Our undergraduate admissions requirements
for International Qualifications
You might like also to visit our pages that describe our requirements for British, Overseas, and Foundation and Access qualifications.
As a general rule, our requirements for international qualifications are
- a high grade in Mathematics,
- a high grade in a second subject, and/or as an average or overall score, as appropriate,
- a basic qualification in physical science,
- a suitable qualification in English Language.
Please note that we are a department of computer science and computer systems engineering. (We are not a department of IT and business studies.) See our page describing the York approach to this subject area.
For all our programmes, we require Mathematics at a high level. Our offer will refer to Mathematics.
Also, you should have at least some basic qualification in Physics. This could be at a level one or two years earlier than your school-leaving qualification; but a qualification as part of your school-leaving qualification would provide an even more useful preparation.
We do not require Computing or IT. They do not count as mathematical or physical subjects within our requirements.
Please note that these requirements are our usually necessary conditions for admission. They are not automatically sufficient conditions. That is, their acquisition does not, on its own, guarantee admission to the University or to any particular programme. We might think it appropriate to make other requirements in your particular case.
Conversely, we might think it appropriate to waive some aspect of our requirements in your particular case.
Bear in mind that we are generally looking for reasons to admit you, and not for reasons to turn you away.
International qualifications
International Baccalaureate (IB) | European Baccalaureate (EB) |
Qualifications in English Language | Overseas A-levels |
International Baccalaureate (IB)
The International Baccalaureate (IB) consists of at least three subjects taken at HIGHER level (HL) and at least three subjects taken at SUBSIDIARY level (SL), together with a small number of project and essay tasks.
Results are presented as a grade from 1 (low) to 7 (high) for each HL and each SL subject, together with an overall score from 24 (pass) to 45 (max).
Applicants offering the International Baccalaureate (IB) should obtain the following grades.
-
Mathematics at HIGHER level: grade 6.
-
Overall assessment: 34 points.
For all our programmes, we require Mathematics at a high level. Our offer will refer to Mathematics.
You should also have at least some basic qualification in Physics. This could be at a level one or two years earlier than your school-leaving qualification; but a qualification as part of your school-leaving qualification would provide an even more useful preparation. The ideal preparation would be Physics at HIGHER level; but it would still be very useful to you at SUBSIDIARY level. Nevertheless, we do not require it to be part of your IB, provided you have studied physical science earlier in your school career.
We do not require Computing or IT. They do not count as mathematical or physical subjects within our requirements.
A qualification in English language (e.g. IELTS) is also required from applicants whose first language is not English and who were not taught predominantly in English. Alternatively, this requirement can be satisfied by obtaining grade 5 in English at HIGHER level in the International Baccalaureate.
European Baccalaureate
Applicants offering the European Baccalaureate (EB) should obtain the following grades.
-
Mathematics (FIVE-period) by WRITTEN examination: 80%.
-
Overall assessment: 80%.
For all our programmes, we require Mathematics at a high level. Our offer will refer to Mathematics.
You should also have at least some basic qualification in Physics. This could be at a level one or two years earlier than your school-leaving qualification; but a qualification as part of your school-leaving qualification would provide an even more useful preparation. The ideal preparation would be Physics as part of your EB. Nevertheless, we do not require it to be part of your EB, provided you have studied physical science earlier in your school career.
We do not require Computing or IT. They do not count as mathematical or physical subjects within our requirements.
A qualification in English language (e.g. IELTS) is also required from applicants whose first language is not English and who were not taught predominantly in English. Alternatively, this requirement can be satisfied by obtaining 75% in English language, as your Language I or your Language II, in the EB.
Qualifications in English Language
If your first language is not English, and you have not been taught predominantly in English, you will need to offer a suitable qualification in English language.
Most applicants offer one of
- IELTS
- TOEFL
- Cambridge Certificate of Advanced English (CAE)
- Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE)
- GCSE or IGCSE in English Language
Equivalent qualifications are acceptable.
Applicants must obtain at least the following grades. (In each case, the required total score is intentionally slightly greater than the sum or average of the required component scores.)
| Qualification | Listening Compre- hension |
Speaking | Reading Compre- hension |
Writing and Structure |
Use of English |
Total Score or Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IELTS |
6.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | – | 6.5 |
| TOEFL internet-based |
24/30 | 24/30 | 24/30 | 24/30 | – | 100/120 |
| TOEFL computer-based |
24/30 | – | 24/30 | 24/30 | – | 250/300 |
| TOEFL paper-based |
57/68 | – | 57/68 | 57/67 | * | 600/677 |
| Cambridge Certificate of Advanced English |
– | – | – | – | – | A |
| Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English |
** | ** | ** | ** | ** | C |
| GCSE or IGCSE |
– | – | – | – | – | C |
* The TOEFL paper-based essay (TWE: Test of Written English) is reported separately, as a number between 1 and 6, to the nearest 0.5. It is not included in the total score.
** The CPE examination consists of five equally-weighted parts.
Overseas A-level examinations of U.K. boards
A number of U.K. examination boards offer examination overseas, particularly in Commonwealth and former Commonwealth countries. Generally, indigenous boards are taking a progressively increasing part in the examination process, leading eventually to the vestigial presence, or total withdrawal, of the U.K. board. (These examinations include A-level-equivalent, AS-level-equivalent, and GCSE-equivalent qualifications.)
Our information from UCAS is that the following countries are those to which this applies principally, in terms of the numbers of candidates.
- Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Bermuda, Botswana, Brunei, Cyprus,
- Egypt, Gambia, Gibraltar, Guyana, Hong Kong, Jamaica, Kenya,
- Lesotho, Malawi, Malaysia, Malta, Mauritius, Pakistan, Seychelles,
- Sierra Leone, Singapore, Swaziland, Tanzania, Trinidad, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
We also require a qualification in English language from applicants whose first language is not English and who were not taught predominantly in English.
Other qualifications
You might like also to visit our pages that describe our requirements for British, Overseas, and Foundation and Access qualifications.
How to contact us | Page author Bill Freeman | Page last updated 16 Oct 2009