University of Leicester UCAS Points: 2026 Entry Requirements

Quick answer: Partly — and which answer applies depends on the course. Most Leicester offers for 2026 are stated in grades, such as ABB for Accounting and Finance BSc, but a minority of courses publish a Tariff total as well: Operating Department Practice BSc asks for BBC or 112 UCAS Tariff points.

Leicester is a Russell Group university that has not gone fully grade-only. Its course pages mix two offer styles, and the difference matters, because on one style your points total is accepted as the condition and on the other it is only a way of comparing universities. This page sets out which Leicester courses do what for September 2026 entry, using three verified course pages, the university's own explanation of the Tariff and its published contextual offer policy.

Does Leicester quote UCAS points or grades?

Both, and the university says so directly. Leicester's FAQ for applicants explains that Tariff points "can sometimes be referred to in the entry requirements, alongside any subject specific grades or other qualifications which do not receive UCAS Tariff points", and advises applicants to "check course entry requirements clearly to see if you can use Tariff points".

That is the honest position, and it is unusual enough to be worth spelling out. Many selective universities never print a Tariff number at all; Leicester prints one where a course recruits heavily from vocational and access routes, and states grades everywhere else. So the first job for any Leicester applicant is to look at the entry requirements block on the specific course page and see which of the two you are dealing with. If you are new to the mechanics, what UCAS points are covers how the Tariff assigns a value to each grade.

Verified 2026 entry requirements at Leicester

Three courses across different faculties show the spread, all taken from Leicester's own September 2026 course pages.

GCSE conditions sit underneath all three and vary more than the headline grades do. Operating Department Practice asks for three GCSEs at grade 4/C or above including maths and English language; Accounting and Finance asks for maths at grade 5/B plus English language at 4/C; the foundation-year route asks for grade 4/C in both English language and maths if they are not already held at A2 or AS-level.

Where the Tariff genuinely counts

Operating Department Practice BSc is the clearest example of a Leicester course where the points total is the condition. Its published requirement is BBC or 112 points from three A-levels, and the alternatives line up exactly: BBC is worth 112 UCAS points, a BTEC Extended Diploma at DMM is also worth 112, and the Access to HE route is quoted as 112 points outright. The grade profiles that reach that total are collected on the 112 UCAS points page.

What Leicester's grade offers are worth in points

For the courses stated in grades, convert only for comparison. ABB comes to 128 Tariff points, because an A carries 48 and a B carries 40 on the current Tariff, and CCC comes to 96. Those numbers let you line Leicester up against a points-based university, but they do not let you substitute: an ABB offer at Leicester means the three grades themselves. Where a total of 128 or 96 places you across the sector is set out in how many UCAS points you need.

Worth noting on the Accounting and Finance page: the BTEC alternative is DDD in Business, worth 144 points, which is 16 points above the 128 that ABB carries. Equivalence tables are set by admissions judgement, not by Tariff arithmetic, so a BTEC applicant to Leicester is not being asked for the same number as an A-level applicant.

Swapping an A-level grade for an EPQ

Leicester publishes a second, lower grade profile on some course pages for applicants taking an Extended Project Qualification. Accounting and Finance BSc is one: the standard offer is ABB, and the alternative is BBB plus an EPQ at grade B. The same page also notes that two AS-levels may be considered in place of one A-level.

Run the Tariff arithmetic and something counter-intuitive appears. BBB is 120 points and an EPQ at grade B adds 20, giving 140 — more than the 128 that ABB carries. The EPQ route lowers the A-level grades you have to hit, not the number of points you end up with. That is a useful thing to understand before you plan your Year 13 around one; how the EPQ works covers the qualification in full.

Calculate your UCAS points now

Contextual offers: two grades, with a floor at CCC

Leicester's contextual policy is specific about the 2026 cycle. Applicants who meet the criteria "will be made an offer up to two grades below the standard offer for that course (to a minimum of CCC for those studying three A levels)". Medicine (A100 and A199), Clinical Sciences (B990) and the LLB Graduate Entry, JD Pathway and Maîtrise routes are excluded.

The qualifying criteria are drawn from UCAS data and include time spent in local authority care, being aged 21 or over on entry, a home postcode in the most deprived IMD quintile, estrangement from parents, caring responsibilities, and current or previous receipt of free school meals. Completing a recognised widening participation programme also counts — Leicester names Realising Opportunities, AccessLeicester and the Sutton Trust's Pathways to Banking and Finance — and applicants on those programmes who meet no other criterion receive a dual offer, one at the standard conditions and one reduced. There is no separate application: you apply through UCAS as normal. The sector-wide picture is in contextual offers explained.

Your next step

Work out your Tariff total first, then read the entry requirements block on your Leicester course page and note which style it uses. If it names a points figure, your total is the target and the routes above are interchangeable. If it names grades, the grades are the condition and your points total is only for comparison. Either way, check the GCSE line — at Leicester it varies by course far more than the headline offer does.

University of Leicester UCAS points: FAQ

Does the University of Leicester use UCAS points?

Partly. Leicester states most of its 2026 offers in grades, such as ABB for Accounting and Finance BSc, but some courses publish a Tariff figure too: Operating Department Practice BSc asks for BBC or 112 UCAS Tariff points from three A-levels.

How many UCAS points do you need for the University of Leicester?

There is no single university-wide figure. The 2026 course pages checked here run from 96 points, the CCC asked for by Biological Sciences with Foundation Year, up to 128 points, the ABB asked for by Accounting and Finance BSc.

Does Leicester accept an EPQ instead of an A-level grade?

On some courses, yes. Accounting and Finance BSc publishes ABB, or BBB plus an EPQ at grade B. That alternative comes to 140 Tariff points against 128 for ABB, so it lowers the A-level grades you need rather than the points total.

What is Leicester's contextual offer for 2026 entry?

Applicants in the 2026 cycle who meet Leicester's contextual criteria are made an offer up to two grades below the standard requirement, to a minimum of CCC for those taking three A-levels. Medicine, Clinical Sciences and three LLB routes are excluded.

Does the University of Leicester accept BTECs?

Yes. Accounting and Finance BSc accepts a BTEC National Extended Diploma at DDD in Business, and Operating Department Practice BSc accepts DMM in a health-related subject. Those profiles are worth 144 and 112 Tariff points respectively.