do GCSE’s matter for Russell Group universities?

Hi!

I achieved 4s,5s and 6s in my gcse’s and i was wondering how much this would affect me in terms of applying to Russel Group Uni’s. I have received a grade 6 in maths and a grade 5 (i am retaking soon) in english language if that gives any context.

However, i was wondering as i am getting AAB in my predicted grades if there was any chance of me getting in?

If there is anyone that has done this and had similar grades to mine can you please say because i’m slowly thinking about which unis i want to apply for.

Hi!
I achieved 4s,5s and 6s in my gcse’s and i was wondering how much this would affect me in terms of applying to Russel Group Uni’s. I have received a grade 6 in maths and a grade 5 (i am retaking soon) in english language if that gives any context.
However, i was wondering as i am getting AAB in my predicted grades if there was any chance of me getting in?
If there is anyone that has done this and had similar grades to mine can you please say because i’m slowly thinking about which unis i want to apply for.

Hi there,
As said above, I think it really depends on what courses you are applying for and where. Not all RG universities require higher GCSE grades than the national minimum, but some ask for 5s or 6s for certain subjects.
Based on what I've found on uniadmissions (Russell Group Universities Entry Requirements: Your Essential Guide), these are the maths and english GCSE requirements for each RG:
Birmingham - 4 in maths and english
Bristol - dependant on course, varying requirements from grades 4-6
Cambridge - no boundaries but results will be considered
Cardiff - dependant on course, varying requirements from grades 4-6 or 4-7 in a relevant subject
Durham - dependant on course, many require a 6 in maths
Edinburgh - universal requirement of 4 in english but some courses have higher requirements
Exeter - 4 in english, usually a 5 in maths
Glasgow - dependant on course (e.g. medicine requires 6 subjects at grade 7 or higher)
Imperial - 7-9 in most GCSE including maths and science
KCL - course dependant, usually 6 in maths
Leeds - 5 passes in GCSE with 4+ in maths and english
Liverpool - 4 in maths and english, sometimes a 5 dependant on course
LSE - 6 in maths and english
Manchester - 4 in maths and english, 7s for medicine applicants
Newcastle - 6 in maths and english
Nottingham - 4 in maths and english
Oxford - no requirement but recommended that most grades are 7+
QMUL - most courses need 5 passes inc maths and english, medicine applicants require 6 GCSEs at 777666
Queen's Belfast - 4 in maths and english
Sheffield - 4 in maths and english
Southampton - 4 in maths and english, some courses might require higher like medicine
UCL - 4 in maths and english
Warwick - 4 in maths and english, can change depending on course (e.g 7 in maths required for computer science)
York - 4 in maths and english, can change slightly depending on course
I hope you find that helpful! Don't take that as gospel though - double check the requirements for the courses and universities you want to apply to. This was just general based on the universities and not course specific.
Good luck!
Jorja (LJMU Student Rep)

What courses do you want to apply for? For medicine and dentistry, GCSEs are very important and may be used actively in the shortlisting process, but for most other degrees at most universities it's more a case of them just wanting you to meet the minimum grades for Maths and English (usually at grade 5 or 6 I believe) before moving on to assess other aspects of your application. AAB is a good set of predicted grades that will allow you to apply to many unis, including some RG ones, but which ones and for which degrees you'll have to do your own research

Its either Business Management or Marketing. I am retaking english language to get a 6 in it but i was just wondering if i could apply to any Russel groups.

Its either Business Management or Marketing. I am retaking english language to get a 6 in it but i was just wondering if i could apply to any Russel groups.