How to Apply to Physics at Northumbria University: Physics and Physics with Astrophysics as BSc and Four-Year MPhys in the School of Engineering, Physics and Mathematics, Grade B in A-level Maths and Physics, and Entry Requirements for Home, International (Including Chinese) and Transfer Applicants

Physics at Northumbria University is taught by the School of Engineering, Physics and Mathematics on the City Campus in Newcastle. This guide follows the university website for September 2027 entry and is written for UK applicants, international applicants (including students at Chinese high schools) and transfer applicants.

1. Which physics courses, and how admission works

• Physics BSc (Hons): UCAS code F300, 3 years full time, or 4 years with a placement (sandwich) or study abroad.
• Physics with Astrophysics BSc (Hons): UCAS code F3F5, 3 years or 4 years.
• Physics MPhys (Hons): UCAS code F301, an integrated master's, 4 years full time or 5 years with a placement or study abroad.
• Physics with Astrophysics MPhys (Hons): UCAS code F2W4, 4 years or 5 years.
• Extended Degrees: the Physics Extended Degree has UCAS code Z028. The university's course list also has a Physics with Astrophysics extended degree; its code and requirements are not given on the pages used for this guide; check the website. An extended degree adds a preparatory first year for students who do not meet the standard entry requirements.
• Applying to a named course: each course has its own UCAS code, so you choose the course when you apply. The pages do not say on what conditions you can change course after entry, or whether you can move between the BSc and the MPhys; not given on the pages used for this guide, ask the admissions team.
• Admission tests and interviews: none of the physics course pages mentions an admissions test or interview; not given on the pages used for this guide.

2. What you study, and accreditation

• Year 1 core modules (the same on the Physics BSc, Physics with Astrophysics BSc and Physics MPhys pages): Calculus, Dynamics, Particles, Waves and the Big Bang, Electricity, Magnetism and Electronics, Research, Analysis and Presentation, Experiments and Discovery; international and EU students also take a 0-credit module, Skills for Academic Success in a UK University, each year.
• Year 2 core modules (same three courses): Advanced Mathematics for Physics, Space-Time and Electromagnetism, Theory, Computation and Experiment, Quantum Universe, Semiconductor Physics, Thermal and Nuclear Energy.
• Physics BSc final year: the Individual Physics Project (core, 40 credits), Quantum Devices, Advanced Photovoltaics and Quantum and Molecular Photonics are core, with Fluid Dynamics, Dynamical Systems and Satellite Systems and Space Environment as options. The course page says the breadth of topics lets you customise the final year around what matters to you.
• Physics with Astrophysics BSc final year: core modules include Cosmology and Stellar Evolution, Solar Physics, the Individual Physics Project and Quantum Devices, with Fluid Dynamics, Dynamical Systems and Satellite Systems and Space Environment as options.
• MPhys Year 5: Numerical Solutions of Partial Differential Equations, Soft and Nanomaterials, Advanced Condensed Matter and the Physics Research Project (60 credits) are core.
• Placement and study abroad: after Year 2 you can take a full placement year or study abroad year, or a semester of either.
• Research and facilities: the course pages name research strengths in quantum devices, smart and nano materials, soft matter, and chaos theory and dynamical systems, with astro-particle physics and solar physics for the astrophysics route; they say the university has recently invested more than one million pounds in physics facilities, and describe the North East Space Skills and Technology Centre (NESST) as a £50M space skills, research and development centre.
• Accreditation: the Physics with Astrophysics BSc and Physics with Astrophysics MPhys pages say the course is accredited by the Institute of Physics (IOP) for the purpose of partially meeting the educational requirement for Chartered Physicist, and the Physics MPhys (F301) page carries the same statement. The Physics BSc (F300) page does not state accreditation.

3. Entry requirements

• Standard offer: 112 UCAS tariff points (the same on the Physics BSc, Physics with Astrophysics BSc and both MPhys pages); contextual admissions 96 points.
• Subject requirement: grade B in both A-level Mathematics and Physics, or a recognised equivalent. The pages do not ask for Further Mathematics and do not state IB levels or scores; not given on the pages used for this guide, ask the admissions team.
• Extended degree (Z028): standard offer 72 UCAS points, contextual 56; the page lists only the GCSE requirement and no A-level subject requirement.
• GCSE: Maths, Statistics or Physics, and English Language, minimum grade 4/C.
• ATAS certificate: the two MPhys pages (F301, F2W4) say international applicants, apart from exempt nationalities, need an ATAS certificate to enrol, and that a visa application is refused without one. The Physics BSc and Physics with Astrophysics BSc pages used for this guide do not carry this note; ask the admissions team whether it applies, and see the UK government ATAS guidance for the exempt nationalities.

How to apply, timeline and general requirements

• Route: the course page says to use the Apply Now button, and some courses redirect to an external system such as UCAS. The international application guide says you can apply through the university website, through UCAS, or through an official education agent. Northumbria's UCAS institution code and the 2027-entry UCAS deadline are not given on the pages used for this guide; check on the UCAS website.
• Timeline: the university's deadlines page gives dates for September 2026 entry: UCAS applications by 14 January 2026 to be sure of consideration (most areas keep accepting afterwards, but popular courses may close early); international applications by 6 August 2026, deposit by 13 August 2026 and CAS request by 20 August 2026. The matching dates for 2027 entry are not given on that page; check the website rather than reusing last cycle's dates.
• Tuition: In the 2027/28 international undergraduate fees table, "Physics and Electrical Engineering Courses" are £21,500 per year, and the physics course pages show the same first-year international fee of £21,500; the Physics Extended Degree page shows a first-year international fee of £19,850. The university may raise fees in later years in line with inflation, and fees are payable every year of study.

UK (home) applicants

• Standard requirement: 112 UCAS tariff points with grade B in A-level Mathematics and Physics or equivalent (see section 3).
• Accepted qualifications: the course page says the 112 points can come from a combination of acceptable Level 3 qualifications, including A-level, T Level, BTEC Diplomas/Extended Diplomas, Scottish and Irish Highers, Access to HE Diplomas or the International Baccalaureate; use the UCAS tariff calculator to check your points.
• GCSE: Maths, Statistics or Physics, and English Language, at minimum grade 4/C or equivalent.
• Contextual admissions: the course page gives a lower tariff (above); the conditions are on the university's entry requirements essential information page, check the details on the website.
• England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland: the course page does not set different requirements by nation; not given on the pages used for this guide, ask the admissions team.
• Home tuition for 2027/28: the course page gives a UK fee of £10,050, set in line with the UK government fee cap and which the university may change in line with the cap. Scholarships and grants for home students are not itemised on the pages used for this guide; see the university's financial support pages.

International applicants

• Qualifications: the course page says the university welcomes qualifications from outside the UK and points you to the Northumbria and your country pages for country-specific requirements.
• English: the course page asks for an overall IELTS (Academic) score of 6.0 with at least 5.5 in each component, or an approved equivalent. The acceptable-English-qualifications page lists IELTS Academic, PTE Academic, TOEFL iBT, LanguageCert, Duolingo and others, plus country-specific qualifications; the required scores for each are on that page and are not listed one by one here. International applicants to the MPhys courses (F301, F2W4) also need an ATAS certificate (see above).
• Extended degree: The Physics Extended Degree (Z028) asks for 72 UCAS tariff points (56 contextual), with a first-year international fee of £19,850 on the course page; the page says extended-degree students pay the applicable foundation-year fee in the first year.
• International foundation: the international undergraduate fees page lists International Foundation Year fees of £11,750 (2 semesters), £17,250 (3 semesters) and £21,250 (4 semesters); see the university's pathway pages for entry requirements and length.
• Proof of funds and credential evaluation: not given on the course pages or the international application guide used for this guide; ask the international admissions team.
• Visa paperwork: the deadlines page says international students pay a deposit once unconditional firm and then request a CAS, with a final CAS-request date (20 August 2026 for the 2026 intake). Check the 2027 dates.

Applicants from mainland China

• Direct entry to Year 1: the China page lists the Senior High School Certificate with 80% for first-year undergraduate entry. It adds that these are general guidelines, that requirements can vary by course, and that decisions also take the personal statement and previous study into account, not only the final grade.
• International Foundation Programme: the China page lists successful completion of Senior Middle School 2 with an average of 70% or higher, or Senior Middle School 3 with an average of 60% or higher.
• Gaokao: the China page does not say how gaokao results are used; not given on the pages used for this guide, ask the university.
• Subject requirements for physics: The 80% on the China page is a general statement for Year 1. How the "grade B in A-level Mathematics and Physics or recognised equivalent" requirement maps onto Chinese high-school mathematics and physics results is not given on the pages used for this guide; ask the admissions team rather than assuming. Whether the ATAS note on the MPhys pages applies to Chinese nationals is also not stated there; check the UK government ATAS guidance and ask the admissions team.
• Interview: the course page does not mention an admissions interview; the university has a separate Interviews page, and whether it applies to this course is not given on the pages used for this guide, so ask the admissions team.

Transfer applicants (direct entry to Year 2)

• The China page table, in the row for 2nd or 3rd year entry (depending on course and subjects taken), lists a 3-year diploma at 70%, a 211/985 university with a 70% average in undergraduate studies, and a non-211/985 university with a 75% average. Whether you enter Year 2 or Year 3 depends on the course and the subjects you have taken; the last two rows sit directly after that row in the table, so check the original table on the website for how they apply.
• Credit-transfer rules and the specific module results required are not given on the pages used for this guide; contact the admissions team and prepare module descriptions and transcripts.

Costs and scholarships

• In the 2027/28 international undergraduate fees table, "Physics and Electrical Engineering Courses" are £21,500 per year, and the physics course pages show the same first-year international fee of £21,500; the Physics Extended Degree page shows a first-year international fee of £19,850. The university may raise fees in later years in line with inflation, and fees are payable every year of study.
• The international undergraduate fees page also lists an undergraduate placement (sandwich) year at £2,010 and an undergraduate study abroad year (outgoing students) at £1,510.
• Scholarships: the international undergraduate funding page says Northumbria's international scholarships are awarded by country of domicile, each with eligibility criteria, and that a scholarship search filters by level, mode of study, entry year and domicile. Whether awards are automatic and how much they are is not given on the pages used for this guide; check the scholarship search tool on the website.
• The fee box on the course page also carries a note about International Soccer Academy and accommodation fees being to be confirmed; the university does not explain how it relates to this course, so rely on the international undergraduate fees table for tuition.

Sources: Northumbria University, Physics BSc (Hons); Physics with Astrophysics BSc (Hons); Physics MPhys (Hons); Physics with Astrophysics MPhys (Hons); Physics Extended Degree; International undergraduate tuition fees; International undergraduate funding; Entry requirements for China; International application guide; Application deadlines and key dates; Acceptable English qualifications; Extended Degrees. Information is for September 2027 entry unless stated. Check Northumbria for the latest details.