How to apply for economics at the University of Salford: Salford Business School’s three-year BSc (Hons) Business Economics asks for 104 UCAS points with no set A-level subjects and has foundation-year and placement-year options – how UK, international (including Chinese) and transfer applicants are admitted and what you need to have studied

The University of Salford is in Greater Manchester in north-west England, a few minutes from Manchester city centre. Economics is taught in Salford Business School on the Peel Park campus. This guide sets out what you need to know for September 2027 entry (2027/28) based on Salford’s own pages, for UK applicants, international applicants (including students at high schools in China) and students who want to transfer in.

1. The course and how you are admitted

• The Business School’s undergraduate course list shows one economics degree under Accounting, Finance and Economics: BSc (Hons) Business Economics, UCAS code L122. The list does not show a separate Economics, Economics and Finance, Econometrics or Economics and Mathematics degree; ask Salford if you need one. The School’s business, accounting and finance degrees are only mentioned in passing here.
• Length: three years; the course page also links to a placement-year version and marks the course as available with a foundation year. Whether the foundation-year version takes international students is not stated on the pages used for this guide, so check its course page; international students can consider the International Foundation Year.
• You apply directly to this course. The course page does not describe changing course after enrolment.
• Accreditation: the page says the programme has dual accreditation with the Chartered Management Institute (CMI).
• The pages do not mention an entrance test, a maths test or interviews.

2. What you study

• Year 1: business and the global economic environment, digital and data skills, and the fundamentals of micro and macroeconomics (including Principles of Economics and Contemporary Issues in the Global Economy), with employability and project management.
• Year 2: microeconomic and behavioural analysis, economics of sustainable development and a Live Project in Macroeconomics (a consultancy project with a partner organisation), with more quantitative and data work.
• Final year: games and economic behaviour, industrial economics, competition policy and policy evaluation, with options such as Economics of Social Problems and Econometrics for Impact Evaluation, plus independent research.
• The page stresses sustainable growth, digital transformation and data-driven decisions. The names and credits of any required mathematics or statistics modules are not given on the pages used for this guide; check the module list on the course page or ask Salford.

3. What you need to have studied

The Business Economics course page gives these standard requirements:

• GCSE: Maths and English at grade C/4 or above, or equivalent Functional Skills (Level 2). You must meet the GCSE requirement as well as one of the routes below.
• A-levels / UCAS points: 104 UCAS points. The page names no A-level subjects and does not ask for economics or Further Mathematics.
• BTEC: DMM. T Level: Merit. Access to HE: 104 UCAS points from 45 Level 3 credits.
• Scottish Highers: 104 UCAS points from at least two Advanced Highers. Irish Leaving Certificate: 104 points from at least two Higher Level subjects including at least H7 (D3) or O4 (C3) in Maths and English. European Baccalaureate: Pass Diploma with 60% or above.
• IB: 30 points including grade 5 in Standard Level Maths and 6 in Standard Level English, or 4 in Higher Level Maths and 5 in Higher Level English.
• Alternative entry: applicants who do not meet the requirements but can show ability may be assessed under the Salford Alternative Entry Scheme (review of prior learning or a formal test).

4. Fees and scholarships (2027/28)

• International students: £16,920 a year full-time; Home students: £10,050 a year. The page says the fee shown is for the first year and later years may rise with inflation up to the UK government limit.
• Placement year: the course page says you can spend a year in industry earning a salary and paying no tuition fees (it does not distinguish Home from international students, so confirm with Salford). Fees for the foundation-year version are on its own course page, which was not read for this guide.
• International scholarships: the Global Gold Excellence Scholarship and the Global Silver Excellence Scholarship are assessed automatically; there is no separate form. For undergraduates starting from September 2026, Gold is worth £3,500 a year (A-level ABB or the equivalent from your country) and Silver £3,000 a year (BBC or the equivalent), with a good academic record needed to keep it; the pages are written for entry from September 2026, so check whether the same applies to 2027 entry. You must accept your offer and pay your deposit by the deadline. The scholarships page says you can hold only one scholarship or discount, and paying fees in full on or before enrolment gives a further 3% off.

International applicants

• How to apply: undergraduate applications go through UCAS, where you can make up to five choices (at Salford or at different universities). Enter Salford’s institution code S03, code name SALF and the course code, and leave the campus code blank. For the UCAS fee, check the UCAS website; the amount is not given on the pages used for this guide.
• English: Salford says international students from countries that are not majority English-speaking need IELTS Academic 6.0 with no element below 5.5 (this degree’s course page does not list IELTS itself, so this is the university’s general undergraduate level). Salford accepts a range of equivalents: its English requirements page lists UKVI IELTS, PTE Academic UKVI, Trinity ISE, LanguageCert Academic SELT and others (scores are in the table on that page), and says online IELTS and online PTE are not accepted. The page also says Salford stops accepting the Oxford ELLT from 9 October 2026. If your English is below the level, Salford points to the Pre-Sessional English course or the International Foundation Year.
• Grades and credentials: Salford says it accepts qualifications from around the world and sends you to the “Your country or region” pages for the full list. The amount of funds to show is not given on the pages used for this guide; check the website and the UK government Student visa pages.
• Visa: Salford says you can request a CAS and apply for the Student visa once you hold an unconditional offer.
• Decisions: Salford says it tries to decide within a few weeks, sometimes longer in busy periods; undergraduate decisions are sent through the UCAS Hub.
• Deadlines: the international deadlines page lists only the September 2026 undergraduate dates (meet your conditions by 21 August 2026, induction 7 September 2026, teaching 14 September 2026). Dates for September 2027 entry are not given on the pages used for this guide; check UCAS and Salford’s application deadlines page.
• International Foundation Year: The IFY has a Business route (including Economics for Business, 40 credits) for applicants with the equivalent of five GCSEs at grade 4 or above including maths and four other subjects; you can start in January or September, and BSc Business Economics is among the degrees listed for progression. The IFY is not applied for through UCAS but through Salford’s online application form. It needs IELTS 4.5 (no band below 4.0, UKVI IELTS), costs £16,000 for full-time study in 2027/28, and Salford says you progress to the linked degree if you pass with the right grade; the grade is not given on the pages used for this guide.

• Contextual offers: the contextual offers page says these are for full-time undergraduate applicants who live in the UK, apply through UCAS and pay Home fees, and who fall in its lowest participation groups, are care experienced or are seeking sanctuary; international applicants are generally not covered.
• Timeline note: check the UCAS website for the 2027 entry deadline; the international scholarships need no separate application.

Applicants from China

• Direct undergraduate entry: the Salford and China page says applicants who have completed three full years of high school and hold a senior secondary graduation certificate with an overall grade of at least 60% will be considered for undergraduate study. This is a general statement for all undergraduate courses, not a mark for any one subject; you must also meet the subject and UCAS-points requirements on the course page, and how the two fit together is not published, so ask admissions.
• Gaokao: neither the China page nor the course pages mention gaokao scores or cut-offs. This is not published; use the contact on the China page (it names a contact for applications from China) to ask.
• International Foundation Year: applicants with a zhongzhuan graduation certificate at 60% or above, or who completed the huikao with a final grade of 60% or above, will be considered.
• Education consultants: the China page lists consultancies Salford works with; you do not have to use one.

Transfer students and changing course

• Joining Year 2: the course pages used for this guide do not describe direct entry to Year 2. The China page says only that applicants with a dazhuan qualification at 60% or above who have studied relevant modules will be considered for advanced entry on relevant undergraduate programmes; whether that applies to these courses is not published, so contact admissions.
• If you do not meet the standard requirements: every course page describes the Salford Alternative Entry Scheme, which assesses applicants who can show they will succeed, through a review of prior learning or a formal test.
• Changing course inside Salford: the changing your course page says the earlier you ask the more likely you can switch, the new course leader decides and has to have a place, you should contact askUS first and then get a transfer form from the new course administrator.

Checklist

UK applicants:

• 104 UCAS points with no set A-level subjects; GCSE Maths and English at 4/C; IB 30 points with the stated Maths and English grades
• Apply through UCAS with institution code S03 and course code L122
• Home fee £10,050 a year (2027/28)

International applicants (including China):

• Apply to L122 through UCAS; IELTS 6.0 with no band below 5.5 as the university’s general level; check your country page, and the China page says a senior secondary certificate at 60% is the starting point
• How the gaokao is used is not published; ask admissions before you apply
• £16,920 a year; ABB or the equivalent gives £3,500 a year automatically, BBC or the equivalent £3,000
• If you cannot enter directly, use the International Foundation Year (Business route)

Transfer students:

• Entry to Year 2 is not described; contact admissions first. To change course inside Salford, contact askUS and the new course leader

Sources: University of Salford, BSc Business Economics; Business school undergraduate courses; How to apply; International applicants; Application deadlines; English language requirements; International Foundation Year; Salford and China; International scholarships; Global Gold; Global Silver; Contextual offers; Changing course. Information is for September 2027 entry (2027/28). Check Salford and UCAS for the latest details.