for them.

In terms of conversions, it's difficult to find anything consistent. Ultimately, it's up to the individual unis to decide whether they accept you and they in turn have their own set of conversion table.
For most unis, they have their own interpretation of what grades you should have, and that would be my starting point if I was in your position (many of them have their own AP grade requirements listed on their course pages as I have pointed out above). See the following as examples:
https://www.surrey.ac.uk/united-states-america/entry-requirements
https://www.bbk.ac.uk/international/country-information/usa
Reply 2
Original post by MindMax2000
Personally if I were to go for an engineering degree to get into aerospace or aeronautical engineering, I would pick mechanical engineering instead of aerospace or aeronautical engineering. This is because the latter 2 are subdisciplines of the former. If you later decide aerospace isn't for you or decide to pivot outside of aerospace, it's probably easier with a degree in mechanical engineering.
In terms of meeting prerequisites, I think Pre-Calculus is a bit too simple for aerospace engineering degrees. Typically, the degree involves a lot of calculus.
See the following for AP in maths: https://blog.collegeboard.org/what-ap-math
If you look at the international entry requirements for each of the individual degrees, you would see that they require AP Physics and AP Calculus BC:
https://www.mace.manchester.ac.uk/study/international-students/country-specific-information/?audience=aerospace
https://www.swansea.ac.uk/international-students/international-student-courses/undergraduate-international-entry-requirements/#united-states-of-america=is-expanded (you will need to check with Swansea on this, as the grades are ambiguous)
https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/courses/2025/aerospace-engineering-beng-hons#entry-requirements (High school graduation diploma with a GPA of 3.0 plus one of the following: College Board AP exams (grades 4, 4, 4 to 5, 5, 5) - maths and a second science)
There are no aerospace engineering degrees at Cardiff at the time of writing. See:
https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/engineering/courses/undergraduate/our-degree-programme
Imperial only does degrees in aeronautical engineering as opposed to aerospace engineering:
https://www.imperial.ac.uk/study/subjects/aerospace-engineering/#d.en.1200061
Entry requirements for the above degree though are 5, 5, 5, 5 overall, to include:

5 Calculus BC

5 in Physics

5 in two further relevant subjects:

https://www.imperial.ac.uk/study/courses/undergraduate/aeronautical-engineering/
In terms of universities offering aerospace engineering, my go to tends to be the Guardian League table:
https://www.theguardian.com/education/ng-interactive/2024/sep/07/best-uk-universities-for-aerospace-engineering-league-table
Other unis that are close to South Wales include Bath, Bristol, UWE, and South Wales.
Other university league tables include:
https://www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk/league-tables/rankings/aeronautical-and-aerospace-engineering
https://www.thetimes.com/uk-university-rankings/league-table (might need subscription)
Having said that, I would take the rankings with a pinch of salt; they aren't always effective indications of how good a uni is relative to another. It's just not likely the league tables are so bad that unis at the bottom of the table are mistaken as the unis that should be at the top.
The leagues tables are good in the sense you get all of the degrees from all unis in one place so it saves you googling for them.
In terms of conversions, it's difficult to find anything consistent. Ultimately, it's up to the individual unis to decide whether they accept you and they in turn have their own set of conversion table.
For most unis, they have their own interpretation of what grades you should have, and that would be my starting point if I was in your position (many of them have their own AP grade requirements listed on their course pages as I have pointed out above). See the following as examples:
https://www.surrey.ac.uk/united-states-america/entry-requirements
https://www.bbk.ac.uk/international/country-information/usa

Thank you so so much! I am planning to take Calc BC and some other more advanced math/science APs Senior Year, but my school does not allow me to take anything higher than AP Precalculus at the moment for Junior year (to my sustained and fervent protest).

I am looking into some of the more cost-effective options for colleges, and Swansea seemed to be my best option with family support. I will look into Bath and Bristol as well, so thank you!

On the topic of MechEng vs. Aero or Astro - I have heard a variety of arguments on this and many saying that they as aerospace engineering graduates have had jobs far outside the specific discipline of aerospace or astronautical engineering and worked in roles that Mechanical engineers would be traditionally hired for. I have been told also that since the job market for mechanical is very saturated, many companies would rather hire an Aerospace/Astronautical engineer for many positions more related to the discipline. I also can code proficiently in Python and C++ and have been told that those skills will get me hired very quickly across many jobs. I don't have a preference between the two (aero or astronautical), as both are incredibly interesting to me and I would be happy working in either or :smile:.

Thank you for all your help and quick reply!
Original post by cturli55
Thank you so so much! I am planning to take Calc BC and some other more advanced math/science APs Senior Year, but my school does not allow me to take anything higher than AP Precalculus at the moment for Junior year (to my sustained and fervent protest).
I am looking into some of the more cost-effective options for colleges, and Swansea seemed to be my best option with family support. I will look into Bath and Bristol as well, so thank you!
On the topic of MechEng vs. Aero or Astro - I have heard a variety of arguments on this and many saying that they as aerospace engineering graduates have had jobs far outside the specific discipline of aerospace or astronautical engineering and worked in roles that Mechanical engineers would be traditionally hired for. I have been told also that since the job market for mechanical is very saturated, many companies would rather hire an Aerospace/Astronautical engineer for many positions more related to the discipline. I also can code proficiently in Python and C++ and have been told that those skills will get me hired very quickly across many jobs. I don't have a preference between the two (aero or astronautical), as both are incredibly interesting to me and I would be happy working in either or :smile:.
Thank you for all your help and quick reply!

I would check the above with aerospace, aeronautical, and mechanical engineers then, unless you have done so already.

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