University of Liverpool UCAS Points: 2026 Entry Requirements

Quick answer: No — the University of Liverpool does not make offers in UCAS Tariff points. Every 2026 condition is stated in grades, from AAA for Law and Medicine down to BBC for Nursing. The one thing that reliably moves those grades is an EPQ, or Liverpool's automatic contextual reduction of up to two grades.

Liverpool is a Russell Group university that publishes unusually detailed qualification-by-qualification requirements — a separate line for A-levels, T Levels, BTEC at three different sizes, IB, Access, Irish Leaving Certificate, Scottish Highers and the Welsh Baccalaureate — and not one of them is a points total. This page sets out what Liverpool actually published for September 2026 entry, the EPQ alternatives that quietly lower several offers, what the grades convert to on the Tariff, and how the contextual scheme and the Go Higher and Carmel College routes work.

Does the University of Liverpool use UCAS points?

No. Liverpool's admissions guidance describes applicants by the qualifications they hold rather than by a score: "A large proportion of our school-leaving applicants from England, Wales and Northern Ireland apply to us with three or more A-levels", and for most programmes it will consider "BTEC National Extended Diploma, BTEC Diploma plus one A level and BTEC National Extended Certificate plus two A levels". Its Undergraduate Admissions Policy for 2026 entry covers selection principles, fair access, foundation routes and articulation agreements without using the word "tariff" once, and none of the 2026 course listings checked for this page expresses an offer as a number of points.

If you want the broader map of which universities recruit on points and which recruit on grades, that is set out in do all universities use UCAS points, and the mechanics of the score itself are covered in what are UCAS points.

Liverpool's published 2026 offers, course by course

Liverpool's A-level offers for September 2026 entry run from AAA at the top to BBC on some health programmes. Five verified examples show the spread and the conditions attached:

The EPQ exception: where a fourth qualification really counts

At most grade-based universities an extra qualification adds nothing to your offer. Liverpool is different, because it prints EPQ alternatives on individual course pages: "Applicants with the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) are eligible for a reduction in grade requirements." Law's AAA becomes AAB with an A in the EPQ, Computer Science's AAB becomes ABB, Psychology's ABB becomes BBB. That is a genuine one-grade saving on the subjects that matter most to you.

The catch is that it only works where the course page publishes it — there is no general rule, and Medicine and Nursing carry no EPQ alternative at all. How the qualification is graded and what it is worth is explained in EPQ explained.

What Liverpool's grades are worth in Tariff points

Use these figures to compare a Liverpool offer against a points-based university, not to meet it. On the current Tariff an A* is 56, an A is 48, a B is 40 and a C is 32, so AAA comes to 144 points, AAB to 136, ABB to 128 and BBC to 112. Medicine's alternative profile of A*AB also reaches 144 — the same total as AAA assembled differently, which is exactly why Liverpool names the grades instead of the number. The full workings sit on the AAA UCAS points and ABB UCAS points pages.

The EPQ routes produce a neat paradox. Law's alternative offer of AAB plus an A in the EPQ is worth 160 Tariff points — sixteen more than the standard AAA offer of 144 — while being the easier condition to meet in grades. That is a good illustration of why a points total and a grade profile are not interchangeable; the arithmetic is set out at A-level plus EPQ UCAS points.

Which qualifications Liverpool accepts

Liverpool considers "any qualification at a suitable academic level" — Level 3 or above in the RQF, or its Scottish equivalent — and publishes a separate requirement for each route:

• BTECs — an Extended Diploma alone, a Diploma with one A-level, or an Extended Certificate with two A-levels. Law asks for D*D*D* from a defined subject list; Nursing accepts DDM.
• T Levels — accepted for most non-clinical programmes, usually at Distinction with specified core and specialism grades. Computer Science asks for T Level Science or ICT at Distinction, with Distinction in the specialism and B in the core, alongside A-level Maths or Computer Science.
• Access to HE Diploma — Law asks for 45 Level 3 credits with 39 at Distinction and 6 at Merit.
• International Baccalaureate — accepted for all undergraduate programmes; Law asks for 36 points, Computer Science for 34.
• Scottish and Welsh routes — Advanced Highers considered on the same basis as A-levels; the Welsh Baccalaureate accepted alongside A-levels, at grade A plus AA for Law.

Underneath all of it sits one university-wide condition: literacy and numeracy "normally equivalent to at least Grade C at GCSE in English and Mathematics, or Grade 4 in the numerical grading scale", with individual programmes asking for more.

Contextual offers, Go Higher and the Carmel College route

Liverpool's contextual admissions strategy provides "up to a two-grade reduction (grade reduction will vary by qualification type) from the standard offer" for students from POLAR4 quintile 1 neighbourhoods, from Index of Multiple Deprivation deciles 1 and 2, and for care-experienced students. It is applied automatically from your UCAS data — there is nothing extra to submit. Where an applicant has no POLAR4 value, Liverpool considers a one-grade reduction case by case. Two grades takes an AAA offer to ABB, which is 144 points down to 128. The sector-wide picture is in contextual offers explained.

Medicine runs its own version: for 2026 entry the School of Medicine intended to make up to 50 reduced contextual offers, "up to 2 grades below the standard University of Liverpool offer", to home applicants from those same under-represented groups, alongside its commitment to Liverpool Scholars participants.

If your grades sit well below the standard offer, two preparatory routes exist. Go Higher is a one-year diploma for mature students without formal entry qualifications, applied for directly rather than through UCAS, and it qualifies you to apply for Liverpool's arts, humanities and social sciences degrees. The four-year Engineering Foundation route taught at Carmel College publishes a typical offer of CDD — 80 Tariff points — with five GCSEs at grade C/4 including English Language, Maths and two Sciences, and applicants over 21 considered on GCSEs alone.

Calculate your UCAS points now

If Liverpool is one of your five choices

Work from the course page, not the range. Liverpool's conditions vary by a full grade band between subjects and almost every one carries a subject requirement, a GCSE threshold or both. Check whether your course prints an EPQ alternative before you decide against taking one, and check the contextual criteria against your own postcode and circumstances, because the reduction is applied silently rather than advertised. Then work out where your predicted grades put you across the whole sector at how many UCAS points you need, and set an insurance choice a clear band below your Liverpool firm.

University of Liverpool UCAS points: FAQ

Does the University of Liverpool use UCAS points?

No. Liverpool states its 2026 conditions in grades: Law LLB asks for AAA, Computer Science for AAB including Maths or Computer Science, and Nursing for BBC with a science subject. No Tariff total substitutes for those grades, though published EPQ offers drop the requirement by one grade.

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

There is no points target, because Liverpool does not make Tariff-based offers. Its 2026 spread of BBC to AAA converts to 112 to 144 points for comparison only. Medicine's alternative profile of A*AB also reaches 144, the same total as AAA by a different route.

What are typical University of Liverpool entry requirements?

Between AAA and BBC at A-level depending on the course. Medicine asks for AAA including Chemistry, Law for AAA, Computer Science for AAB including Maths or Computer Science, Psychology for ABB with a B in a science, and Nursing for BBC with a science subject.

Does an EPQ lower a University of Liverpool offer?

Yes, on courses that publish an alternative offer. Law LLB drops from AAA to AAB with an A in the EPQ, Computer Science from AAB to ABB, and Psychology from ABB to BBB. The reduction applies only where the course page prints it.

What contextual offers does the University of Liverpool make?

Liverpool's contextual admissions strategy gives up to a two-grade reduction, applied automatically with no separate application. Eligible groups are POLAR4 quintile 1 postcodes, Index of Multiple Deprivation deciles 1 and 2, and care-experienced students. Two grades takes an AAA offer down to ABB.