Applying to UCL

Applying to UCL

Applications for undergraduate study at 皇家华人, including those from outside the UK, must be made via听. We do not accept direct applications.听

Students are welcome to apply for more than one听course at 皇家华人 but should be aware that听each one is counted as one of their five UCAS choices. Applying to multiple competitive courses at 皇家华人 may not be the best use of their UCAS application, and may make it more difficult to write a single well-focused Personal Statement.听

Applications to the UCL International Foundation Year and the Pre-Sessional English Courses are made directly via the UCL听website (not UCAS).听

Guidance for prospective students and applicants is available on our How to Apply听补苍诲 How we assess your application 飞别产辫补驳别蝉.听

How to choose a programme

UCL offers over 400听undergraduate courses. This听includes single subjects, joint and combined degrees, and interdisciplinary options. A full list can be found here.

We encourage students to explore our Virtual Open Day to discover their options based on their current subjects and/or future aspirations, and learn more about our courses.听

Is my student eligible to apply?

UCL is a competitive听university 鈥� for 2024听entry we received around 80,000 applications. Given the high level of competition for places, students must meet or be predicted to meet the minimum requirements for the programme they are interested in.

The entry requirements, including subject specific requirements where applicable, are stated on our online prospectus pages.

Select the "Other qualifications" tab on individual prospectus pages to view the course specific entry requirements for students offering qualifications other than A levels and the IB.听

If the school you work for does not offer a qualification recognised by UCL for direct entry, your students may wish to听consider the UCL International Foundation year.

Applicants do not need to provide evidence of their English Language proficiency when they submit their UCAS application. If we need evidence of听English language proficiency, any offer made will be conditional on the applicant providing us with evidence at the appropriate level in an accepted qualification. See the English Language page for details.听UCL also offers Pre-Sessional English courses for undergraduate听applicants with a conditional offer.

How we select听applicants

We take a holistic approach when making decisions on applications and look at:

Qualifications (actual marks achieved at point of application and predicted final marks)
Personal Statement
UCAS Reference听
Additional selection tasks, interviews and porfolios (where applicable)

Programmes with additional requirements: tests and听selection tasks

Arts and Sciences BASc

As the Arts and Sciences BASc听is unique to UCL, we recognise that applicants cannot write a single Personal Statement that reflects interest in this programme and that addresses their other UCAS choices. Instead,听we will send applicants a questionnaire by email once we have received their UCAS application. We will use this in lieu of a UCAS personal statement.

Applicants who are听not studying a mix of arts/humanities/social science and science/maths subjects at A Level (or equivalent) and who meet the minimum entry requirements will听need to take an additional maths/science test or arts/humanities/social science test in the missing subject area. Those who听do not have a science/maths A Level听will take a test in maths, chemistry or biology. Those who听do not have an art/humanities/social sciences A Level听will be set a timed essay and/or comprehension on a general subject in the humanities/social sciences.

Applicants will also be asked to confirm their major pathway choice (Cultures, Societies, Science and Engineering or Health and Environment).听This should also be indicated on the UCAS application in the 'Further Details' box.

See the Arts and Sciences website for more details.听

Computer Science

All Computer Science BSc and Computer Science MEng applicants in the 2025 UCAS admissions cycle听need to sit the .

The STAT is an online multiple-choice test of 80 critical and quantitative reasoning questions. The test will last 130 minutes.听

The fee to sit the test听is 拢124. The test fee will be waived for applicants who are eligible for Access UCL. Access UCL applicants will be emailed an individual one-use code.

See our PDF Guide to the STAT below for more details:

stat_computer_science_test_2025_cycle.pdf

English

English BA: UK-based applicants who meet the minimum entry requirements听补苍诲 have a strong personal statement will be invited to an online interview. Candidates selected for an interview听will also complete a forty-minute written assessment, in which they will be asked to write a critical commentary on an unseen passage of poetry or prose.

Candidates听living outside of the UK听will usually be considered without an interview. In some cases they may be听asked to complete a questionnaire instead of an interview.

Visit the Department of English website for more information.听

European Social and Political Studies / International Social and Political Studies

Thinking Skills Test
Most applicants who meet the department's entry requirements will be required to sit the online听UCL Thinking Skills Test (TST). This is the same format as听Section 1听of the (discontinued)听Thinking Skills Assessment听(TSA) from Cambridge Assessment Admissions Testing.听

The TST replaced the听Thinking Skills Assessment听in 2022, and is delivered and marked directly by UCL. There will be two sittings of the test, and we will applicants an invitation to one of these:

Sitting 1: Saturday, 15th February 2025
Sitting 2: Saturday, 15th March 2025

EISPS Admissions Day (not applicable to the Dual Degree)
Applicants who meet听(or are predicted to meet) our entry criteria will be invited to attend an听online EISPS Admissions day, which they are听expected to attend.听

The Admissions Day provides an opportunity for students to find out more about the structure of the degree programme and meet academic staff and current students.听

EISPS Admissions Days in 2025 will take place online from 13:00 - 16:30 on:
Wednesday, 5th February 2025
Wednesday, 5th March 2025

European Social and Political Studies: Dual Degree BA
Applicants for the Dual Degree who perform well in the Thinking Skills Test听will also be invited to attend an online interview conducted by staff from Sciences Po.

A limited number of exceptional candidates may be given an offer on the basis of their UCAS form alone. For more guidance, visit the department admissions page.

Law

All applicants to UCL Laws undergraduate degree programmes must take the .听Applicants must听take the test听no later than听31听December 2024 for 2025 entry.

The LNAT is a two-part test. The first part includes multiple-choice questions based on passages of text, and the second part requires takers to answer one of three essay questions. The LNAT is a computer-based test and lasts for two hours and 15 minutes.听Guidance about听how to register and book a test is available on the听.

LNAT score
Students receive a mark out of 42 for the multiple-choice section, which is known as the LNAT score.听Each year, UCL looks at the average multiple-choice score of applicants from the previous year or years and sets a benchmark threshold score for the current admissions cycle. Applications from candidates who meet that threshold will then be considered by Admissions Tutors.

In the academic year 2023/24, the average LNAT score of test results received by 皇家华人as 24.3, and the average LNAT score of candidates who received an offer at 皇家华人as 29.8. For contextual offers, the average LNAT score of candidates who received an offer at 皇家华人as 28. There is no score that will guarantee an offer.

Academic consideration听
Once we have determined that an applicant听meets the academic requirements and have obtained a competitive LNAT score, the application is then assessed by an Admissions Tutor. The Admissions Tutor will mark the LNAT essay.听The essay part of the LNAT provides academic selectors with a genuine example of a candidate鈥檚 own written work and with an invaluable tool in assessing the applicant鈥檚 writing skills and ability to formulate, develop and defend argument, skills which are essential to undertaking legal studies. The essay therefore carries considerable weight in the selection process at 皇家华人.

An Admissions Tutor will consider all information provided in a UCAS application to make a final decision. This includes academic history; the motivation demonstrated towards studying law, extra-curricular activities, the UCAS reference, the LNAT multiple-choice score and LNAT essay.听

See the UCL Laws Applying and LNAT Advice pages for more information.听听

Management

Management Science BSc/MSci: All candidates will be asked to complete an Additional Personal Statement.听The Additional Personal Statement consists of a number of questions designed to help applicants showcase their skills. This helps selectors differentiate between the many highly qualified candidates who apply for these courses.

MBBS Medicine

All MBBS Medicine听candidates for September 2025 entry need to sit the . 皇家华人ill use the total score to rank and select candidates for interview. 2024/25 is the first year that 皇家华人ill be using UCAT therefore we do not have any historical data for candidates to review, nor do we have a specific 鈥渃ut-off鈥� score that candidates need to reach to be selected for interview.

Following receipt of UCAT scores in November, we then begin inviting candidates to attend a Multiple Mini Interview (MMI). These take place between December and March.听

We do not score personal statements to select candidates for interview.听

See the MBBS Admissions pages for more information about selection procedures.听

Pharmacy

Additional selection activities听will听take place between November and April. Applicants who are invited to participate in our selection activities must do so in order to be considered for the Pharmacy MPharm.听

All applicants will be required to take a test designed to help us further evaluate a candidate's ability and suitability. Successful applicants will then be invited to an interview.

Questions in both the test and the interview will be based around our values. The test and interview will look at numeracy and communication skills, asses how candidates might respond in certain scenarios and ask candidates to听demonstrate their opinions and values through written and spoken answers.

Marks for these activities will be scored against criteria based on our values. A candidate's performance in the test and interview will be evaluated alongside their academic profile and UCAS application to make a final decision.

See the UCL School of Pharmacy website for additional information.听

Programmes with additional requirements: portfolio

Architecture

Once we have received their UCAS application and established that the applicant meets or is likely to meet our entry requirements, we will contact them to ask that they upload a digital portfolio of up to 10 pages and maximum 5MB.听Full instructions on how to prepare and submit the porfolio will be provided at this stage.听Applicants will be given a deadline of two weeks to submit their portfolio.听听

A guide to the portfolio can be seen on The Bartlett Undergraduate Study webpages.听

Applicants applying for both Architecture BSc (ARB/RIBA Part 1) and Architecture MSci (ARB/RIBA Part 1 & 2) will only be asked to submit one portfolio. If听successful, they will interview with their portfolio once.

After reviewing an applicant's academic profile, UCAS personal statement听补苍诲 their porfolio, shortlisted students will be invited to attend an online interview.

Fine Art

All applicants to the Slade School of Fine Art are required to听submit a portfolio. The portfolio comprises of one PDF file, containing up to 20 pages. Our advice is to make a portfolio presenting one finished artwork per single page. The overall portfolio size should be no larger than 450MB.听

Applicants can choose to add a maximum of two extra video听(MPEG, .MOV or MP4) files to show moving image, performances, sound, videos of sketchbooks.听The two optional videos can be听up to 450 MB per video, 5 mins duration per video. The first video should be selected media work (showreel) and the second can be a video of flipping through a sketchbook. We can only accept PDF and for video, MPEG, .MOV and MP4 formats.听Applicants should not听include links to online platforms such as YouTube, TikTok or Vimeo to show us films or performances, as we are not allowed to click external links in our selection processes.

Applicants will听receive instructions regarding portfolio submission from UCL after we have received their UCAS application. Detailed guidance has also been provided on the Slade School of Fine Art website:
Fine Art BA/BFA guidance
Art and Technology BA guidance

Shortlisted candidates will then be invited to interview in late February or March.

Media

All applicants must submit an online porfolio of up to 12 items, no larger than 450MB in total.听The portfolio will need to be uploaded as a PDF file or provided as an online website link. Media files can be uploaded on Vimeo, YouTube, Soundcloud, Google drive and provided as a link on your PDF document or embedded in your website.

We accept wide range of media including film and moving image, showreels conceptual drawings, storyboards, 3D works, game walkthroughs, prototypes, art and design works, animation, illustration, creative writing and scripts, photography etc. Portfolios will be assessed based on their quality of engagement with materials, concepts and creative expression, and the way they convey their ideas through a variety of media.

Applicants will be emailed details of how to upload their portfolio after submitting their UCAS application. Please see the Media BA prospectus page for more information.听

Programmes with additional requirements: interviews and assessment days听

Architecture

Following review of the UCAS application and听portfolio, shortlisted applicants will be invited to an online interview.听Interviews typically take place from mid-November to late April.听

Interviews at The Bartlett are our opportunity for us to听get to know the applicant, their motivations and creative interests, but are also a chance for interviewees to discuss the programme with tutors and get to know the school.

Further information on the application process is available on The Bartlett School of Architecture website.听

Engineering Foundation Year

Competitive candidates will be invited to an assessment day in winter/spring 2025, where they will meet members of the Engineering Foundation Year team and complete a group activity.听Attendance is required in order to be considered for an offer for study.

The Engineering Foundation Year is for applicants eligible for UK/Home fee status (as determined by UCL Admissions), whose educational attainment so far has been disrupted by personal or socioeconomic circumstances. Applicants need to meet specific academic and non-academic entry requirements. See the Eligibility Checker on the prospectus page.听

English

UK-based applicants who meet the minimum entry requirements听补苍诲 have a strong personal statement will be invited to an online interview with two members of staff from the Department of English.听Interviews are held between November and March. This informal interview lasts around twenty minutes and is primarily听an opportunity for tutors to find out a little more about the candidate and their reading interests.

Candidates selected for an interview听will also complete a forty-minute written assessment, in which they will be asked to write a critical commentary on an unseen passage of poetry or prose.

Candidates听living outside of the UK听will usually be considered without an interview. In some cases they may be听asked to complete a questionnaire instead of an interview.

Visit the Department of English website for more information.听

European Social and Political Studies: Dual Degree

There is a three-stage selection process for this programme. The first stage is based on the UCAS application, which we use to select candidates for the second stage, our online Thinking Skills Test (TST). High scoring candidates will subsequently be invited to an online interview conducted by staff from Sciences Po.

A limited number of exceptional candidates may be invited on the basis of their UCAS application alone, during the first stage of selection.

Fine Art

Following review of UCAS applications and听portfolio reviews, shortlisted candidates will be invited to interview in late February or March.听

Applicants based in the UK will be required to attend an in-person interview at the Slade School of Fine Art. Candidates not based in the UK will be interviewed online.

Candidates invited for an in-person interview will receive a tour of the studios and facilities led by a current听student. Applicants interviewing in-person will be required to present a听selection of physical work at the听interview. We will look at the physical work alongside your application digital portfolio that we will have up on a screen in the interview room. The physical work can include original paintings and sculptures, printed out hard copy images of new large-scale works, sketchbooks, sound, maquettes, examples of materials or processes.

See the Fine Art BA/BFA and Art and Technology BA pages on the Slade School of Fine Art website for more information.听

Language degrees

We may interview candidates by telephone in order to establish their听level of language ability.

LLB Law with a European Legal System

Applicants for a LLB Law with a European Legal System degree programmes听who are being considered for an offer听will be invited to attend an online interview. This allows us to assess language competence.

Applicants are not being assessed on their knowledge of the law at this stage. Interviewers might ask questions about an applicant's interests and hobbies and general accomplishments to ensure whether they would be a good fit for the UCL Laws student community.听

Note: applicants who are听native speakers of the relevant language are not required to have a formal language qualification. The UCAS Reference听should confirm听language proficiency.

MBBS Medicine

Following receipt of UCAT scores in November, we then begin inviting candidates to attend a Multiple Mini Interview (MMI).听

Each year, we normally interview between 800-1000 applicants and will send invitations on a rolling basis from December through to March.听Home applicants will be interviewed in person and overseas candidates will be invited to attend online.听No offers are made without interview.

Provisional interview dates will be posted on the MBBS Admissions Noticeboard听in October.听We ask that applicants let us know as soon as possible听if they will be unavailable for any of the interview dates (for any reason). It is unlikely that we are able to rearrange interview dates once sent.听

Please see the听Medical School website听for further information on the Selection and Interview process.

Pharmacy

What are we looking for in applicants?

We are looking for evidence that applicants have strong academic ability along with a demonstrable interest in the subject they are applying to. Their motivation and enthusiasm for the discipline听should be clear. We are particularly interested in learning about听the ways in which they have extended their learning beyond the classroom.

Some understanding of what the chosen programme of study involves is useful as it shows that students have done some research. We also look for an indication that students have developed transferable skills such as critical thinking, communication and time management and that they are able to undertake independent learning.

Personal Statement guidance

Once we have assessed a student鈥檚 eligibility for the programme, and that they are expected to meet our entry requirements, we use the Personal Statement in the following ways:

To assess academic potential, motivation for studying the chosen degree, and core skills required for the programme
To differentiate between applicants with comparable academic profiles
To identify those to take to the next stage of the selection process
At interview

There are further tips on writing Personal Statements including structure, content and avoiding pitfalls on听.

Remember that no matter how good the Personal Statement,听it cannot compensate for predicted grades below our minimum entry requirements.听

Our Director of Admissions contributed some top tips to The Times听补苍诲 our Undergraduate Admissions team have created a great video on Applying to UCL via UCAS.听

We also have听Personal Statement guidance for students.

Personal Statement for 2026 entry

For students applying to start their studies in 2026, Personal Statements will be changing from one longer piece of text to three separate sections, each with a different question to help shape the focus for students' answers.听

A guide to the changes听for听prospective students is available on the .

Teachers and Advisers can access more information, including classroom resources, in the .听

References

The UCAS reference changed for 2024 entry, and we thought it might be useful to hear from 皇家华人hat they are expecting from the revised format.听听

Whilst the nature of the information advisers are asked to provide within the reference has not changed, the way the information is provided has altered. There are now three discrete sections within the reference, each with a different focus. The sections should help ensure that the information being provided is relevant and should also mean that the admissions team will be better able to extract the most salient points quickly and efficiently.听听

Section One听

In this section we are looking for a general statement about the school or college. As hyperlinks do not work within the UCAS system, URLs which link to school profiles are not recommended. Instead, relevant information, for example the type of school, qualifications taken, subjects offered and policies and processes for predicted grades, should be outlined in this section. Including information in this way will mean admissions staff do not have to spend extra time trying to access information from within your school website.听

Section Two听

At 皇家华人e expect this section to be blank for most applicants. In this case the box should be ticked to indicate that no information is being provided.听

Whilst some universities may provide mitigating circumstances forms as a way for schools to provide additional information, we do not do this at 皇家华人. Instead, we ask that such circumstances are dealt with by notifying the relevant exam board(s) so that the circumstances can be considered when final grades are assigned.听听

Section Three听

This section allows advisers to highlight the student鈥檚 suitability for the course they have applied for. This could include their aptitude as well as attitude, motivation, and commitment. Outlining these attributes in short, factual sentences is recommended. In the case of apparent discrepancies between grades already and predicted grades, it is useful to include an explanation so that we better understand the academic trajectory a student is on.听

The reference remains an important element of the application and teachers and counsellors should try make sure the information provided is as accurate and insightful as possible.听
Many institutions, like UCL, do not allow additional references. All the information we need should therefore be provided in the UCAS reference.听
UCL requires a reference for each application received from UCAS and does not agree for applications to be submitted without a reference. We expect the reference to be academic in focus and are unable to consider work or other non-academic references. It can be written by a counsellor or a subject teacher, or a combination of both.听听
The reference is used alongside the personal statement and details of actual and predicted grades to add context. It is expected to complement the other information included in the UCAS application.听
Predicted grades remain a key element of the reference and we are looking for predictions for all qualifications which are entered as pending. Accurate predictions are important to us and feed directly into our consideration of applications during the selection process.听
Succinct, evidence-based sentences using bullet style (the UCAS system will remove formatting such as bullet points) are welcomed.听听
Although references are subject to an overall character limit of 4,000, we do not expect all references will need to use 4,000 characters. Shorter references will not disadvantage applicants.听

Things to consider

All applications which we receive by the main UCAS deadline, 29 January 2025 for September 2025 (or deferred September 2026) entry, will be given equal consideration. Applicants for Medicine must apply by the early deadline 鈥� 15听October 2024.
Not all programmes are willing to consider resits from A level applicants. If in doubt please check directly with the relevant programme contacts. Contact information can be found at the end of each听course prospectus page.
Any Clearing vacancies available at 皇家华人ill be published on A Level Results Day in August 2025.

Key Contacts听

Undergaduate Admissions听

To contact Undergraduate Admissions, please use the Admissions enquiries webform.听听

Student Recruitment听听

Use听our Country Search to find your Student Recruitment contact.

Student Funding

Email听studentfunding@ucl.ac.uk

Access and Widening Participation

Opportunities for teachers and school staff, contact the Teacher Engagement team: wp.teachers@ucl.ac.uk
Pre-16 activity:听wp.pre16@ucl.ac.uk
Post-16 activity:听wp.post16@ucl.ac.uk

Learn more about 皇家华人 Access and WP听priority groups听补苍诲 opportunities听for learners in Year 5-13.听听