Our Offer for A-level Applicants
We make a standard offer to most applicants with A-level qualifications, and this is explained below. There is separate advice for
Why we make a standard offer
Applicants are often surprised when they receive an offer before they visit us. We make a virtue of giving a standard offer because
- it is a completely transparent policy and
- we know that those who achieve it ALL have the potential to get the best from our degree courses
Standard Offer for Admission in October 2013
- A*(M) A*(FM) A 2 or A*(M) A(FM) A 1
(M) (FM) denote Mathematics and Further Mathematics. 1 and 2 denote grades in a Maths STEP paper of your choice. Distinction in AEA is accepted instead of grade 2 in a STEP paper.
We encourage you to include at least four of the Further Pure and Mechanics units among your 12 units because these are good preparation for our course. If your school does not offer Further Maths, consider enrolling in the Further Maths Support Programme.
General Studies and Critical Thinking are not counted for the fulfilment of these A-level requirements.
The Special Benefits of Doing a STEP Paper or AEA
We believe that prospective students can best prepare to study Mathematics at university by taking STEP or AEA papers in addition to their other school-leaving examinations. The questions on these papers are closer to the style of mathematical thinking you will meet at university. We therefore require applicants to take these papers, even when their school will not be able to offer them help. More information on STEP and AEA here.
Interviews
We do not not normally hold interviews except for applicants who offer skills derived from employment, and correspondingly fewer examinations.
How your application is dealt with
Your UCAS application goes to the University's Student Admissions Office, where it is first considered. (Applications with unusual combinations of subjects are also sent to the Department of Mathematics for further consideration.) If there are no problems (such as not being predicted A in Mathematics and Further Mathematics) the Admissions Office then send you a formal offer in a letter from the Head of Admissions and relay this to UCAS. As the University gives equal consideration to all applications received by UCAS by the 15 January deadline, it may be some time before a decision can be made on your application, so please do not worry if you applied before December and don't receive an offer until February.
The General Entrance Requirement
All candidates must also satisfy the University's General Entrance requirement. This means some breadth in your studies (at least five different subjects to some level) and English (GCSE grade C or see the University pages here for alternatives).
Taking a Gap Year
We are well disposed towards applicants who wish to take a year out between school and university. Our experience is that students often benefit from the social maturity and broader perspectives a gap year can bring. But they also run the risk of losing touch with mathematics. We strongly advise gap-year students to prepare seriously for university by working on past papers (preferably STEP and AEA) AT LEAST ONCE A WEEK during the final three months of their year out. In any case, if you achieve your admissions offer, we are happy to reserve your place for the following year.
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