how much do GCSE's matter when applying to study engineering?

having spoken to Bristol's admissions team, they told me that I would not be competitive unless I had 8x grade 9s and A*AA
When did you ask this, and specifically who told you this?
Is this for Mech Eng or another engineering course?

As it's almost the end of year 12, I have been researching universities and making a shortlist. However, I can't help but worry that my GCSE's may prevent me from applying to the universities I want. I have an average GCSE grade of 6 with a 7 in Maths and 8,7 in Combined science Trilogy and I want to study mechanical engineering. For my A-Levels i'm predicted A*AA (Law, Maths, Physics) but having spoken to Bristol's admissions team, they told me that I would not be competitive unless I had 8x grade 9s and A*AA (even as a contextual offer applicant). However, on their admissions statement it states that GCSE's weigh 20% whereas A-Levels weigh 80% in regards to their admissions so now i'm stuck as to whether there's any point in applying or not. Does anyone have an opinion on this and does this apply to other universities like Warwick, Sheffield etc?

I applied for Maths and Stats at Warwick, and I didn’t do GCSEs at all, so I didn’t send any GCSE grades. I still got an offer. Maths and Stats is also a STEM subject like Engineering, so maybe my case can help a bit.
Most unis care more about your A-Level predicted grades and your whole application, not just one or two GCSEs. If your A-Levels are strong, especially in Maths and Physics, and your personal statement is good, you still have a real chance.

Hi noemis,
Admissions requirements can vary. If you have any specific questions about grade requirements, I would advise contacting the admissions team as they may be able to help answer these questions for you! Information about how to contact them can be found here: https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/contact/prospective-students
Hope this helped,
Sofia (MSc Cancer Biology and Therapeutics Student)

Thank you Sofia, I've checked Sheffield's requirements and there aren't any specific requirements related to GCSE's, I'll be sure to contact the admissions team if I do have any other questions though.