Entry requirements
On this page, you'll find the essential entry requirements for our foundation year. This includes eligibility, academic requirements for each country and the English language requirement.
Eligibility
To be eligible to apply for the UPC, you must meet all of the following criteria:
- Be at least 16 years old when the course starts.
- Be in the last year of high school when you apply, or have already graduated.
- Have a qualification that meets the UPC entrance requirements. See the details below.
Academic requirements
We will look at high school transcripts from your previous two years of study, as well as any available results from your current or final year.
You should be able to show excellent grades in your annual transcripts overall and in required or relevant subjects.
Required and relevant subjects
For some UPC optional subjects, you must already have studied the subject at school to meet our entry requirements.
The requirements depend on the UPC pathway and optional subjects you choose.
Use the sections below to find out whether you need to have studied your chosen subject and, if not, which relevant subjects we may consider instead.
If you are applying to the UPCSE, you will choose two optional subjects:
- Biology
- Chemistry
- Mathematics
- Physics.
We will only consider your application if you:
- meet our overall entry requirements for the UPC
- meet our entry requirements for your two optional subjects
- have studied your two optional subjects within your final three years of high school, including:
- in your last year of high school and
- in one other year in high school.
If you are applying to study Mathematics on the UPCH as an optional subject, we will 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, including:
- in your last year of high school and
- in one other year in high school.
For all UPCH subjects except Mathematics, we understand you may not have studied the UPCH optional subject or subjects you are applying for at school.
We will therefore look at your grades in three relevant subjects.
Examples of relevant subjects 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.
Academic requirements by country
Find the specific academic requirements for your country before you apply.
If you have other qualifications
We also consider a range of other qualifications when assessing UPC applications.
In some cases, these qualifications can only be considered alongside a national high school diploma.
In others, we may consider them on their own if you meet the required grades in relevant subjects.
Use the sections below to check how we assess your qualification and what you need to include in your application.
AP exams are accepted for direct entry to a UCL undergraduate degree. Check the United States of America page for further details on AP requirements for undergraduate study.
If you have, or are taking, AP exams, we will only consider you for the UPC if you have also taken a national high school diploma and your grades meet our entry requirements.
You should include details of your AP exams, including subjects and grades, in your UPC application.
We will consider you if you are in your first year of A levels (AS level) but cannot complete your A levels in your current school.
We will require evidence that your school does not provide the second year of A levels (A2s).
You will need to take no fewer than three 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 or subjects.
A levels are accepted for direct entry to a UCL undergraduate degree. Check UCL’s undergraduate prospectus for further details on requirements for undergraduate study.
If you have, or are taking, A levels, we will only consider you for the UPC if you have also taken a national high school diploma and your grades meet our entry requirements.
You should include details of your A levels, including subjects and grades, in your UPC application.
The IB Diploma is accepted for direct entry to a UCL undergraduate degree. Check UCL’s undergraduate prospectus for further details on requirements for undergraduate study.
If you have, or are taking, the IB Diploma, we will only consider you for the UPC if you have also taken a national high school diploma and your grades meet our entry requirements.
You should include details of your IB Diploma, including subjects and grades, in your UPC application.
We will consider you if you have achieved, or are predicted to achieve, scores of at least five in three required and or relevant individual subjects.
We will consider you if either:
- you also meet our high school diploma requirements
- you have also taken at least two International Baccalaureate individual subjects and have achieved, or are predicted to achieve, scores of at least five.
You will need a CGPA of 3.4/4.0 or 3.6/4.3 overall and in required and or relevant academic subjects.
If you have been home schooled, you will need to provide your past academic transcripts or results, or predicted grades, and show your accomplishments by providing evidence such as:
- evidence of your home academic studies, such as copies of completed assessments, certificate of participation or completion of online courses
- individual, group or project work and or 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:
- a local high school certificate
- Advanced Placements
- AS levels
- SAT
- GED (General Education Development).
For the GED (General Education Development), we require an overall score of 85% (that is 680/800 or 340/400) with no less than 85% (that is 170/200 or 85/100) in required and or relevant subjects:
- UPCH applicants: GED Language Arts and GED Social Studies
- UPCSE applicants: GED Science
- all applicants choosing Mathematics as an optional UPC subject: GED Math.
Qualifications we do not accept and mature applicants
We do not consider applicants who have only taken, or are only taking, qualifications that allow direct entry to UCL undergraduate degree programmes, including A levels.
Please check UCL’s undergraduate prospectus to see which qualifications are accepted for direct entry to a UCL undergraduate degree programme.
Other qualifications we do not accept include International General Certificates of Secondary Education (IGCSEs). If you have completed IGCSEs and further studies, we will need proof of your further studies, for example your national high school certificate.
You are considered a mature applicant if you are 21 years old or older.
We can be slightly more flexible with the entry requirements for mature applicants, but we still expect you to meet a certain academic level so you can:
- engage with the UPC course
- progress to your undergraduate degree at UCL.
If you are a mature applicant and are thinking of applying, please email us first with information about your past studies and details of experience relevant to your future studies, so we can assess your suitability.
English language requirements
The English qualification you need depends on whether you need a visa and on the English language level required for your chosen future UCL degree.
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 2024 before a UPC offer can be made.
The English level you need to be considered for the UPC will depend on the English language requirement of your future UCL degree.
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.
We will consider you to take our entrance tests if you meet the requirements below with one of the following:
- IELTS for UKVI (Academic), IELTS (Academic) or IELTS Academic Online
- Pearson Test of English (PTE) Academic UKVI or PTE Academic
- Test of English as a foreign language (TOEFL) iBT or TOEFL iBT Home Edition.
If you are successful in the entrance tests and interview, you will need an IELTS for UKVI (Academic) or Pearson PTE Academic UKVI, taken after September 2024, which meets the UPC English language requirements below before an offer can be made. We strongly recommend you do this as early as possible to ensure places are available in your UPC optional subjects and future degree aim.
UPC English language requirements
Check the specific requirements below for your specific English language test.
If you plan to study law, or if you would like to study a modern foreign language on the UPC instead of English, there are additional requirements.
- UCL Level 1: A minimum of 6.0 overall and a minimum of 5.5 in three components, and a minimum of 5.0 in the fourth.
- UCL Levels 2 and 3: A minimum of 6.0 overall and a minimum of 6.0 in three components, and a minimum of 5.5 in the fourth.
- UCL Levels 4 and 5: A minimum of 7.0 overall and a minimum of 6.5 in three components, and a minimum of 6.0 in the fourth.
We do not accept IELTS One Skill Retake test to meet the requirement.
- UCL Level 1: A minimum of 59 overall and a minimum of 54 in three components, and a minimum of 46 in the fourth.
- UCL Levels 2 and 3: A minimum of 59 overall and a minimum of 59 in three components, and a minimum of 54 in the fourth.
- UCL Levels 4 and 5: A minimum of 69 overall and a minimum of 62 in three components, and a minimum of 59 in the fourth.
Tests taken from 21 January 2026
- UCL Level 1: A minimum of 4.0 overall and a minimum of 4.0 in three components, and a minimum of 3.5 in the fourth.
- UCL Levels 2 and 3: A minimum of 4.0 overall and a minimum of 4.0 in all four components.
- UCL Levels 4 and 5: A minimum of 5.0 overall and a minimum of 4.5 in three components, and a minimum of 4.0 in the fourth.
Tests taken before 21 January 2026
- UCL Level 1: A minimum of 80 overall and a minimum of 17 in three components, and a minimum of 15 in the fourth.
- UCL Levels 2 and 3: A minimum of 80 overall and a minimum of 20 in three components, and a minimum of 17 in the fourth.
- UCL Levels 4 and 5: A minimum of 96 overall and a minimum of 24 in three components, and a minimum of 22 in the fourth.
We do not accept TOEFL iBT MyBestScore to meet the requirement.
If you wish to apply for Law LLB during the UPC, you will need higher scores:
- IELTS: an overall score of at least 7.5 and a minimum score of 6.5 in each component
- Pearson Test of English: an overall score of at least 80 and a minimum score of 67 in each component
- TOEFL:
- tests taken from 21 January 2026: an overall score of at least 5.5 and a minimum score of 4.5 in each component, with a minimum of 5.0 in writing
- tests taken before 21 January 2026: an overall score of at least 109 and a minimum score of 24 in each component.
Applicants with an IELTS for UKVI (Academic) score of 7.5 overall and in each section, or equivalent, can study other languages on the UPC instead of Academic English
This includes:
- Arabic
- Dutch
- French
- German
- Italian
- Japanese
- Mandarin
- Portuguese
- Spanish.
Students who do not need a visa
If you do not need a visa to study in the UK, or you are a national of a UK Home Office majority English-speaking country, you can apply with one of these English language qualifications:
- IELTS for UKVI (Academic), IELTS (Academic) or IELTS Academic Online
- Pearson Test of English (PTE) Academic UKVI or PTE Academic
- Test of English as a foreign language (TOEFL) iBT or TOEFL iBT Home Edition.
Your test needs to be taken after September 2024 and you need to meet the minimum English entry requirements above before we will consider you for the UPC entrance tests. If you are successful in the entrance tests and interview, we will make you an offer.
We reserve the right to specify an additional language requirement to ensure your suitability for the course.
Majority English-speaking countries
If you are both a national of a UK Home Office majority English-speaking country and have been educated in the same or another majority English-speaking country, you will still be asked to provide an English language qualification from the list above so we can place you in the appropriate Academic English class or advise whether you are able to choose the Modern Foreign Language option.
English language requirements for your future UCL degree
The UPC Academic English subject fulfils the English requirement for entry to a UCL degree. However, you must achieve the required UCL English Language Level 1 to 5 for your future degree.
You can check which level your intended degree programme currently requires by looking at the undergraduate prospectus.
If you are unsure whether you will meet the English language entry requirement, you may wish to consider a related degree with a lower English requirement (UPC and degree level). We have included some examples below.
Level 4 is currently required for:
Level 2 is currently required for Natural Sciences BSc.
It offers optional streams in a broad range of areas of expertise, such as:
- 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.
Queries about this course?
You can get in touch with the team to ask any questions you have.
Our local representatives
We are here to provide you with the support you need for your application.
Alternatively, you can get in touch with one of our local representatives (education agents) in your country/region/area for support.
