How to Apply to Economics at the University of Leeds: Economics, Economics and Finance, Business Economics and Economics and Mathematics, AAA in Any Subjects but GCSE Maths at A/7, No Year 2 or 3 Entry at the Business School, and Requirements for UK, International (Including Chinese) and Transfer Students

The University of Leeds is in Leeds, in the north of England. Economics degrees are mainly taught by Leeds University Business School; Economics and Mathematics is taught jointly by the School of Mathematics and the Business School. The Business School states that it holds AACSB, AMBA and EQUIS accreditation. This guide covers economics only, for UK applicants, international applicants, applicants from China (their own section) and transfer students. Information is for September 2027 entry.

1. Which economics degrees are offered

• You apply directly to a named course, each with its own UCAS code, all three years full time with optional placement and year abroad: Economics BSc (L100), Economics and Finance BSc (LN13), Business Economics BSc (L112) and Economics and Mathematics BSc (GL11).
• Business Economics: Leeds describes it as the economics of the firm, with less emphasis on mathematics than the other economics courses and more time on concepts, practices and techniques. Economics and Finance combines the two subjects, with Introduction to Finance among its compulsory modules. Economics BSc develops theoretical and mathematical skills and is supported by a partnership with the CQF Institute, the awarding body of the Certificate in Quantitative Finance.
• The Business School also offers Accounting and Finance, Banking and Finance, International Business and Finance and other undergraduate degrees, which this guide does not cover.
• Placement and year abroad: the course pages list 100+ placement organisations, say all placements sourced by the University are paid, and say a placement year extends your studies by 12 months and adds “industrial” to the degree title; a year abroad is usually an extra year of 12 months and adds “international”. Leeds notes that a placement cannot be guaranteed.

2. Prerequisites and grades: UK applicants

• A-level (Business School entry requirements for 2027, the same for Economics, Economics and Finance and Business Economics): AAA in any subjects, excluding General Studies, Critical Thinking and the EPQ; GCSE Maths A/7 and English Language B/5 (C/4 in English Language is accepted with B/5 in English Literature). Leeds does not ask for A-level Mathematics or Economics.
• Alternatives to GCSE Maths: where GCSE Maths A/7 is required, Core Maths at grade A is accepted instead; if you do not meet the minimum GCSE Maths, an AS-level in Maths or Use of Maths at grade C or above is accepted. The Business School does not accept Level 2 Functional Skills English instead of GCSE English.
• Economics and Mathematics: A-level AAA/A*AB including an A in Mathematics; EPQ and IPQ are not currently part of offer-making; GCSE English Language grade 6 (B) or higher.
• Scotland, Ireland, Wales and others: Scottish applicants can offer six Highers at AAAAAA, or one Advanced Higher at A with five Highers at AAABB, or two Advanced Highers at AA with five Highers at AABBB, or three Advanced Highers at AAA, and National 5 Mathematics and English count against the GCSE requirements; the Irish Leaving Certificate (Higher Level) needs six H2s; the Welsh Advanced Skills Baccalaureate needs an A alongside AA at A-level; Cambridge Pre-U is D3 D3 M2 or D2 M1 M1; the BTEC National Extended Diploma in Business, Enterprise and Entrepreneurship or Marketing needs D*DD with no A-level required; the Access to HE Diploma is considered for UK applicants only, in a business-related diploma of 60 credits with 45 at Level 3, 30 of them at Distinction and 15 at Merit; T Levels are assessed case by case for specified business and digital subjects (overall Distinction with an A in the Core Component). The Business School does not accept the BTEC National Level 3 Certificate, the Cambridge Advanced Nationals Level 3 Certificate or the WJEC Level 3 Certificate.
• Resits and timing: the Business School considers resits (at most one per qualification) and normally expects A-levels or equivalents to be completed over three years; if not, the referee should explain in the reference.
• Contextual offers: the typical Access to Leeds offer is A-level ABB, GCSE Maths A/7 and English Language or Literature C/4, plus a pass in Access to Leeds. The scheme is for UK students from lower-income households, first-generation applicants or those whose studies were disrupted.

3. Admissions tests, interviews and how decisions are made

• The course pages and the Business School entry requirements page do not mention an economics admissions test or an interview. To confirm, email lubsugadmissions@leeds.ac.uk.
• How decisions are made: the course pages say Business School courses receive a high volume of applications relative to places, so Leeds cannot offer a place to every applicant; decisions rest on an overall review of the application, including predicted or achieved grades, the breadth of knowledge shown by qualifications, the personal statement, extracurricular and work experience, and contextual information. Intake numbers and cut-offs are not published.

4. Course structure and options

• Module structure: compulsory, optional, pathway and discovery modules. Pathway modules are themed around business disciplines; you can take modules from up to two pathways each year and then continue, switch or return to economics options. On Economics BSc the pathways are Finance, Enterprise and Innovation, and Ethics and Sustainability.
• Economics BSc Year 1: compulsory modules are Economic Theory and Applications (30 credits), Economic Perspectives and Controversies (20), Academic, Professional and Research Skills for Studies in Economics (20), Economics and Global History (10) and Mathematics and Statistics for Economics and Business 1B (10); 1A is optional. Year 2 includes intermediate microeconomics and macroeconomics, statistics and econometrics, and research methods; Year 3 has advanced microeconomics and macroeconomics and a 40-credit Economics Dissertation.
• Mathematical level: Leeds says Business Economics has less emphasis on mathematics than the other economics courses; see each course page for its mathematics modules.

5. International applicants: grades, fees and deadline

• IB: 35 points overall with 17 from Higher Level; Mathematics can be met with 5 at Standard Level or 4 at Higher Level, and English with 5 in English A (SL or HL) or 7 at SL / 6 at HL in English B, unless met through another qualification. English Literature and Performance and English ab initio are not accepted. Economics and Mathematics asks for 17 HL points including 6 in HL Mathematics.
• Other international qualifications: the course pages send international applicants to the international entry requirements page, where you look up your country.
• International tuition (per year, fixed for the degree): the Economics, Economics and Finance and Business Economics pages state £29,000; Economics and Mathematics states £30,400.
• International deadline: the course pages say the deadline for international students to apply to Leeds University Business School courses is 30 June (the page prints no year, so check that it applies to 2027 entry); Leeds recommends applying as early as possible to leave time for your visa. The Economics and Mathematics page only says to apply through UCAS and does not repeat 30 June, so confirm with the admissions team.
• Foundation: international students who do not meet the academic requirements may be able to take the University of Leeds International Foundation Year.

6. Applicants from China

• Gaokao: Leeds’s “Qualifications from China” page accepts the Gaokao and senior high school graduation, and notes that “some programmes require A Level Maths alongside the Gaokao”. Typical undergraduate requirements are given as 75–85% in the Gaokao depending on the subject, plus an overall average of 80% with at least 80% in relevant subject areas in senior high school Years 1 and 2, and the senior high school graduation certificate. The exact Gaokao level for economics is not published on the Business School pages; email lubsugadmissions@leeds.ac.uk (or maths.admiss@leeds.ac.uk for Economics and Mathematics).
• Other Chinese qualifications: the same page accepts the Maple Leaf World School Program Diploma at 75–85% depending on the subject.
• Foundation: applicants who do not meet these requirements (and those applying to the School of Medicine or Dentistry) must complete a foundation programme such as the University of Leeds International Foundation Year (IFY), or take A-levels or the IB. IFY entry from China is an overall average of 80% (grade B) with at least 80% in relevant subjects in senior high school Year 3, and the same scores from Year 2 are accepted; the IFY English requirement (Arts and Social Science, Business, Design, Engineering and Science routes) is IELTS 5.5 with 5.5 in each component. Check the IFY pages for which degrees each route leads to.
• English: the China page gives the undergraduate minimum as the Maple Leaf English 12 module at 65% or above, IELTS 6.0 overall, or GCSE English C/4 or an equivalent; where your course asks for more, follow the course page (see the English language requirements section below).
• Transcripts, verification bodies and interviews: the China page does not name a transcript verification body or list interviews. For the documents Chinese students need, check Leeds’s international application pages or email the International Office (internationaloffice@leeds.ac.uk).

7. English language requirements

• The Economics, Economics and Finance, Business Economics and Economics and Mathematics course pages all state IELTS 6.5 overall with no component below 6.0. Other recognised English qualifications on the Business School entry requirements page: IGCSE First Language or English as a Second Language B/5; TOEFL iBT 4.5 overall with at least 4 in each component; PTE Academic 64 with at least 60 in each; Cambridge B2 First 176 with at least 169 in each (C1 Advanced and C2 Proficiency also accepted); LanguageCert Academic 70 with at least 65 in each; and Password Skills 6.5 with at least 6 in each. The Business School says every applicant needs GCSE English Language grade B (5) or higher (C/4 with B/5 in English Literature); applicants whose first language is not English and who lack the GCSE can use the recognised qualifications above.
• University-wide (international entry requirements page): the undergraduate minimum is IELTS Academic or UKVI 6.0 overall with no component below 5.5 (some courses ask for more). IELTS results must be no more than two years old at the course start date, taken at a test centre, and met through a single test or a single test plus One Skill Retake. Equivalent scores for TOEFL iBT, PTE Academic, LanguageCert, Cambridge English and other tests are in the comparison tables on Leeds’s international entry requirements page.
• International students who fall short of the English requirement may be able to take Leeds’s undergraduate pre-sessional English course.

8. Transfer and advanced entry

• Leeds’s application page says many schools will consider requests to transfer from another university. You usually need to show that you have met the course’s standard first-year entry requirements and are performing well in a degree that is relevant to the new course. However, the Business School’s entry requirements page also states that, apart from formal articulation routes with recognised partner institutions, it cannot accept applications for advanced entry into Year 2 or Year 3 and all other applications must be to the first year. With both statements on record, confirm with the admissions team which applies to the economics courses; Economics and Mathematics is taught jointly by the School of Mathematics and the Business School, so check with both.
• Whether direct entry to Year 2 is possible, how many credits are needed and whether places exist are not published on the course pages; contact the admissions email on the course page (lubsugadmissions@leeds.ac.uk).

9. Tuition fees and scholarships

• UK students: undergraduate tuition for 2027/28 entry is £10,050. Later years follow the UK government’s fee cap, and Leeds says that from 2028/29 fees are likely to rise each year at least in line with inflation. Eligible UK students can take a government tuition fee loan. The Leeds fees page refers only to “UK students” and does not split England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland; check Leeds and your funding body for eligibility.
• International students: the fee is shown on each course page, applies for each year of full-time study and stays the same for the whole degree (each subject section below gives the figures for the courses covered here). Leeds says the fee covers tuition, exam costs and students’ union membership.
• Placement or year abroad: fees are substantially reduced. For 2027/28 entry Leeds gives £1,505 for UK students and £4,575 for international students.
• Scholarships: the international scholarships page says Leeds offers more than £20 million in scholarships for international students and points to a scholarships directory where you can search by criteria. Whether each award is assessed automatically and which are open to international undergraduates is not stated on the pages read for this guide; check the scholarships directory and each award’s page.

10. How to apply and timeline (September 2027 entry)

• Apply through UCAS, the same way for international and UK applicants. Check course codes and deadlines on the UCAS website.
• Leeds’s dates page (titled for the 2026-27 cycle): 13 January 2027 is the UCAS equal consideration deadline, and applications after it may still be accepted if the course has places; universities must decide on applications received by that date by 12 May 2027; teaching begins on 27 September 2027.
• Application contents: the reference on the UCAS form from your current or most recent school or college, and a personal statement; international applicants can also upload transcripts and certificates, an English language certificate and a passport. Deferred entry is typically welcome: apply in your final school year and explain your reasons in the personal statement, but you must still meet your offer conditions in the year you apply.
• Access to Leeds (the contextual admissions scheme for UK students) opens on 21 September 2026; the deadline for most courses is 21 January 2027.
• Leeds also publishes an Admissions Policy for 2027-28 with more detail on the process.

Checklist

UK applicants:

• A-level AAA in any subjects, GCSE Maths A/7 and English B/5; Economics and Mathematics needs AAA/A*AB including an A in Mathematics
• Apply through UCAS by 13 January 2027; write a personal statement showing your interest in economics; eligible applicants also apply to Access to Leeds

International applicants:

• IB 35 points (17 at HL) with Mathematics SL 5 or HL 4; IELTS 6.5 (6.0 per component); tuition £29,000 a year (£30,400 for Economics and Mathematics)
• Business School international deadline 30 June; apply as early as possible

Applicants from China:

• Gaokao 75–85% depending on the subject plus an 80% Year 1–2 average; ask lubsugadmissions@leeds.ac.uk for the exact figure for economics; otherwise take the International Foundation Year, A-levels or the IB

Transfer students:

• The Business School does not accept Year 2 or 3 entry except through formal articulation partners; other applicants apply to first year

Sources: University of Leeds, Leeds University Business School undergraduate; Business School entry requirements for 2027; Economics BSc; Economics and Finance BSc; Business Economics BSc; Economics and Mathematics BSc; UK qualifications accepted; Application dates; How to apply; Undergraduate fees; International entry and English requirements; Qualifications from China; International Foundation Year entry; International scholarships. Information is for September 2027 entry. Check Leeds and UCAS for the latest details.