How to Apply to Engineering at the University of Bristol: Aerospace, Civil, Mechanical, Electrical and Electronic and Design Engineering as a 3-Year BEng or 4-Year MEng, With Applications Scored on GCSE and A-level, and Entry Requirements for Home, International (Including Chinese) and Year 2 Transfer Applicants

Engineering at the University of Bristol sits in the Faculty of Science and Engineering and is taught on the Clifton campus. Here is what you need to know for September 2027 entry, based on Bristol’s official information, for UK applicants, international applicants (including students at high schools in China) and students who want to join Year 2. Computer Science has its own guide on this site and is not covered here.

1. The courses and how you are admitted

• Aerospace Engineering: BEng H405 (three years), MEng H410 (four years); versions with a Year in Industry, and an MEng with Study Abroad, are also listed.
• Civil Engineering: BEng H205, MEng H200; Year in Industry BEng/MEng and Study Abroad MEng versions are also listed.
• Design Engineering: BEng H105, MEng H100; Year in Industry BEng/MEng versions are also listed.
• Mechanical Engineering: BEng H305, MEng H300; Year in Industry BEng/MEng and Study Abroad MEng versions are also listed.
• Electrical and Electronic Engineering: BEng H600, MEng H606; Year in Industry BEng/MEng and Study Abroad MEng versions are also listed.
• Mechanical and Electrical Engineering: BEng H361, MEng H360; Year in Industry BEng/MEng versions are also listed.
• Engineering Mathematics: BEng G162, MEng G161; Year in Industry BEng/MEng and Study Abroad MEng versions are also listed.
• How you are admitted: you apply through UCAS directly to a specific course. First-year students in Aerospace, Civil, Mechanical, Mechanical and Electrical, and Design Engineering share a common foundation: common units and an interdisciplinary project, before moving into your own discipline. Whether you can change course after the first year is not stated on the course pages; ask the admissions team.
• Year in Industry and Study Abroad versions cannot be applied for directly: Bristol lists them as “entry by transfer”, so you start on the base course and apply to transfer. For BEng Aerospace with a Year in Industry you must reach the academic standard and succeed at an industry interview; places are limited and competitive. For MEng with Study Abroad you need the required grades in Years 1 and 2 and must be selected; Year 3 is spent at an English-speaking partner university (examples given include Sweden, the Netherlands, the US, Singapore and Australia) and you return for the final year.
• BEng versus MEng: for Aerospace, Bristol says the first three years are shared; the MEng fourth year lets you specialise and run a group design project with industry partners, while the BEng has an individual research project in Year 3. Electrical and Electronic MEng has an individual project and optional taught units in Year 4. For other courses the difference is not stated on the pages.

2. Accreditation

• Aerospace Engineering: accredited by the Royal Aeronautical Society (RAeS); the five-yearly reaccreditation is under way.
• Civil Engineering: accredited by IHE, CIHT, PWI, ICE and IStructE.
• Mechanical Engineering: the BEng page lists IET and IMechE, the MEng page IMechE; Bristol says the five-yearly IMechE reaccreditation is under way with the outcome expected by 2027.
• Electrical and Electronic Engineering and Mechanical and Electrical Engineering: accredited by the IET. Engineering Mathematics: accredited by the IMA, with the reaccreditation outcome expected by 2026.
• Design Engineering: the course pages list no accrediting body; not published.
• How far each BEng or MEng meets the Chartered Engineer (CEng) requirement is not set out course by course on the pages; not published. The Aerospace page only says accreditation is a significant step towards IEng or CEng registration.

3. Entry requirements: A-levels and subjects

Course	Standard A-level offer	Contextual offer
Aerospace, Mechanical	A*AA including A*A in Mathematics and one of Further Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology or Computer Science (Mechanical lists the same)	AAB including AA in Mathematics and one of the same subjects
Civil	A*AA including A*A in Mathematics and a science-related subject (Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Further Mathematics, Geography, Geology, Physics, Electronics, Design & Technology)	AAB including AA in Mathematics and a science-related subject
Design Engineering	A*AA including A*A in Mathematics and a STEM-related subject	AAB including AA in Mathematics and a STEM-related subject
Electrical and Electronic	AAA including Mathematics	ABB including A in Mathematics
Mechanical and Electrical	AAA including Mathematics and one of Physics, Chemistry, Further Mathematics, Computer Science or Electronics	AAC including AA in Mathematics and one of the same subjects
Engineering Mathematics	AAA including Mathematics, or A*AB including A in Mathematics	ABB including A in Mathematics

• When applications are numerous: for Aerospace and Mechanical, Bristol says preference may be given to applicants taking three subjects from the listed range including Mathematics.
• GCSE: no specific subjects are required.
• BTEC: for mechanical-type courses, D*DD in the Engineering BTEC National Extended Diploma with Distinctions in four Physics units plus A in A-level Mathematics (or equivalent), or the Applied Science BTEC with Distinctions in five specified Chemistry units plus A in Mathematics; Electrical and Electronic and Engineering Mathematics ask for DDD plus A in Mathematics. Engineering BTEC applicants may be invited to take the Bristol mathematics test in place of A-level Mathematics.
• Other UK qualifications: Scottish Advanced Higher AA in Mathematics and a listed subject plus Highers AAAAA; the Welsh Baccalaureate is treated as for A-levels, with the Advanced Skills Baccalaureate Wales able to substitute for one grade; Access to HE Diplomas need 30 credits at Distinction and 15 at Merit including Distinctions in listed subjects, with A in A-level Mathematics or a pass in the Bristol mathematics test; Pre-U D1/D2 equals A*. Bristol does not differentiate A-level offers between England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
• Maths test: the admissions statements say applicants who cannot supplement their level 3 studies with A-level Mathematics, typically BTEC or Access applicants, may be invited to take a maths test in early spring; apply by the UCAS equal consideration deadline because later applicants may not be considered for the test.

4. IB and other international curricula

• IB Diploma: Aerospace, Mechanical, Civil and Design Engineering 38 points with 18 at Higher Level, including 7, 6 (any order) in HL Mathematics (either course) and a second HL subject: Physics, Chemistry, Biology or Computer Science for Aerospace; Physics, Chemistry or Computer Science for Mechanical; a science-related subject for Civil; a STEM-related subject for Design Engineering. Electrical and Electronic and Engineering Mathematics 36 points with 18 at Higher Level including 6 in HL Mathematics. Mechanical and Electrical 36 points with 18 at Higher Level including 6, 6 in HL Mathematics and Physics, Chemistry or Computer Science.
• Contextual IB: 34 points with 17 at Higher Level including 6, 6 for courses such as Aerospace.
• When applications are numerous, Bristol says preference may be given to applicants whose three Higher Levels are within the listed range.

5. Selection: scored and ranked, personal statement rarely used

• Scoring: every admissions statement says applications are scored and ranked on academic record (achieved or predicted), GCSE 20% and A-level 80%.
• Personal statement and reference: not normally considered. They are used only when many applicants have the same academic score; Aerospace looks for enthusiasm and understanding of engineering, achievements and reference quality, Civil for lifelong interest in engineering, maths and physics challenges and extra-curricular activity, Design Engineering for problem solving, organisation and drive, and Electrical and Electronic for additional academic preparation and wider interests.
• Interviews: applicants are not routinely interviewed; in the majority of cases decisions rest on the application alone.
• Timing: because of demand, Bristol may hold some applications until May. Applications received before the January UCAS deadline are guaranteed equal consideration, and applicants hear by the UCAS May deadline, most earlier. “Near miss” offer holders are reviewed in August after results.
• Resits and deferrals: resits are considered; deferred applications (applying in 2026/27 for 2028 entry) are treated like others.
• If grades are already achieved: applicants who do not meet the published Mathematics and second subject requirements will not be considered under any circumstances.

6. International applicants

• How to apply: through UCAS; Bristol’s institution code is BRISL B78.
• English: if English is not your first language, IELTS 6.5 overall with 6.0 in all skills, GCSE English Language at C/4, or an alternative qualification listed under Profile level E.
• Credentials and accreditation bodies: the country pages list requirements by country; the course pages do not name credential evaluators (not published).
• Funds: not on the course pages. Not published; check the UKVI student visa pages and Bristol’s international pages.
• ATAS: the engineering course pages and admissions statements do not mention ATAS. Not published; check the UK government ATAS pages.

7. Applicants from China

• Gaokao: Bristol’s China page does not mention the Gaokao. Not published; email choosebristol-ug@bristol.ac.uk.
• Senior High School Diploma plus AP: Bristol says applicants with the Senior High School Graduation Diploma (高中毕业证书), or a diploma from a school with US accreditation, and a minimum of three AP tests will be considered. The standard requirement is 5 in the AP tests and strong performance in senior high school, evidenced by a transcript. Any subject required by the course must be met with AP tests; any course asking for maths must have AP Calculus BC at grade 5; AP Physics 1, AP Physics 2 or both AP Physics C tests can be used where courses ask for an additional maths or science-related subject, as some engineering courses do.
• International school students: apply with A-levels or the IB as above.
• International Foundation Programme (IFP): delivered by Bristol to prepare international students for a degree, with a Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics pathway for degrees including engineering. Students who complete the IFP, or a suitable foundation programme, and meet the entry requirements for their chosen degree will be considered. The IFP’s own entry requirements are not published on the course pages; contact ifp-china@bristol.ac.uk in mainland China.
• Transfer from a Chinese university: applicants who have completed the first year of a degree at an acceptable Chinese university will be considered for the first year of a bachelor’s degree. Students at eligible partner universities in China can apply through the Global Transfer Programme, which uses a faster streamlined route; check that programme’s pages for partners and conditions.
• The China page also offers a Chinese-language China Country Guide 2027-28 to download.

8. Joining Year 2

• The admissions statements differ: Civil Engineering, Design Engineering and Engineering Mathematics may consider transfers into Year 2. Bristol generally expects transferring students to start in the first year of the new course, but applicants who have completed the first year of an appropriate degree elsewhere may seek entry to Year 2. Aerospace, Mechanical, Mechanical and Electrical, and Electrical and Electronic Engineering do not consider transfers into Year 2 or 3. No course considers transfers into Year 3.

9. Fees and scholarships

• First-year tuition: Home £10,050, set in line with UK government policy. International: Aerospace and Engineering Mathematics £34,700; Mechanical, Electrical and Electronic, and Mechanical and Electrical £33,600; Civil and Design Engineering £32,500. Bristol says fees are reviewed annually and are liable to rise, with international fees increasing in line with expected inflation.
• Think Big scholarships: Bristol’s flagship international scheme, with undergraduate awards of £3,000, £6,500 or £13,000 for up to four years. You need Overseas fee status, an application to an eligible undergraduate course and an application ID before applying. For 2027 entry, applications open 27 October 2026 and close at 1:00pm UK time on 19 March 2027, outcomes are shared in early May 2027 and offer holders accept by the end of May. The page says more undergraduate scholarships will be added by the end of November 2026; check it for whether your engineering course is eligible.
• Bristol also notes that Chinese students can apply for Chevening Scholarships.

10. UCAS application and timeline

• 1 September 2026: completed UCAS applications can be submitted.
• January deadline: Bristol’s key dates page lists “13 January 2026” in its 2027 entry table, which conflicts with the table title; check the exact date on the UCAS website. Applications before the deadline are guaranteed equal consideration, and Bristol notes it may accept some courses after the date, so contact admissions to check.
• The application fee, reference and personal statement format are not on the course pages; check the UCAS website.

Checklist

UK applicants:

• A*AA with A*A in Mathematics and a second subject for Aerospace, Mechanical, Civil and Design Engineering; AAA for Electrical and Electronic and Engineering Mathematics; check contextual offers
• Strong GCSEs (20% of the score); the personal statement is normally used only to separate ties
• Submit before the UCAS January deadline, institution code BRISL B78

International applicants (including China):

• A-levels or IB (38 or 36 points with HL Mathematics); on a US curriculum, a high school diploma plus at least three AP tests at 5 including AP Calculus BC for maths
• IELTS 6.5 (6.0 in each skill); email the admissions team about Gaokao use
• Watch the Think Big scholarship window: opens 27 October 2026, closes 19 March 2027

Students who want to join Year 2:

• Civil, Design Engineering and Engineering Mathematics may consider Year 2 transfers; the other courses do not; Year 3 is never considered

Sources: University of Bristol, Aerospace Engineering; Civil Engineering; Design Engineering; Mechanical Engineering; Electrical and Electronic Engineering (with Mechanical and Electrical); Engineering Mathematics; BEng Aerospace Engineering course page; Aerospace admissions statement; Civil Engineering admissions statement; Mechanical Engineering admissions statement; Electrical and Electronic Engineering admissions statement; Key application dates; China applicant page; International Foundation Programme pathways; International scholarships; UCAS 2027 entry dates and deadlines. Information is for September 2027 entry. Check Bristol and UCAS for the latest details, and each course page for its own requirements.