is it possible to get into a top uni for law with horrible gcses
i went to a really bad school and they didnt encourage us to get high gcses but rather just passes since the pass rate the year before was really low, i ended up getting 87666555444 with a 4 in math, they told us gcses were just to get into sixth form which i got into, but i didnt know they were taken into consideration for uni (i didnt know i even wanted to go to uni until like a month ago), if i meet the a-level entry requirements is it possible to get into unis like lse, ucl, kcl, exeter, maybe cambridge in my wildest delusions?
i know probs not but is there any slight chance?
i know probs not but is there any slight chance?
(edited 1 month ago)
Original post by stephieir
i went to a really bad school and they didnt encourage us to get high gcses but rather just passes since the pass rate the year before was really low, i ended up getting 87666555444 with a 4 in math, they told us gcses were just to get into sixth form which i got into, but i didnt know they were taken into consideration for uni (i didnt know i even wanted to go to uni until like a month ago), if i meet the a-level entry requirements is it possible to get into unis like lse, ucl, kcl, exeter, maybe cambridge in my wildest delusions?
i know probs not but is there any slight chance?
i know probs not but is there any slight chance?
Take a look at the admission requirements on UCAS, some unis, e.g. UCL, have GCSE grade requirements, and some (Bristol, Nottingham) don't.
Hope is always there. Don't give up. Don't look down on yourself.
Reply 2
Original post by stephieir
i went to a really bad school and they didnt encourage us to get high gcses but rather just passes since the pass rate the year before was really low, i ended up getting 87666555444 with a 4 in math, they told us gcses were just to get into sixth form which i got into, but i didnt know they were taken into consideration for uni (i didnt know i even wanted to go to uni until like a month ago), if i meet the a-level entry requirements is it possible to get into unis like lse, ucl, kcl, exeter, maybe cambridge in my wildest delusions?
i know probs not but is there any slight chance?
i know probs not but is there any slight chance?
Hey!
I just want to start by saying thank you for being so honest — and please don’t be so hard on yourself. The fact that you’re reflecting on this now and thinking about your future shows a lot of growth already, and that really matters.
Now to your question — is it possible to get into a top uni for Law with lower GCSEs? The short answer is yes, it’s possible. It’s competitive, and there are challenges, but it’s definitely not out of the question — especially if you meet or exceed the A-level entry requirements.
Unis like LSE, UCL, KCL, Exeter, and even Cambridge do look at GCSEs, but they also look at the whole application. They’re interested in context — your school background, what support you had, and what you’ve achieved despite those barriers. Many of these universities use contextual admissions, which means they consider things like your school’s overall performance, your postcode, and other indicators of disadvantage. If your school had a low pass rate and you still managed to get solid grades, that can actually show resilience and academic potential. You can also ask your referee to explain the challenges you faced at GCSE level in your reference.
Most importantly, your A-levels and personal statement are a huge part of your application. If you’re able to show a genuine passion for law, strong academic development, and insight into the subject, that can speak volumes. For Cambridge specifically, it’s extra competitive and they do usually expect very strong GCSEs — but they do interview, and contextual factors are taken into account, so while it’s a reach, it’s not a complete impossibility.
Also worth noting, if you're open to exploring different routes, The University of Law (ULaw) is another great option. They offer qualifying law degrees and are more flexible with entry requirements, focusing more on your current potential rather than your past. It can be a great pathway if you're looking for strong academic support and a career-focused environment.
Bottom line, don’t count yourself out just yet. You’ve clearly got drive, and with strong A-levels and a well-thought-out application, you can still aim high. Keep going — you’re way more capable than you think
Original post by UniofLaw Student
Hey!
I just want to start by saying thank you for being so honest — and please don’t be so hard on yourself. The fact that you’re reflecting on this now and thinking about your future shows a lot of growth already, and that really matters.
Now to your question — is it possible to get into a top uni for Law with lower GCSEs? The short answer is yes, it’s possible. It’s competitive, and there are challenges, but it’s definitely not out of the question — especially if you meet or exceed the A-level entry requirements.
Unis like LSE, UCL, KCL, Exeter, and even Cambridge do look at GCSEs, but they also look at the whole application. They’re interested in context — your school background, what support you had, and what you’ve achieved despite those barriers. Many of these universities use contextual admissions, which means they consider things like your school’s overall performance, your postcode, and other indicators of disadvantage. If your school had a low pass rate and you still managed to get solid grades, that can actually show resilience and academic potential. You can also ask your referee to explain the challenges you faced at GCSE level in your reference.
Most importantly, your A-levels and personal statement are a huge part of your application. If you’re able to show a genuine passion for law, strong academic development, and insight into the subject, that can speak volumes. For Cambridge specifically, it’s extra competitive and they do usually expect very strong GCSEs — but they do interview, and contextual factors are taken into account, so while it’s a reach, it’s not a complete impossibility.
Also worth noting, if you're open to exploring different routes, The University of Law (ULaw) is another great option. They offer qualifying law degrees and are more flexible with entry requirements, focusing more on your current potential rather than your past. It can be a great pathway if you're looking for strong academic support and a career-focused environment.
Bottom line, don’t count yourself out just yet. You’ve clearly got drive, and with strong A-levels and a well-thought-out application, you can still aim high. Keep going — you’re way more capable than you think
I just want to start by saying thank you for being so honest — and please don’t be so hard on yourself. The fact that you’re reflecting on this now and thinking about your future shows a lot of growth already, and that really matters.
Now to your question — is it possible to get into a top uni for Law with lower GCSEs? The short answer is yes, it’s possible. It’s competitive, and there are challenges, but it’s definitely not out of the question — especially if you meet or exceed the A-level entry requirements.
Unis like LSE, UCL, KCL, Exeter, and even Cambridge do look at GCSEs, but they also look at the whole application. They’re interested in context — your school background, what support you had, and what you’ve achieved despite those barriers. Many of these universities use contextual admissions, which means they consider things like your school’s overall performance, your postcode, and other indicators of disadvantage. If your school had a low pass rate and you still managed to get solid grades, that can actually show resilience and academic potential. You can also ask your referee to explain the challenges you faced at GCSE level in your reference.
Most importantly, your A-levels and personal statement are a huge part of your application. If you’re able to show a genuine passion for law, strong academic development, and insight into the subject, that can speak volumes. For Cambridge specifically, it’s extra competitive and they do usually expect very strong GCSEs — but they do interview, and contextual factors are taken into account, so while it’s a reach, it’s not a complete impossibility.
Also worth noting, if you're open to exploring different routes, The University of Law (ULaw) is another great option. They offer qualifying law degrees and are more flexible with entry requirements, focusing more on your current potential rather than your past. It can be a great pathway if you're looking for strong academic support and a career-focused environment.
Bottom line, don’t count yourself out just yet. You’ve clearly got drive, and with strong A-levels and a well-thought-out application, you can still aim high. Keep going — you’re way more capable than you think
Brilliant advice.
OP may consider the usual application strategy:
(1) 1 to 2 aspirational choices of competitive unis.
(2) 1 to 2 choices, less competitive unis requiring grades at or slightly below your predicted grades.
(3) 1 safe choice, uni with published requirements lower than your predicted grades.
Reply 4
Original post by UniofLaw Student
Hey!
I just want to start by saying thank you for being so honest — and please don’t be so hard on yourself. The fact that you’re reflecting on this now and thinking about your future shows a lot of growth already, and that really matters.
Now to your question — is it possible to get into a top uni for Law with lower GCSEs? The short answer is yes, it’s possible. It’s competitive, and there are challenges, but it’s definitely not out of the question — especially if you meet or exceed the A-level entry requirements.
Unis like LSE, UCL, KCL, Exeter, and even Cambridge do look at GCSEs, but they also look at the whole application. They’re interested in context — your school background, what support you had, and what you’ve achieved despite those barriers. Many of these universities use contextual admissions, which means they consider things like your school’s overall performance, your postcode, and other indicators of disadvantage. If your school had a low pass rate and you still managed to get solid grades, that can actually show resilience and academic potential. You can also ask your referee to explain the challenges you faced at GCSE level in your reference.
Most importantly, your A-levels and personal statement are a huge part of your application. If you’re able to show a genuine passion for law, strong academic development, and insight into the subject, that can speak volumes. For Cambridge specifically, it’s extra competitive and they do usually expect very strong GCSEs — but they do interview, and contextual factors are taken into account, so while it’s a reach, it’s not a complete impossibility.
Also worth noting, if you're open to exploring different routes, The University of Law (ULaw) is another great option. They offer qualifying law degrees and are more flexible with entry requirements, focusing more on your current potential rather than your past. It can be a great pathway if you're looking for strong academic support and a career-focused environment.
Bottom line, don’t count yourself out just yet. You’ve clearly got drive, and with strong A-levels and a well-thought-out application, you can still aim high. Keep going — you’re way more capable than you think
I just want to start by saying thank you for being so honest — and please don’t be so hard on yourself. The fact that you’re reflecting on this now and thinking about your future shows a lot of growth already, and that really matters.
Now to your question — is it possible to get into a top uni for Law with lower GCSEs? The short answer is yes, it’s possible. It’s competitive, and there are challenges, but it’s definitely not out of the question — especially if you meet or exceed the A-level entry requirements.
Unis like LSE, UCL, KCL, Exeter, and even Cambridge do look at GCSEs, but they also look at the whole application. They’re interested in context — your school background, what support you had, and what you’ve achieved despite those barriers. Many of these universities use contextual admissions, which means they consider things like your school’s overall performance, your postcode, and other indicators of disadvantage. If your school had a low pass rate and you still managed to get solid grades, that can actually show resilience and academic potential. You can also ask your referee to explain the challenges you faced at GCSE level in your reference.
Most importantly, your A-levels and personal statement are a huge part of your application. If you’re able to show a genuine passion for law, strong academic development, and insight into the subject, that can speak volumes. For Cambridge specifically, it’s extra competitive and they do usually expect very strong GCSEs — but they do interview, and contextual factors are taken into account, so while it’s a reach, it’s not a complete impossibility.
Also worth noting, if you're open to exploring different routes, The University of Law (ULaw) is another great option. They offer qualifying law degrees and are more flexible with entry requirements, focusing more on your current potential rather than your past. It can be a great pathway if you're looking for strong academic support and a career-focused environment.
Bottom line, don’t count yourself out just yet. You’ve clearly got drive, and with strong A-levels and a well-thought-out application, you can still aim high. Keep going — you’re way more capable than you think
OP, ignore this paid marketing. Only go to the University of Law if you can't get into anywhere else, not even Bedfordshire, and if that were to be your situation (I hope that it won't be), you'd be better off studying something other than law.
(edited 1 month ago)
Reply 5
Original post by cksiu
Brilliant advice.
OP may consider the usual application strategy:
(1) 1 to 2 aspirational choices of competitive unis.
(2) 1 to 2 choices, less competitive unis requiring grades at or slightly below your predicted grades.
(3) 1 safe choice, uni with published requirements lower than your predicted grades.
OP may consider the usual application strategy:
(1) 1 to 2 aspirational choices of competitive unis.
(2) 1 to 2 choices, less competitive unis requiring grades at or slightly below your predicted grades.
(3) 1 safe choice, uni with published requirements lower than your predicted grades.
Is it though? The OP is interested in "top unis" ,and UoL can't by any stretch of the imagination be described as a "top uni".
The advice was good because it described the hurdles ahead and hinted what the OP should/could do. I should have made it clear.
Regarding ULaw, it was in Clearing in past few years consistently, so one may take it as an insurance of insurance, purely my personal view on application tactics.
Some RG law schools (incl Cardiff, Glasgow, Leeds, Nottingham and Sheffield) went into Clearing last year, though very briefly. So my advice to the OP is to focus at the exam and strive for the best grades, even if you are unlucky at the main cycle, there would probably be chances during Clearing.
I should have typed all the above in the previous post.
Regarding ULaw, it was in Clearing in past few years consistently, so one may take it as an insurance of insurance, purely my personal view on application tactics.
Some RG law schools (incl Cardiff, Glasgow, Leeds, Nottingham and Sheffield) went into Clearing last year, though very briefly. So my advice to the OP is to focus at the exam and strive for the best grades, even if you are unlucky at the main cycle, there would probably be chances during Clearing.
I should have typed all the above in the previous post.
Reply 7
Is UoL ever not in Clearing? It's not in the same league as the other places you mention, not by a long way. I've worked with some graduates of UoL, and their legal knowledge is abysmally low. They bought their degrees. If universities had an effective quality regulator, UoL would be out of business.
You mean Leicester? I recalled it was in Clearing last year. It was not a RG uni so I didn't mention.
Reply 9
Original post by cksiu
You mean Leicester? I recalled it was in Clearing last year. It was not a RG uni so I didn't mention.
I mean the University of Law, not Leicester.
Original post by cksiu
Brilliant advice.
OP may consider the usual application strategy:
(1) 1 to 2 aspirational choices of competitive unis.
(2) 1 to 2 choices, less competitive unis requiring grades at or slightly below your predicted grades.
(3) 1 safe choice, uni with published requirements lower than your predicted grades.
OP may consider the usual application strategy:
(1) 1 to 2 aspirational choices of competitive unis.
(2) 1 to 2 choices, less competitive unis requiring grades at or slightly below your predicted grades.
(3) 1 safe choice, uni with published requirements lower than your predicted grades.
yes i was told this at school, ill defo only apply to only 2 rlly prestigious unis and 3 safer unis
) thank you!!
Reply 11
Original post by stephieir
yes i was told this at school, ill defo only apply to only 2 rlly prestigious unis and 3 safer unis)
thank you!!
) thank you!!
definitely apply to Exeter
Reply 12
Original post by Stiffy Byng
I mean the University of Law, not Leicester.
ULaw was in Clearing consistently in past few years. Applicants may take it an insurance of their UCAS insurance, from application strategy considerations.
Reply 13
Original post by cksiu
ULaw was in Clearing consistently in past few years. Applicants may take it an insurance of their UCAS insurance, from application strategy considerations.
The fact that ULaw is always in Clearing tells its own story.
Original post by stephieir
i went to a really bad school and they didnt encourage us to get high gcses but rather just passes since the pass rate the year before was really low, i ended up getting 87666555444 with a 4 in math, they told us gcses were just to get into sixth form which i got into, but i didnt know they were taken into consideration for uni (i didnt know i even wanted to go to uni until like a month ago), if i meet the a-level entry requirements is it possible to get into unis like lse, ucl, kcl, exeter, maybe cambridge in my wildest delusions?
i know probs not but is there any slight chance?
i know probs not but is there any slight chance?
I'm assuming you are in year 12? Talk to your sixth form tutor and ask if you can resit your maths GCSE in November if a higher grade is required for some of your aspirational choices.
Original post by normaw
I'm assuming you are in year 12? Talk to your sixth form tutor and ask if you can resit your maths GCSE in November if a higher grade is required for some of your aspirational choices.
im in year 13 taking a gap year, also a lot of unis dont count resits unfortunately
Reply 16
I didn't grow up in the UK but my A-level equivalent performance in high school was abysmal. Yet this year I've applied to some top unis and received offers and interviews from them. Like you, I have been out of education for a year or more but I explained a bit of why this was the case in my UCAS personal statement and also demonstrated my passion for the subject by giving my thoughts on subject-relevant books I had read. The unis take the context of your achievements as well as any extenuating circumstances you may disclose to them. I would recommend doing as best as you can on your A-levels and trying to find some supercurriculars to make your application more competitive. But a low past performance isn't a huge barrier to applying. They will be interested in seeing how you've grown since your GCSEs.
Original post by stephieir
i went to a really bad school and they didnt encourage us to get high gcses but rather just passes since the pass rate the year before was really low, i ended up getting 87666555444 with a 4 in math, they told us gcses were just to get into sixth form which i got into, but i didnt know they were taken into consideration for uni (i didnt know i even wanted to go to uni until like a month ago), if i meet the a-level entry requirements is it possible to get into unis like lse, ucl, kcl, exeter, maybe cambridge in my wildest delusions?
i know probs not but is there any slight chance?
i know probs not but is there any slight chance?
Perhaps not ‘Oxbridge standard’, but you’re GCSEs aren’t ‘horrible’ in any sense-
If you meet the entry grades, you will always have a chance, particularly with a strong LNAT section A score( and good section B essay for these top unis)+ a good personal statement and references.
I’d also look into contextual offers, as if you’re school was this bad, it’s quite likely you’ll qualify for contextual, meaning your grade offer will typically be reduced to AAB- with A*AA PGs you’d have a great chance, despite GCSEs.
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