Your Birmingham offer
The different types of offers to study at the University of Birmingham
The types of offers we make vary from conditional offers to Pathways to Birmingham, Realising Opportunities programme offers, Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) offers, and contextual offers.
How we make offers
The type of offer you receive from Birmingham is personal to you depending on a range of factors, including your GCSE results, the subjects you’re studying and other qualifications, your predicted grades, your personal statement, your reference and your personal circumstances.
Your Birmingham Offer
The best way to find out what Your Birmingham Offer might be is to complete our Offer Calculator. This tells you whether you are likely to receive an offer for a particular course, and the type of offer you can expect, based on the grades you have achieved and expect to achieve. This will help you to make an informed decision about whether that course is the right one for you.
The University of Birmingham make a number of different types of offer. The maximum entry requirements for each of our programmes can be found on the relevant course finder page. The types of offer we make include:
Conditional Offer
A Conditional Offer is typically based on the entry requirements as defined on the course page for the course you’re interested in. This type of offer is made to students if you still have examinations to take, we need verification of your qualifications, or if you have to meet other non-academic entry requirements. The University of Birmingham makes Conditional Offers based on grades and not based on UCAS points (e.g. AAB). Some programmes may also require a particular grade in a particular subject, or specify particular GCSE subject requirements too. The details for individual programmes can all be found on the relevant course finder page. There may also be other conditions of your offer such as fitness to practise, or a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.
Alternative offers through our Pathways to Birmingham programmes
Students who successfully complete a Pathways to Birmingham programme and apply to the University of Birmingham will receive special consideration from admissions tutors. If your application is successful, you will receive two offers from the University of Birmingham - the standard offer and a Pathways to Birmingham offer. The Pathways to Birmingham offer is typically two grades below the standard offer. You may also be eligible to receive the Pathways to Birmingham Scholarship and Bursary. All Pathways to Birmingham programmes have the same eligibility criteria, and you are required to meet these criteria to be considered for the programmes. The Pathways to Birmingham offer is applicable if you make Birmingham your firm choice.
Realising Opportunities Programme offers
The Realising Opportunities programme supports very able students from backgrounds which are underrepresented in higher education, using a range of eligibility criteria to ensure that the programme works with these students. To be eligible to apply for a place on the Realising Opportunities programme you must be a year 12 student attending a school/college which is participating in the programme. If you are unsure whether your school is participating, please ask your tutor or head of sixth form/college. Further information is available on the Realising Opportunities website.
Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) offers
At the University of Birmingham, applicants who take the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) and meet our offer criteria will be made the typical offer for their programme of choice, plus an alternative offer which will be one grade lower plus a grade A in the EPQ. For example, where our standard offer is AAA, the offer would be AAA; or AAB plus A in the EPQ (though please note that this excludes our Medicine (A100) and Dentistry (A200) programmes). This is applicable if you make Birmingham your firm choice.
Elite Dual Career Athlete Pathway (EDCAP) offers
The Elite Dual Career Athlete Pathway (EDCAP) provides sector-leading dual career support and is tailored to the individual needs of our highest performing student-athletes at the University. Eligible applicants will be made an offer for their programme which will be one grade lower than the standard offer. For example, where our standard offer is AAA, the offer would be AAB.
Contextual offers
Our Contextual Offer recognises the potential of students whose personal circumstances may have restricted achievement at school or college. The scheme allows the University to consider additional socio-economic data, alongside UCAS information, to help make the decision about an application to study at Birmingham. If you are eligible to benefit from the contextual offer scheme, you will receive an offer that is one grade lower than the standard offer.
Eligibility for the contextual offer is based on two criteria: having been in receipt of Free School Meals in the last 6 years, or having spent time in local authority care (and you have documented this on your UCAS form).
How to apply
If you’re eligible, you just need to submit your UCAS application in the normal way and we will take your circumstances into account when considering your application.
If you live within the West Midlands region and you're the first in your family to go to university, you might want to consider applying through our Access to Birmingham (A2B) scheme. The scheme offers a full package of support in Year 13, the chance to receive an A2B scholarship worth £1,500 per year of study and an alternative offer.
Contextual offers in Medicine
Up to 20% of interview places for Medicine (five-year MBChB) are available to applicants who are allocated to a contextual category. Visit the entry requirements page for Medicine for further details and eligibility criteria.
