You may have unanswered questions about the admission process for our undergraduate programmes. This page attempts to answer them for applicants to the courses offered by the Department of Computer Science at the University of Warwick. The information here does not necessarily apply to any other University, nor to any other Department at the University of Warwick.

Eligibility Criteria

Apart from the specific subject requirements mentioned in the course admissions pages, do you have any preferred combinations of A-levels?

Unless we have made specific mention in the course pages, we have no preferred A-level combinations.

What is your policy with regards to mature students?

The Department of Computer Science welcomes applications from mature students, and will consider their employment background and other factors as important in the selection process.

A mature applicant must possess sufficient mathematical skills, and must demonstrate their ability to pursue successfully a demanding degree course. Each such application will be considered on its merits, and mature applicants are normally interviewed.

What do you look for in the personal statement?

We expect you to demonstrate both that you have an interest in the course you have applied for, and that you have significant non-academic interests.

I have also applied to Oxford/Cambridge; will this affect my application to Warwick?

No. We treat Oxbridge applicants exactly as any other applicant.

I took my A-levels last year, and didn't do very well; I am retaking them this year; will you consider me?

We will still consider an application from you, although any offer made might be higher than our "normal'' offer.

Do you accept General Studies as an A-level when you make offers?

No.

What is your attitude to AS-levels?

We will accept two AS level qualifications in lieu of a single A-level.

Do you interview?

We do not normally interview. However, we may do so if there is further information we need from you which is not contained on the UCAS form.

I'm fascinated by computers but have little or no programming experience; will I still be able to cope with your courses?

Our courses do not assume any previous practical experience, but if you can gain some experience of programming before starting the course it will be an advantage for you.

Will I be disadvantaged if I am not studying Computing at A-level?

No. We treat Computing A-level in the same way as any other A-level we have not specified in our entry requirements.

Do you offer part-time degree courses?

Not at undergraduate level.

How do you regard applicants whose qualifications are not UK A-levels?

We welcome applications from students who have qualifications which are not UK A-levels. The offers we make are, as far as possible, designed to be equivalent to the A-level offer we make.

My qualifications are not listed on any of your pages; can I apply?

Yes. If your qualifications are not covered in any of our pages, you may find information about UK and international qualifications provided by UCAS to be of assistance in deciding whether you wish to apply here. If, after reading those pages, you do wish to apply, it would be helpful to us for you (or your school) to provide us with as much information about your qualifications as possible (detailed syllabi, for example).

International Applicants

Do you discriminate between home and overseas applicants in the offers you make?

The Department of Computer Science makes the same offer to a student regardless as to whether or not they are resident in the European Union.

How do you set the level of offer you make?

Each University in the UK has a quota of students from the European Union, and receives public funding for that number, and is not allowed to exceed that quota. The offers we make to EU applicants reflect market conditions, and are high so that we do not exceed that quota.

Can I attend some modules of your courses, or a whole year, as part of my course in my own country (not the UK)?

You are welcome to apply through the International Office as a Visiting Student, though we encourage visiting students to stay for a complete academic year if possible. There are a variety of schemes, such as Socrates-Erasmus, which assist student mobility within the EU.

My native language is not English, and I am studying for an A-level in that language; will you include it in any offer you make me?

We may do so; it depends on the other A-levels you are studying, and each application is treated individually on its merits.

Confirming your offer

I have just received my exam results, and I have missed the offer you have made me; what should I do?

Contact the University and talk to us. The outcome depends on how much you missed the offer by. If it's a "narrow miss" (such as one A-level grade), then we may be able to accept you on our course, and it will depend on whether our course is full. If you have missed the offer by a long way, we will probably have to disappoint you.

You made me an offer of ABB, and I got AAC in the A-levels; have I met your offer?

Unfortunately not, our offers are based on specific grades, not on "point scores".

Before I arrive

Do I need to do any preliminary reading?

We publish a reading list, which we strongly recommend you look at, but it is not compulsory.

Making changes to your programme of studies

Can I choose to take a year-off before re-starting my studies?

The Department of Computer Science welcomes applications from students who wish to take a "gap year" and defer entry.

If a student has not applied for deferred entry, and wishes to change their application, they should formally write to the University requesting deferral and it will be actioned.

Can I join the course at the start of the second semester in January/February?

The University does not have semesters (we have three terms in an academic year), and registration for a degree course is only allowed at the start of the academic year.

I already have a great deal of programming experience; can I be exempted from some of the first year programming modules?

We require our students to attend the full complement of modules in the first year, irrespective of their previous experience.

Can I transfer credit earned at another institution?

It is not possible for entrants to claim credit transfer from other institutions for individual modules. Whether you start in the first year, or as a direct entrant to the second year of our degrees, you must follow the full syllabus from the point of entry.

Can I transfer between degree courses once I have started at Warwick?

Not normally, and it would depend on which course you had enrolled on and which you wanted to transfer to. However, if you have enrolled on Computer Science (or Computing Systems), which has both BSc and MEng variants, then you can normally transfer from the BSc to the MEng (or vice-versa) during the first two years of the course. Furthermore, if you have enrolled on Computer Science, then you can transfer to Computing Systems (or vice-versa) during the first year, since they share a common first year.

Second Year Direct Entry

In exceptional circumstances we will consider second year direct entry for students who have followed a course elsewhere which essentially covers the same material a first year student here would have covered. We would need to ascertain that:

• you have indeed covered (almost) all of our first year syllabus;
• your academic qualifications from school are not dissimilar to the entry requirements for first-year entry.

We regret that direct entry to the third (or fourth, if applicable) year of any of our degree courses cannot be considered under any circumstances. Direct entry to the second year of Computer and Business Studies is also not possible.

If you wish to be considered for entry direct to the second year of the Computer Science and Computing Systems degrees, you must provide us with the following information:

• a transcript of marks from the previous institution;
• a detailed syllabus of the modules followed at the previous institution (unless the institution already has a relationship with the Department);
• the name and contact telephone number (or address) of a supportive academic referee.

If you are considering an application for second-year entry, please contact us initially at ugadmissions at warwick dot ac dot uk with the information outlined above, and we will advise you whether a formal application from you has a chance to be successful, and the procedure you would have to follow.