Oxford and Cambridge

Oxford and Cambridge entry requirements

What Oxford and Cambridge ask for in grades and subjects for 2027 entry, how they treat GCSEs and international qualifications, and their English language requirements. Requirements are set course by course, so always confirm yours on the course page.

Typical offers

Typical conditional offers for 2027 entry. Individual courses vary; the course page is the authority.
Qualification	Oxford	Cambridge
A levels	AAA to AAA, depending on the course	AAA for most science courses and Economics; A*AA for most other courses
International Baccalaureate	38 to 40 points including core, with specified Higher Level scores	40 to 42 points including core, typically with 776 at Higher Level
Other qualifications	Published equivalents for many UK and international qualifications	Published equivalents for many UK and international qualifications

Science and mathematics courses at both universities often specify which subjects the top grades must be in, for example an A* in Mathematics. Your predicted grades should meet the typical offer for your course for you to be a realistic candidate.

Subject requirements

Many courses require particular subjects, and others recommend them. The requirements are set course by course, and they change, so read your course page rather than a summary. Two general points hold across most courses:

Mathematics is required for most mathematical, scientific and economics courses, and Further Mathematics is often listed as recommended or highly desirable for the most mathematical of them.
"Recommended" subjects are worth taking seriously. When most successful applicants have taken a subject, not having it can put you at a disadvantage even if it isn't formally required.

GCSEs

Neither university sets a minimum number of top GCSE grades. GCSE results are considered alongside the rest of your application, in the context of the school where you took them, so the same set of grades can be read differently depending on how students at that school usually perform.

Context

Both universities use contextual information, such as the performance of your school and indicators about the area you live in, to understand your achievements. Context is used to interpret your record, not to replace it, and most contextual measures apply to UK applicants.

English language requirements

If English isn't your first language, you will usually need to show proficiency unless you meet one of the stated exemptions, for example having studied in English. Oxford's standard requirement is an IELTS Academic score of 7.5 overall with at least 7.0 in each component, or an accepted equivalent. Cambridge's requirements are comparable, though some courses differ. The requirement often appears as a condition of an offer, with a deadline for meeting it.

International qualifications

Both universities accept a wide range of international qualifications and publish the grades they expect in each, including the IB, Advanced Placement tests and many national school-leaving qualifications. Some qualifications are accepted only in combination with others. Check yours well before you apply, and if you are educated outside the UK, see whether Cambridge will ask you for a transcript through My Cambridge Application.

Meeting the requirements isn't the same as being competitive

Entry requirements are a threshold. Most applicants to Oxford and Cambridge meet or exceed them, which is why admissions tests, written work and interviews carry so much weight. Both universities publish admissions statistics course by course, which show how many people apply for each place.

Official sources

Dates, requirements and rules on this page come from these official sources, checked on 19 September 2026. They change from year to year, so confirm anything you rely on against them. Boxes labelled “Our advice” are Whitehall Academic’s own view.

About the author

Gautam Natarajan founded Whitehall Academic and studies Economics at Trinity College, Cambridge. Gautam has tutored applicants for Oxford and Cambridge from countries including India, China, South Korea and Singapore.

Published 19 September 2026. Last updated 19 September 2026. Whitehall Academic is independent, and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the University of Oxford, the University of Cambridge, UCAS or UAT-UK.