IB points to UCAS tariff: the 2026 conversion table

What the UCAS tariff is

The UCAS tariff is a points system that places different school leaving qualifications on a common scale so that admissions teams can compare them. Each grade in a recognised qualification is assigned a fixed number of tariff points, and a candidate's total is the sum of those grades plus any qualifying core components. The tariff covers A Levels, the IB Diploma, BTECs, the Scottish Highers and many other qualifications. It exists so that a university can express an entry requirement in points as an alternative to naming specific grades.

Two things are important from the outset. First, the tariff values are set by UCAS and are stable from year to year, so the arithmetic below does not change annually in the way fee figures do. Second, a great many selective UK universities make offers in named grades rather than tariff points, which means the total is often less decisive than parents expect. We return to that point in detail below. For the wider context of how the diploma is built, our IB curriculum explained reference walks through the programme from the Primary Years through to the Diploma.

The IB to UCAS tariff table

The tariff separates Higher Level and Standard Level grades because the two are weighted differently. Higher Level subjects carry the larger values, reflecting the greater teaching time and depth. The table below shows the current tariff values for each grade at each level.

Reading across a single row shows why the level of entry matters so much. A grade 7 at Higher Level is worth 56 tariff points, the same as an A star at A Level, while the same grade 7 at Standard Level is worth 28 points. The gap widens the higher the grade, so a candidate who takes a subject at Higher Level rather than Standard Level is rewarded substantially in tariff terms for the same numerical grade.

Core points and the full diploma

Beyond the six subjects, the IB Diploma core adds tariff points through the combination of Theory of Knowledge and the Extended Essay. These two components are graded together on a matrix, and the resulting core contribution adds up to 12 further tariff points at the top of the scale. A candidate who scores well on both the Extended Essay and Theory of Knowledge therefore gains the maximum core contribution, while a candidate who scores modestly on the core gains fewer or, at the lowest bands, none.

Adding the six subjects to the core gives the total tariff for the full diploma. A perfect diploma, three Higher Level grade 7s and three Standard Level grade 7s plus the maximum core, reaches roughly 224 tariff points. That figure is the one most often quoted when the IB is compared with three A Levels at A star A star A star, which reach 168 tariff points. The raw comparison makes the diploma look far larger, and in points terms it is, but the reason is structural: the diploma is six subjects plus a research core, while three A Levels is three subjects.

Worked totals

A few common profiles show how the arithmetic works in practice. A candidate with 6 6 6 at Higher Level and 6 6 5 at Standard Level, plus a middle band core, gathers roughly 144 tariff points from the Higher Level subjects, a further 68 from the Standard Level subjects, and a handful from the core, for a working total in the region of 220 to 224 points depending on the exact core band. A candidate with 5 5 5 at Higher Level and 5 5 4 at Standard Level gathers 96 from Higher Level, around 52 from Standard Level, and a small core contribution, for a working total near the 150 to 160 range.

These totals are illustrative and depend on the precise core band, so families should treat them as a guide rather than a promise. The exact core matrix and any updates to the values are published by UCAS, and the safest approach is always to confirm the current figures on the UCAS tariff calculator before relying on a total. Our sibling reference on IB credit at US universities covers the parallel question for families looking across the Atlantic rather than at the UK tariff.

Where the tariff does and does not apply

This is the part that changes how families should read the whole table. The most selective UK universities, Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial, the London School of Economics and the strongest Russell Group courses, generally make offers in named grades rather than tariff points. A typical selective offer is expressed as a diploma total with specified Higher Level grades, such as 38 points including three Higher Level subjects at grade 6 or 7, rather than as a tariff number. For these courses the total tariff is close to irrelevant, and what matters is hitting the named points and the named Higher Level grades.

The tariff carries real weight lower down the selectivity range. Many universities outside the most selective tier make points based offers, and here the diploma's larger tariff total is a genuine advantage. A candidate who might narrowly miss a named grade offer can often satisfy a points based offer because the diploma accumulates points across six subjects and the core. Our reference on IB recognition across the Russell Group sets out how the named offer approach works at the more selective end.

Practical use for families

The sensible way to use the tariff is as a rough sanity check rather than a target. If a family is looking at courses that publish points based entry, the diploma total is a useful and reassuring number, and the table above lets them estimate it from predicted grades. If a family is aiming at the most selective courses, the better focus is the specific Higher Level grades the offer will name, because the total will not be what the offer is built on. Either way, the tariff is a translation tool, not a ranking of the diploma against A Levels, and the decision between qualifications should rest on the child and the school rather than the points headline. For that wider decision, the IB versus A Level decision guide works through the trade offs in full.

Frequently asked questions