Which curriculum will get you into a good UK or US university?
What qualifications do you need for UK universities?
Occasionally schools advise parents that their child must do GCSEs if he wants to go to a UK university, insisting that UK universities want to see British exam results and won’t accept international school assessments (transcripts) or internal certificates such as the IB Middle Years Programme or an American high school record. In reality, UK universities have long been accustomed to evaluating international lower-secondary qualifications and school transcripts. What matters is whether applicants meet the subject and level requirements for their chosen course, not whether they hold GCSEs specifically.
Schools also sometimes suggest that, if you think your child will go on to a US university, it is not necessary to do the IGCSE examinations (even if students have followed a curriculum based on the IGCSE syllabus) as the US colleges/unis (universities)* only want to see internal grades and high school transcripts from the US system...and won’t accept (or even understand) exam results from another system.
However, expatriate parents wishing to send their children to the best schools available locally as they move around the globe might not have perfectly seamless, same-system options wherever they go. They might start out in one system, with their children’s careers mapped out for the next 12 years, and suddenly find they’ve arrived in a city that throws them off plan.
But very few realise that universities in both the UK and US are increasingly knowledgeable about each other’s systems, and are often willing to take students who have bounced through several curricula. In other words, parents might have more options than they know.
Generally speaking, this presumption that good universities are not up to speed on other curricula and exams, or that they somehow won’t find a way to enrol a bright talented student, is nonsense.
It’s probably safe to say that weaker students will be better off if they don’t skip between systems, just because it’s never easy even for the excellent student. But sometimes families looking for the best education they can find as they move from post to post have no choice but to shift to another system than the one their children were in before.
Happily, most colleges and universities have been au fait with other systems for some time and have certain benchmarks they look for in good applicants.
Do you need GCSEs apply to a UK university?
The IGCSE (or GCSE) can be an important factor for UK universities’ admission if applicants have only done A levels, because students traditionally take just three or four subjects. For example, a student applying for medicine might present strong biology, chemistry, physics and maths A levels, but admissions staff may refer back to earlier GCSE results to see how the student performed across the broader curriculum. The A levels demonstrate subject strength, while the GCSE/IGCSE results help build a fuller picture. However, the weight given to GCSEs varies between universities, and many now also use contextual data alongside these earlier results.
How UK universities view A levels, the IB and other international curricula
Because the International Baccalaureate diploma presents breadth and depth in a range of subjects over the final two years, the exam scores a student achieved two years previously are not such an important factor...it’s the later IB diploma results that matter. In fact, American unis know that the IB diploma scores don’t come out until summer after graduation, so will accept students in the spring based on their existing grades and the school’s IB predictions, conditional upon the student continuing in the same academic programme with grades at the same level.
Subject choices for medicine, engineering and architecture degrees
Now, admission to a certain field of study (for example medicine, architecture, engineering) can be affected by the courses/exams taken before the IB Diploma programme: if, for example, you want to study medicine, the IB normally allows two sciences maximum (though some schools can use the substitution option to offer a second science at the sixth-subject slot). Most UK medical schools require higher level chemistry and often higher level biology, while physics is generally accepted at GCSE/IGCSE rather than requiring it at A level. Very few medical schools expect applicants to have taken biology, chemistry and physics at A level.
But for such a specialist field (eg medicine), some UK universities would want the applicant to have done bio, chem and physics at A level. Therefore an IB candidate may be admitted on the basis of having done biology and chemistry at IB higher level, but may also need to present a physics IGCSE or GCSE. In some cases, IB students interested in studying medicine in Britain may simultaneously take a GCSE or IGCSE in physics if the school is willing to help arrange this, although many universities accept standard pre-IB science qualifications to meet this requirement.
Can American-curriculum students get into UK universities?
Contrary to popular belief (and fear), entrance to UK universities is also available to students in American high school programmes. Generally, UK unis look at SAT or ACT scores (where these are still submitted), along with school transcripts and Advanced Placement courses. SAT Subject Tests were discontinued in 2021 and are no longer part of any admissions requirement. Oxbridge typically expects a strong portfolio of AP scores and strong performance in relevant admissions tests, rather than specific SAT/ACT thresholds. Most universities still expect at least three AP courses, with high scores. For more detailed information, go to the very clear Oxford Entrance Requirements page or Oxford International Students page.
What US universities expect from British and international students
While GCSEs are sometimes regarded as roughly comparable to completion of US 10th–11th grade, they are not the equivalent of a US high school diploma. Many US colleges and universities still do not necessarily require A levels unless they state otherwise, and they may welcome them when offered, but they no longer assume a student avoided them by choice. As the British system has become widely understood in the US, admissions offices now evaluate applicants in the context of the curriculum available at their school. The Fulbright Commission recommends at least five GCSEs at grade C or above in academic subjects, and two or three A levels, where available. However, unlike the UK uni system, acceptance at a US uni is not conditional on A level results, especially as A level exams are not taken until months after US letters of acceptance go out. Instead, US universities generally ask for GCSEs and any AS level results where relevant, along with an indication of academic progress in the final school year.
Additionally, A levels can sometimes count for US university credit: usually one A level can equal three undergraduate credits. Students need to inquire about this when they are in the application process, and may be asked to provide results from the SAT or ACT at institutions that still require them, although many US universities are now test-optional. SAT Subject Tests have been discontinued and are no longer required or accepted. Letters of reference and other supporting documents may also be requested.
How US universities view GCSEs, A levels, APs and the IB
Even for American students, an American high school diploma needs some beefing up to get into competitive US universities; in most schools and states, the basic courses required to achieve a standard diploma are simply not strong enough. So most colleges and universities prefer heftier coursework in addition to, or in lieu of, those basic courses, such as IB courses (although students who take the courses but do not eventually achieve the full IB diploma will not elicit as much interest) and/or a few Advanced Placement courses. The more competitive the university, the higher the number of AP or honours-level courses recommended, and of course the higher the scores expected on final assessments. In today’s test-optional environment, course rigour and academic performance often carry even greater weight.
The exception would be certain high schools that have neither, but are nationally known to be extremely rigorous. One example is Phillips Exeter Academy (NH), where they feel their own coursework is even more difficult than the set AP courses (enough that, even without the actual AP course preparation, they allow any student who wishes to take the AP exams, often with highly satisfactory results). This remains well understood by US universities, which evaluate coursework in the context of the school.
Earning university credit: A levels, APs and the IB Diploma
All US universities accept the IB diploma now, and know all about its requirements and value. Most US universities offer course credit for IB courses (it is worth asking), and many will offer college credit for AP courses provided the exam scores are high. Some may also give credit for A levels. That credit can allow an entering freshman to skip basic survey courses or, in some cases, reduce the overall cost or duration of a degree if a student has enough approved credit. Credit policies vary widely by institution, so applicants should always check individual requirements.
NB: It may seem strange that all US colleges/universities do not require that students take A levels (in addition to GCSE) in the UK (or AP level in the US), but they are not always in a position to do so. All admissions committees are looking for the student to have taken the most rigorous curriculum available at their school. Because schools around the world offer a variety of qualifications, US colleges and universities evaluate each transcript in the context of the curriculum on offer, taking into account a student’s preparation as well as talents and skills presented in the application process. Clearly, the most competitive institutions can and do set the highest expectations, while those that are easier to access do not necessarily do so.
Choosing the right curriculum if your child may apply to UK or US universities
As the British Council explains in its excellent guide for college counsellors, UK university entrance requirements vary (so check at the particular institution to see what they want specifically), as does the level of competition to get in and the subjects that are best taken at one versus another (the name brand you know might not be the best place for studying your subject).
In any instance, it is important to consult the high school’s college and career counselor; here’s the weak spot in the case - many American counselors won’t know about UCAS applications for UK universities, and British counsellors might not know about strategising for US applications (scheduling SAT exams, teacher references, college visits and interviews, application deadlines etc).
Parents of high school students should ask in advance whether the school will be able to help with the application process. Many international schools, of course, handle a wide range of applications for universities all over the world, so will take this right in stride. But if they don’t have much experience with students applying outside the country, parents should plan to shepherd their children through the process themselves or engage an independent university counsellor (who may be half way across the world but will be able to help with the master strategy). It might be money well spent to engage a private consultant who knows the territory and stays up to speed with the rocket-rate changes amongst university admissions policies.
For students wishing to enter British universities with an IB diploma, it’s important to know what the admissions criteria are WHILE the student is choosing his IB diploma courses. But the same is true even for 9th graders planning entrance into the most competitive US unis.
The take-away: how to plan your child’s education with flexibility
Very few choices in education are irreversible, despite the dire warnings of people who ought to know better and who will refute this useful and comfortable fact. Plan as well as you can, stay flexible, make the best choices you can as they come up, and make sure your children are good readers and grammatical writers. Well-chosen schools and the school systems themselves will not let you down, and neither will the up-to-date savvy of the university admissions offices.
But no matter whichever university or country is of interest, don’t leave it too late to start working on the plan. And definitely don’t leave it alone entirely because you think too many postings and curriculum changes have made your child miss the boat.
*Translation note: Although the generic word for all post-secondary schooling in the UK is ‘university’, and the word ‘college’ commonly refers to either private high schools (as in Eton College) or a standalone sixth-form school, the terminology is different in the US. There, people refer to post-secondary schooling as ‘college’ (as in: ‘After graduating from high school, she went off to college in Texas’). Technically, a ‘college’ is one school of study, either in stand-alone schools or as part of a university (which by definition means two or more colleges). Of course, to make it more confusing, one of those colleges within a university can also be called a ‘school’. So, a student graduating from high school goes off to Harvard College; Harvard University includes the graduate schools, and is made up of Harvard College, Harvard Business School, Harvard School of Medicine etc.
Useful links and Resources
The British Council – Vast, competent and long-standing organization dedicated to the promotion of British education. Independent, helpful and completely reliable for information on all educational things British, throughout the world.
The Princeton Review – Very like The Good Schools Guide in tone; top 300+ colleges and unis in the US through the eyes of the students; brief bullets of info and very fun to read (not to mention reliable; updated yearly).
Collegestats.org – A free website providing statistical information for all colleges, universities and trade schools in the US, state by state. Gives a quick factual overview of over 6,000+ public and private colleges and universities.
Fulbright Commission – The brief of this well-known, long-standing and reputable organization, the official education arm of the US State Department, is to promote study and work exchange in the US, specifically to ‘provide accurate, comprehensive, current and unbiased information on educational and educationally-related opportunities in the United States’, without ranking or endorsing any college or university or advisory company.