How to Apply to Economics at the University of Birmingham: The BSc Asks for AAA Including Mathematics, the BA Launching in 2027 Does Not Require A-level Mathematics, with Entry Routes and Prerequisites for UK, International (Including Chinese) and Transfer Applicants

The University of Birmingham is in Birmingham, the UK’s second city, and economics courses sit under Birmingham Business School, which Birmingham states holds AACSB, AMBA and EQUIS accreditation. You apply directly to a named course through UCAS. This article sets out the main points for September 2027 entry for UK applicants, international applicants (including those from China) and students who want to join year two.

1. Degrees and variants

• Economics BSc (L100, three years): a more mathematical and quantitative approach, with optional modules in theory and modelling.
• Economics BA (L101, three years): Birmingham states it launches in 2027 and is built around graphical and written analysis rather than advanced mathematics, with a policy, data and sustainability focus; both degrees are taught by the same department under the same Business School quality framework.
• Other routes: Economics and Politics BSc (LL12, joint honours), International Relations with Economics BA (LL21) and a version with a year abroad (LL2B), Mathematical Economics and Statistics BSc (LG13), and Money, Banking and Finance BSc (N300). The Dubai campus economics courses (including versions with an integrated foundation year) are taught in Dubai and are outside this article.
• Optional extra year: the BSc page says you can add a Year in Artificial Intelligence and Data Science or a Year in Computer Science, or a placement year or year abroad; the BA page also lists a paid year in industry and those two years. When and how to apply for the extra years is not stated in the pages read.
• Practice: Birmingham says students can use the Bloomberg training suite, with data labs, policy simulations and research projects, and the Business School runs challenge projects with Capgemini and Deloitte.

2. Entry requirements and prerequisites

• Economics BSc (L100): AAA including Mathematics at A level; IB 6,6,6 at Higher Level including Mathematics; BTEC only when combined with other qualifications. General Studies, Critical Thinking and Use of Maths are not counted.
• Economics BA (L101): AAA at A level with no A level Mathematics requirement (stated by Birmingham); IB 6,6,6 with at least 32 points. Whether an Economics A level is required is not stated on the course page.
• Mathematical Economics and Statistics BSc (LG13): AAA including Mathematics; IB 6,6,6 with 32 points including a 6 in Higher Level Mathematics.
• Money, Banking and Finance BSc (N300): AAB including Mathematics; IB 6,6,5 at Higher Level including Mathematics with 32 points.
• Economics and Politics BSc (LL12): AAB, with no subject requirement stated; IB 6,6,5 at Higher Level with 32 points.
• Contextual and Pathways offers: for the Economics BSc the contextual offer is AAB (including Mathematics) and the Pathways to Birmingham offer is ABB; for the BA the contextual offer is shown as “AAA or AAB (including Maths)” and Pathways as ABB; for Money, Banking and Finance the contextual offer is shown as AAA or AAB (including Maths) and Pathways as ABB.
• Admissions tests and interviews: none of the economics course pages read list an admissions test or interview.
• Core Maths: the BSc page says applicants with Core Maths can receive an alternative offer one grade lower plus a B in Core Maths, but this does not apply to anyone also taking A level Maths; the EPQ has a similar alternative offer of one grade lower plus a B.

3. How admission works and the first year

• Direct to a named course: you choose L100, L101 and so on on UCAS, and the BSc and BA are separate application choices. The course pages do not describe moving between the BSc and BA after arrival.
• First-year core (BSc): Foundations of Economics, Global Economic Challenges, Introductory Econometrics with Data Analytics, Discovering Economics (academic and professional development), Microeconomic Modelling and Analysis, and Macroeconomic Modelling and Analysis. Year two has core Econometrics, Macroeconomics and Microeconomics, one “Addressing Real World Challenges” theme (Development, Environmental or Labour Economics) and 60 credits of options; the final year has an Economics Dissertation and 80 credits of options.
• Assessment: reports, essays, presentations and assignments plus exams; the final degree is based mainly on year two and final-year marks.

4. UK applicants

• Qualifications: the university-wide entry page lists three A levels, the IB Diploma, SQA Highers and Advanced Highers (many programmes accept Highers without Advanced Highers), the Irish Leaving Certificate at Higher Level, and the Advanced Skills Baccalaureate Wales (combined with two A levels). BTEC, T Levels and Access to HE are decided course by course. Course pages give detailed requirements only for A level and IB, so the exact Scottish grades are not in the pages read for this article; check “Full requirements” on the course page or ask admissions. The pages read do not set out separate requirements for England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
• Baseline: GCSE English and Mathematics (including IGCSE) at grade 4 or above, higher for some courses; applicants must normally be 17 by 1 October of the year of entry, or 18 for programmes with a mandatory clinical placement.
• Home fee: Birmingham states it expects the first-year fee for 2027 entry (2027/28) to be £10,050, with later years possibly changing if Parliament agrees an increase; UK students can apply for tuition fee and maintenance loans. Students from Ireland keep Home fee status and Islands students are charged the Home rate. The fees page does not list separate prices for the four UK nations.
• Contextual offers: applicants who received Free School Meals in the last six years or spent time in local authority care typically receive an offer one grade lower; it is assessed automatically with no separate application, and applies only if Birmingham is the firm choice.
• Additional achievements: an EPQ (alternative offer of one grade lower plus a B in the EPQ), Core Maths (not for courses that require A level Maths), Grade 8 music performance and county-level sport can bring a one-grade-lower alternative offer; reductions do not stack. The offers page lists excluded programmes; the course page is the final word for each course.
• Pathways to Birmingham and Access to Birmingham: students who complete a Pathways to Birmingham programme receive an alternative offer typically two grades below the standard offer, and course pages list that offer; Birmingham also runs Access to Birmingham for first-generation students in the West Midlands (a £1,500-per-year scholarship plus an alternative offer).
• Economics note: the BSc, Mathematical Economics and Statistics, and Money, Banking and Finance require A level Mathematics, and the Core Maths alternative does not apply to anyone also taking A level Maths; the music and sport alternatives are listed on the course page.

5. International applicants

• Qualifications: country equivalencies sit in a “select a country” menu on each course page that only shows after you choose a country, so those figures were not in the pages read for this article. The international entry requirements page says A level requirements are on the course page and other national qualifications are shown by country; select your country on the course page to check.
• General principle: Birmingham welcomes applicants with A levels or equivalent overseas qualifications, including the IB and a recognised foundation programme, who must achieve appropriate grades.
• English: economics sits under the Business School, whose English requirement is higher than the university standard: IELTS Academic 6.5 overall with no less than 6.5 in writing and speaking and 6.0 in listening and reading; TOEFL iBT 88 (21 reading, 20 listening, 22 in speaking and writing), or 4.5 overall for tests from January 2026 with 4.5 in speaking and writing and 4 in reading and listening; PTE 67 (67 in speaking and writing, no less than 64 in reading and listening); Cambridge C1 Advanced 176 overall (176 in speaking and writing, no less than 169 in reading and listening); LanguageCert SELT B2 with 33 in listening and reading and 38 in speaking and writing; Trinity ISE III Merit in speaking and writing and Pass in other skills.
• English route: offer holders with an English condition can take a Presessional English course instead of retaking IELTS or a similar test; English tests normally need to have been taken within two years of the start date, only the most recent score is accepted, and IELTS One Skill Retakes are accepted.
• Fees and funding: international fees are shown by country on the course page and stated in the offer letter; the pages read for this article do not give the figure, so check the course page. Birmingham states the first-year international fee stays constant for the duration of the course (except the International Foundation Programme and clinical courses). International students cannot use UK student finance. Proof-of-funds and visa document requirements are not set out in the pages read; check Birmingham’s international pages and the UK government visa pages.
• International foundation: applicants who cannot enter directly can take Birmingham International Academy’s one-year or four-year integrated foundation; the page states guaranteed progression onto a wide range of degrees if academic and English requirements are met, and Kaplan International Pathways helps run applications. Check the foundation page for which degrees each pathway leads to.

6. Applicants from China

• Gaokao: Birmingham has a dedicated Gaokao page and accepts the Gaokao for undergraduate entry: 80% overall (converted to a percentage), including 80% in mathematics where A level Mathematics is required; or the Senior Secondary School Graduation Certificate with 85% overall in years 11 and 12, including 85% in relevant subjects where required; plus the standard English requirement for international students.
• Province table: the page lists each province’s maximum and 80% mark. Most provinces use 750 and 600, with mathematics 150 and 120; Shanghai is 660 and 528; Hainan is 900 (720 at 80%) when the 150-point Huikao is included; Yunnan’s additional 22 points are not counted. The page says the table is for students who sat the Gaokao in 2025 or earlier, so check whether it has been updated for 2027 entry.
• Limit of the published rule: the Gaokao page gives one 80%/85% rule and does not say how it maps to a course’s A level grade band (AAA, A*AA and so on) or whether it rises for particular subjects. That is not published; email china@contacts.bham.ac.uk (the address on the page) or contact admissions.
• Other Chinese qualifications: the China page says holders of the Chinese High School Certificate with a suitable foundation programme, or two/three-year diplomas with a good performance (80% average or above), are considered. It also accepts the Aptitude Scholastic Test (AST) at A*=250, A=210, B=170, with the Chinese High School Certificate at 70% overall and the English requirement (excluding some clinical programmes). Students with A levels or the IB follow the course page.
• Other notes on the China page: Birmingham lists recognised agents in China and a China team email. Certification of Chinese transcripts and certificates, and translation or notarisation, are not set out in the pages read, so check Birmingham’s website. No standard interview requirement for Chinese applicants is published.
• Foundation: applicants below the Gaokao requirement can take the on-campus one-year foundation or four-year integrated foundation.
• High Fliers Undergraduate Scholarships for China: £5,000 towards first-year tuition for Chinese nationals or students domiciled in China holding an offer for September 2026; expected AAA at A level, 666 at IB Higher Level, 5 in three APs, or Gaokao 80% with 85% in years 11 and 12. MBChB and BDS are not eligible. The page shows the application as closed; whether it reopens for 2027 entry is not stated in the pages read, so check Birmingham’s website.

7. Transfer into year two (direct entry)

• The undergraduate application page, the entry requirements page and the course pages read for this article do not set out transfer or second-year entry criteria, credit recognition or deadlines. This is not published; contact Birmingham’s admissions team directly using the “Speak to our admissions team” link on the course page.
• The entry requirements page says applicants who have been out of education and may not meet standard requirements are encouraged to contact the relevant admissions tutor first.

8. Fees and scholarships

• UK students (including Ireland): £10,050 expected for the first year of 2027 entry. On courses with a placement or year abroad, Home-fee students pay 15% of the agreed fee for a whole year at a partner institution and 20% for a whole year on an industrial placement.
• International students: shown by country on the course page and stated in the offer letter; the figure is not in the pages read. International students spending an entire year at a partner institution or on placement pay 50% of the agreed fee for that year.
• International scholarships: the international scholarships page says more than £10 million is available (the China page says more than £10.5 million and the international fees page says more than £7.5 million, so the figures disagree; use the latest on the website). You can search the undergraduate funding database; the scholarship for students from China is described in the section above. Whether most scholarships are assessed automatically is not stated in one place; check each scholarship page.

9. Application rounds and timeline (September 2027 entry)

• Route: all undergraduate courses are applied for through UCAS, and Birmingham’s UCAS campus code is B32. Check course codes and process on the UCAS website.
• Deadline: Birmingham states that the deadline for most courses for September 2027 entry is Wednesday 13 January 2027, 18:00 GMT, and course pages repeat it. The application page also still contains an older sentence about 13 January 2026 as the equal consideration date for 2026 entry; use the 2027 date. The deadline for Medicine and Dentistry is 15 October 2026, which has passed at the time of writing.
• Personal statement: from 2026 entry the statement answers three questions (why this course, how your studies prepared you, what else you have done), up to 4,000 characters in total with at least 350 characters in each section.
• References and fees: references are added through UCAS by your school or college (the school receives a link code); the UCAS fee amount is not stated in the pages read, so check UCAS. The course pages list no supplementary essay requirement.
• Other dates: 2027 June is the reply deadline for firm and insurance choices; the first-year accommodation guarantee deadline is usually 30 June for UK and Ireland students and 31 July for international students; Confirmation and Clearing follow A level results. Birmingham is neutral on gap years and you can apply in advance for deferred entry.

Checklist

UK applicants:

• Economics BSc: A level AAA including Mathematics, or IB Higher Level 666 including Mathematics; Economics BA: AAA with no A level Mathematics requirement
• Contextual offers are one grade lower; submit through UCAS by 18:00 GMT on 13 January 2027

International applicants:

• Select your country on the course page to check qualification requirements and fees
• IELTS 6.5 (6.5 in writing and speaking, 6.0 in listening and reading) or an accepted equivalent

Applicants from China:

• Gaokao 80% overall (80% in mathematics where A level Mathematics is required, as for the BSc), or the graduation certificate with 85% in years 11 and 12; or A levels or the IB
• How the Gaokao maps to AAA is not published, and whether the BA waives the mathematics mark is not published; email china@contacts.bham.ac.uk to confirm

Transfer applicants:

• Transfer criteria are not published; contact admissions before applying

Sources: University of Birmingham, Economics courses; Economics BSc; Economics BA; Mathematical Economics and Statistics BSc; Money, Banking and Finance BSc; Economics and Politics BSc; How to apply; Undergraduate entry requirements; International entry requirements; How we make offers; Tuition fees; International fees; International scholarships; High Fliers Scholarships for China; Students from China; Gaokao entry requirements; Foundation pathways. Information is for September 2027 entry and the 2027/28 academic year. Check Birmingham for the latest details.