The UCAS tariff for A Level, explained for international families

What the UCAS tariff actually is

The UCAS tariff is a points scoring system maintained by the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service in the UK. It assigns a numerical value to each grade of each recognised qualification, allowing universities to set offers that can be met by different combinations of grades across different qualifications. A pupil sitting three A Levels at A, B and B earns 48 plus 40 plus 40 points, which equals 128 points. The same total could be reached through other grade combinations or through a mix of A Levels and other qualifications carrying tariff weighting.

The tariff was redesigned in 2017 to give A* its own point value (56) and to widen the gap between the higher grades so that strong candidates were not penalised under the older flatter scale. Since then, the values have remained stable. The tariff is not the same thing as a university entry requirement; a university can set its offer either in tariff points or in named grades, and most selective universities prefer the latter because grade combinations carry information about subject depth that a single point total cannot convey.

A Level points at a glance

The current A Level values, used by UCAS for 2026 entry, are straightforward. They run from A* down to E across the seven grade bands that the qualification awards.

A common university tariff offer of 128 points is reachable through ABB, AAC or any combination summing to the same total. A 144 point offer matches AAA exactly, and a 112 point offer matches BBC. The tariff also accounts for the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ), which contributes 28 points at A* and scales down to 8 points at E. Some universities accept the EPQ as part of the tariff calculation, others ignore it but value the work itself, and a few make the EPQ a formal entry requirement.

Which UK universities use the tariff in 2026

The tariff is most consistently used by post-1992 universities, by some Scottish universities and by applied or vocational courses where a tariff total signals broad academic readiness without prescribing the exact subject combination. The University of the West of Scotland, Manchester Metropolitan, De Montfort, Sheffield Hallam and Liverpool John Moores are examples of institutions that frame most undergraduate offers in tariff points. Their UCAS course entries show a points total alongside any required grades in specific subjects.

Highly selective universities tend to set offers in named grades rather than tariff totals. Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial College London, UCL, the LSE, Warwick, Bristol, Edinburgh, St Andrews and most other Russell Group universities issue grade-based offers like A*AA or AAB, sometimes with a specified subject grade attached. The reason is that grade combinations communicate the precise academic profile that the admissions tutor wants to see, whereas a tariff total does not. A pupil with AAB in maths, physics and chemistry is a different candidate from a pupil with the same tariff total assembled from drama, history and English.

A small number of courses sit in between, asking for a tariff total but also requiring a specific grade in a named subject. A physiotherapy offer might read "120 points, including grade B in biology", for example. Parents reading these mixed offers should pay attention to both the total and the named requirement, because missing either condition counts as a missed offer at results day.

How international A Levels feed in

Cambridge International, Pearson Edexcel International and AQA International A Levels all map onto the same tariff scale as the domestic UK A Level. An A* on Cambridge International is worth the same 56 tariff points as an A* on a UK A Level. The grade scale is identical, the exam standard is calibrated to be equivalent, and UCAS treats the qualifications as fully interchangeable for tariff purposes.

This matters for families who sometimes worry that an "International" label on a transcript might make the qualification look like a second-tier version of the UK exam. It does not. UK universities accept all three international A Level boards on the same terms as domestic A Levels, both for offer setting and for results-day decisions. Our piece on Cambridge versus Edexcel IGCSE covers the same equivalence at IGCSE level.

The one practical difference is that international A Levels are sometimes available in October and January exam sessions in addition to the standard May and June window. Pupils can resit single units or whole subjects outside the main UK timetable, which helps those who want to lift a grade for an offer they have just missed.

Other qualifications and the tariff

The UCAS tariff is not limited to A Levels. The IB Diploma carries its own tariff conversion, with a full Diploma scoring up to 168 points at the highest grade combinations and individual Higher Level subjects scoring up to 56 points each. Cambridge Pre-U, BTECs at Level 3, Scottish Advanced Highers, the Welsh Baccalaureate and the European Baccalaureate all have entries on the UCAS tariff tables, which lets universities frame a single offer that can be met across qualification types.

The tariff does not include every qualification used by international pupils. The French Baccalauréat, the German Abitur, the Italian Maturità, the Indian CBSE and ISC certificates, the Chinese Gaokao and the US high school diploma plus AP combination sit outside the tariff. UK universities assess these directly against their published international entry requirements rather than through tariff conversion.

Common mistakes parents make reading offers

Three mistakes recur when parents first encounter tariff offers. The first is reading the offer total as the only requirement and missing a subject-specific grade buried in the same line. An offer of "112 points including grade B in mathematics" is not met by 112 points from ABB across non-mathematical subjects. The grade requirement is binding and breaks the offer if missed.

The second is mixing up A Level tariff with AS Level tariff. AS Levels carry less than half the points of the equivalent A Level grade, and stand-alone AS results no longer convert into a full A Level offer at most universities. Pupils who do not progress an AS subject to A Level cannot bring those AS points into an A Level tariff total. The points exist, but the offer wording usually restricts the count to full A Level qualifications.

The third is over-relying on the EPQ. The Extended Project Qualification adds tariff points but only some universities count it as part of the offer total. Even at the universities that do count it, an EPQ is rarely a substitute for a missed A Level grade. The EPQ is best understood as a buffer or signal of academic interest rather than as a points top-up that fills a gap in core A Level performance.

Planning subject choices around the tariff

Most international families plan A Level subject choices around the target university course rather than the tariff. The tariff matters at offer-reading and results-day stages, not at the point of choosing subjects in Year 12. The Year 11 subject decision should be driven by the academic profile the universities expect for the target course, by the pupil's own academic strengths and by the subject combinations our piece on A Level subject combinations describes for selective courses.

Where the tariff does shape planning is around safety choices. A pupil targeting a Russell Group university with grade offers should also identify one tariff-using university as a credible insurance choice. The insurance offer will be a tariff total set lower than the firm choice grade requirement, giving the pupil a meaningful safety net if results fall short. Parents whose children are deciding between the A Level pathway and the IB Diploma should not let the tariff drive the decision either way; both convert into similar point totals at strong performance, as our piece on A Level versus IB for UK universities sets out.

Related guides

• A Level versus IB for UK universities
• A Level subject combinations for top universities
• A Level versus foundation year for international applicants

Frequently asked questions