Possibly. There are some subjects, such as mathematics or biology, that you’ll likely need to have studied up to the end of school before you can do an undergraduate degree, or to undergraduate level if you want to do a postgraduate in that subject.

However, there are many other subjects – such as law, biochemistry or business – that you can start from the beginning with your UK undergraduate or postgraduate degree.

Your UK university might ask you for your exam results in related subjects – maths for economics, for example. At other times, they’ll just want to know that you have the overall grades required. Check the relevant university website and carefully read the requirements for the course you want to apply for.

If you are thinking of applying for a new subject, it is good to mention in your personal statement in your application that you have tried to find ways to explore the subject in your own time. For example, if you want to study business, you could talk about work experience that you have done or books that you have read about business theory.

Did you know that more than 50,000 undergraduate courses are available in the UK? Courses at UK higher education institutions are held to strict standards, so you can be sure you will receive a quality education in the UK.

The Register of Regulated Qualifications contains details of Recognised Awarding Organisations – universities and colleges that can award degrees, and it is regularly updated. For Scottish qualifications, you can check the Scottish Credit and Qualifications website.

Of course, there is always the question of whether a course is ‘good’ or ‘the right course’ for you, and that’s a very personal matter.

Check out our Choosing a course and Choosing a university or college pages for more tips.

If you are accepted with an unconditional offer, then congratulations! You have a place and you can accept straightaway.

If you are accepted with a conditional offer, the place is yours as long as you meet a few extra requirements. This could be achieving certain exam grades or English language test scores.

For some courses you may be asked to come for an interview before you receive your offer, either on the phone or sometimes in person. Check the course information before you apply to find out whether this is required.

It depends on the course and the university. Some universities and colleges will say how many students study that subject each year on their websites or course pages. Some also list the acceptance rate (i.e. the percentage of students who get a place out of those who apply).

Even if you study a popular course, you’ll probably have a range of class sizes. You might attend lectures with over a hundred other students but have practical sessions or tutor groups with fewer people. Many UK degrees are ‘modular’ – meaning you can choose from several options within the course to make it the right course for you.

If you want to know how many students are applying for a particular course or what the usual class sizes are, you can contact the university admissions office directly.

Sometimes, if you’re still waiting for exam results – for example, you’re applying for undergraduate, and you’re waiting for your school leaver results, or postgraduate and you’re waiting for your undergraduate degree to be confirmed – you’ll need to apply to study in the UK with your predicted grades. These are an estimate that your referee will give of the grades you’re likely to achieve in your exams based on your past performance.

Until you get your exam results, your offer will be ‘conditional’. This means that you need to achieve the grades for your course for the university to confirm your place. UK school leaver exam results are released in mid-August, so universities are used to waiting for grades. However, for international students, it means that the timeline for applying for visas is tight. You will need your university’s Confirmation of Acceptance of Studies code to complete your visa application, and you will only receive this when your grades are confirmed.

This also makes it difficult to apply for a different UK university course through Clearing (the late application process that opens in July) if you don’t make your grades for the courses you applied for first, because it’s unlikely that you’d have enough time to process your visa.

Your reference is a very important part of your form, whether it’s on your UCAS form at undergraduate level or for your postgraduate application. It gives the university or universities an idea of your attitude to your work from someone who isn’t you. If you haven’t finished your school exams yet, your referee must also write your predicted grades (the result they expect you to get in your exams).

The reference needs to be written by someone who ‘knows you academically’ – it should not be written by a family member or a close friend, because this could disqualify your application.

For most people, the best referee is one of your school teachers, your tutor or supervisor of your most recent qualification, or someone who has supervised you at work.

It’s up to you to ask someone to be your referee.

If you’re applying at undergraduate level, and this is the first time your referee has written a reference, there is lots of useful information on the UCAS website to help them. Even if they have done one before, it’s worth sharing the UCAS website because UCAS has changed the reference section for 2024 admissions onwards.