Alternative qualifications
At Surrey we welcome a range of alternative qualifications from applicants who wish to study at Surrey.
If you have specific questions for your own particular combination of qualifications, please contact the Admissions team.
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Due to changes in government funding, many BTEC National qualifications, as well as similar qualifications offered by other exam boards, are being discontinued.
Exam boards are introducing new Alternative Academic Qualifications (AAQs) in many of these subjects, and T-levels can be taken in others. We will consider applications from students who have taken T-levels to most of our programmes. We will also consider applications from students who have completed a combination of AAQs, or a mixture of AAQs and A-levels.
Where our degree programmes require students to have taken certain A-levels, such as a science or maths A-level, we will not necessarily accept an applied science AAQ as meeting this requirement.
Typical requirements for combination of qualification types
Where we accept combinations of A-levels and applied qualifications, these are the typical grades we will require. A-level grades are awarded as A* to E, while BTEC grades are awarded as Distinction* (D*), Distinction (D), Merit (M) or Pass (P).
Please note that not all combinations of A-levels and other qualifications are accepted, and that the below is only a guideline.
| 3 A-levels | 2 A-levels + BTEC Extended Certificates | 1 A-level + 2 BTEC Extended Certificates / 1 A-level + 1 BTEC Diploma | 3 BTEC Extended Certificates / 1 BTEC Extended Certificate and 1 BTEC Diploma / 1 BTEC Extended Diploma |
|---|---|---|---|
| AAA | AA + D* | A + D*D | D*DD |
| AAB | AA + D | A + DD | DDD |
| ABB | AB + D | A + DD | DDD |
| BBB | BB + D | B + DD | DDM |
| BBC | BB + M | B + DM | DMM |
| BCC | BC + M | C + DM | DMM |
| CCC | CC + M | C + MM | MMM |
What BTEC qualifications do you accept?
We will accept the new Level 3 BTEC National AAQ Extended Certificate qualifications when taken with two other qualifications that are A-levels or other accepted AAQ qualifications.
We will also continue to accept other BTEC National qualifications outside of the AAQ scheme where these are still offered or if students completed the qualification before the funding change. This includes:
- BTEC National Extended Diploma
- BTEC National Diploma – when taken alongside an A-level, BTEC National Extended Certificate, or other accepted qualification
- BTEC National Extended Certificate – when taken alongside a BTEC National Diploma, two BTEC National Extended Certificates, two A-levels, or several other combinations.
What Cambridge Technical qualifications do you accept?
We will accept the new Level 3 AAQ Cambridge Advanced National (Extended Certificate) qualifications when taken with two other qualifications that are A-levels or other accepted AAQ qualifications.
We will also continue to accept other Cambridge Technical qualifications outside of the AAQ scheme where these are still offered or if students completed the qualification before the funding change. This includes:
- Cambridge Technical Extended Diploma
- Cambridge Technical Diploma – when taken alongside an A-level, Cambridge Technical Extended Certificate, or other accepted qualification
- Cambridge Technical Extended Certificate or Introductory Diploma – when taken alongside a Cambridge Technical Diploma, two Cambridge Technical Extended Certificate, two A-levels, or several other combinations.
What WJEC/EDUQAS qualifications do you accept?
We will accept the Level 3 AAQ Extended Certificate qualifications when taken with two other qualifications that are A-levels or other accepted AAQ qualifications.
We will also accept the WJEC Level 3 Applied Diploma when taken with two other accepted qualifications such as A-levels or other vocational qualifications. Note that not all subjects are still available to be studied in England.
Do you accept the International Baccalaureate Career-related Programme?
We can consider some applicants who have completed the IB Career-related Programme by considering the Higher Level IB Diploma Programme courses in addition to the career-related study qualification(s) that are being studied. Students should contact our admissions team to see if your combination would be suitable for the course that you are interested in.
What T-Level qualifications do you accept?
Where a course will accept applications with T-levels, we will list this in that course page’s entry requirements. Some courses where specific A-levels are required may only accept specific T-levels. Our requirements are based on the grade in the core component and the overall grade.