Entry requirements

Advanced level/advanced subsidiary level

The University welcomes the Government’s decision to encourage breadth of study through the Post-16 Curriculum reforms. We would like students to be aware of the following if they apply to Nottingham:

Applicants to degree programmes will normally be expected to have studied four subjects at AS level and three subjects to A level. These applicants will therefore enter the University with three A levels and one AS level.
The University recognises that disparities in resources might make it more difficult for some schools/colleges to deliver this breadth of curriculum. As such, applicants who are not offered the opportunity to study more than three subjects at AS/A level at their particular educational establishment will not be put at a disadvantage in our admissions procedures and will still be considered for admission.
All conditional offers will still ordinarily be made on the basis of three full A levels (not including general studies) and students will only be required to have achieved a pass in the fourth subject, if taken. The grade achieved in the fourth subject may assume significance when an applicant has narrowly failed to achieve the specified grades at A level.
The University of Nottingham will not use the A* grade when making offers to candidates for 2011 entry. We may review this policy for 2012 entry, subject to information gained from applicant performance and in light of national developments regarding competition for places.

School references

The potential variety in the range and breadth of qualifications presented by applicants, referred to above, makes a school reference a key aspect in informing our admissions staff of students' abilities and the context in which they have studied.

If a school does not offer the breadth of provision which enables students to follow more than three subjects at AS/A level then this should be stated in the reference. This will allow us to treat all students fairly.

The University of Nottingham asks staff writing references to confirm in the reference any factors, if known, that might have affected the applicant’s achievement. These factors can relate to the student’s personal circumstances and background or to the educational context. Please see ‘Criteria for assessing applicants’ for details.

Subject requirements

Compulsory subject requirements for admission to specific degree programmes are specified in course fact files. To increase breadth of study, the University of Nottingham welcomes students who choose a contrasting fourth subject at AS level.

When to take the exams and conditional offers

For many applicants, AS level results will be available when their application is made through UCAS. Unconditional offers will not be made on the basis of AS levels alone and, although these results will complement the referee's A level predictions, they will not replace them for selection purposes.

Applicants may take all their examinations at the end of year 13 (or equivalent) without prejudice to their application.

What are we looking for?

Consideration will be given as to whether applicants will be able to fulfil the objectives of the programme of study and achieve the standards required.

A range of factors additional to, and in some cases instead of, formal examination results is considered in the selection process. These can include:

the personal statement and reference
additional evidence of achievement, motivation and potential as gathered through interview or assessment of written materials
other factors as appropriate to the discipline, such as employment or volunteer work in relevant fields and sustained critical engagement with relevant issues