On this page, you'll find the essential entry requirements for our foundation year. This includes eligibility for the UPC, academic requirements by country and English language requirements.
To enter the UCL International Foundation Year (UPC), you will need to check that you meet the following entry requirements:
Eligibility
To be eligible to apply for the UPC, you’ll have to meet the following criteria:
- be at least 16 years old when the course starts
- be in the last year of high school (when applying) or have already graduated
- have a qualification that’s unsuitable for direct entry onto a UCL undergraduate degree. Please find further information below.
Academic requirements
We will look at transcripts from your previous two years of study, as well as any available from your current (final) year.
You should be able to show excellent grades in your annual high school transcripts overall and in required/relevant subjects.
Required and relevant subjects
UPCSE required subjects
If you’re applying to the UPCSE, you'll choose to study two optional subjects from Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics and Physics.
We’ll only consider your application if you:
- meet our overall entry requirements for the UPC
- meet our entry requirements for your two optional subjects and a relevant subject
- have studied these subjects within your final three years of high school (for a minimum of one academic year).
UPCH required subjects
If you’re applying to study mathematics on the UPCH as an optional subject, we’ll only consider your application if you:
- meet our overall entry requirements for the UPC
- meet our entry requirements for the Mathematics optional subject
- have studied mathematics within your final three years of high school (for a minimum of one academic year).
UPCH relevant subjects
We understand you may not have studied the UPCH optional subject(s) you are applying for at school. For all UPCH optional subjects (except mathematics) we will look at your grades in three relevant subjects.
Examples of subjects that would be relevant for UPCH and your UCL degree include:
- Accounting and Statistics
- Art and Design
- Business Studies
- Classical Civilisation
- Economics
- Film Studies
- Geography
- History
- History of Art
- Languages
- Law
- Literature
- Mathematics
- Media and Digital Media
- Philosophy
- Politics
- Psychology
- Sociology
Mature applicants
Please note, although we can be slightly more flexible with entry requirements for mature students (over 21 years), taking your work and life experiences into consideration, we do expect you to meet a certain academic level in order to ensure that you will be able to successfully engage with the course and progress successfully to your undergraduate degree at UCL.
If you are a mature applicant and are thinking of applying, please email us first with information on your past studies and details of experience(s) relevant to your future studies so we can assess your suitability.
Other qualifications we accept
- Advanced Placements (APs)
APs are accepted for entry onto a UCL undergraduate degree. Check the United States of America page for further details on AP requirements for undergraduate study.
We'll consider you for the UPC if you do not have enough AP subjects (or AP plus SAT Reasoning test, or AP plus ACT) for your intended UCL undergraduate degree.
You'll need a minimum grade of 3 in each AP taken and a grade of 4 in the subject(s) that are relevant to your undergraduate degree aim at the point of your application.
If you took the SAT Reasoning Test, we'll expect a combined score of 1280 in SAT (1) Reasoning test.
If you took the ACT we'll expect a minimum score of 27.
We will also require to see your high school transcript and for it to meet our entry requirements.
- AS levels
We’ll consider you if you're in your first year of A levels (AS level) but can’t complete your A levels in your current school.
You'll need to take no fewer than 3 AS levels and achieve the equivalent in assessment or predicted scores of no less than B in all subjects and A in the required or relevant academic subject(s).
If you're able to complete your A levels and apply for a UCL undergraduate degree, we will not consider you for the UPC.
We will require an official proof that your school does not provide the second year of A Levels in your country.
- GED (General Education Development), High School Equivalency test (HiSET) or Test Assessing Secondary Completion (TASC)
You’ll need minimum equivalents of 3.4 CGPA overall.
- International Baccalaureate (IB) Certificate
We'll consider you if you have achieved or predicted to achieve scores of at least 5 in 3 required and/or relevant individual subjects.
- International Baccalaureate Career Program Diploma
We'll consider you if either:
- also meet our high school diploma requirements (see entry requirements by country)
- have also taken at least two International Baccalaureate individual subjects and have achieved or are predicted to achieve scores of at least 5.
- US High School Diploma
You’ll need a CGPA of 3.4/4.0 or 3.6/4.3.
- Home Schooling
If you have been home schooled, you‘ll need to provide us with your past academic transcripts or results, or predicted grades, and to show your accomplishments by providing evidence such as:
- evidence of your home academic studies (copies of completed assessments, certificate of participation or completion of online courses)
- individual, group or project work, internships
- relevant work experience
- publications in blogs or vlogs
We will accept a reference from a previous school counsellor, an academic or a professional who can comment on academic abilities and merit.
We will not be able to consider your application if you have not completed any qualifications. You will need to take some examinations before applying such as: Advanced Placements, AS levels, SAT, local high school certificate.
Qualifications we do not accept
- A levels and International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma
We do not consider applicants who have or are taking qualifications that allow direct entry to UCL undergraduate degree programmes. This includes full A levels and IB Diploma.
- Foundation courses
We do not consider students who have enrolled or completed a foundation course in the UK or in another country.
- International General Certificates of Secondary Education (IGCSEs)
If you have only taken IGCSEs, you’re not eligible for the UPC. This is because the qualification is below the UPC’s academic standard. If you’ve completed IGCSEs and further studies, we’ll need proof of your further studies (e.g. your national high school certificate).
Please view UCL's undergraduate prospectus to check which qualifications are accepted for direct entry onto a UCL Undergraduate degree programme.
English language requirements
Students who need a visa
If you need a visa to study in the UK, you must have an IELTS for UKVI (Academic) or Pearson PTE Academic UKVI taken after September 2022 at the time of application for us to consider you for the entrance tests.
There are five levels of English proficiency needed to meet UCL’s English language requirements for undergraduate study. You can check which UCL level of English proficiency your intended degree programme currently requires by looking at the undergraduate prospectus.
The English level you need to be considered for the UPC will depend on the English language requirement of your future UCL degree.
You need to take your test at a centre approved by UKVI and meet the minimum English entry requirements below.
UPC English entry requirements | ||
UCL degree English language level | IELTS for UKVI (Academic) | PTE Academic UKVI |
Level 1 | Overall: 6.0 Subtest: 5.5 | Overall: 59 Subtest: 54 |
Level 2 and 3 | Overall: 6.0 Subtest: 6.0 | Overall: 59 Subtest: 59 |
Level 4 and 5 | Overall: 7.0 Subtest: 6.5 | Overall: 69 Subtest: 62 |
Law
If you wish to apply for Law LLB during the UPC you will be required to have an overall IELTS for UKVI (Academic) score of 7.5 (Pearson PTE Academic UKVI 80) with a minimum of 7.0 (Pearson 76) in writing and 6.5 (Pearson 67) in each other section at the time you apply for the UPC.
English language requirements for your future UCL degree
The UPC Academic English subject fulfils the English requirement for entry onto a UCL degree, however you must achieve the required English level (1, 2, 3, 4 or 5) of your future degree. You can check which level your intended degree programme currently requires by looking at the undergraduate prospectus.
If you're unsure you’ll meet the English language entry requirement you may wish to consider a related degree with a lower English requirement (UPC and degree level). For example:
- Level 4 is currently required for: Biochemistry BSc, Biological Sciences BSc, Biomedical Sciences BSc, Human Sciences BSc, Neurosciences BSc, Pharmacology BSc.
- Level 3 is currently required for: Applied Medical Sciences BSc; Cancer Biomedicine BSc, Infection and Immunity BSc, Medical Innovation and Enterprise BSc/MSci, Nutrition and Medical Sciences BSc, Sport and Exercise Medical Sciences BSc.
- Level 2 is currently required for: Natural Sciences BSc/MSci.
Please note:
- You should check the undergraduate prospectus for the most up-to-date English language requirement for each degree.
- Natural Sciences BSc/MSci offers optional streams in a broad range of areas of expertise: Biomedical Sciences, Molecular and Cell Biology, Genetics, Neuroscience and Psychology, Inorganic and Materials Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Physical Chemistry, Earth and Environment, Medical Physics, Physics, Astrophysics.
UPC with a Modern Foreign Languages (UPCMFL)
Applicants with an IELTS for UKVI (Academic) score of 7.5 (overall and in each section), or equivalent, can study other languages. This includes Arabic, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Mandarin, Portuguese, or Spanish instead of Academic English.
Students who don't need a visa
If you don't need a visa to study in the UK, you can apply with one of these English language qualifications.