Entry Requirements

The following qualifications will be considered for direct entry to undergraduate programmes:

• Students who have completed 12 years of education in China and attained the Secondary School Leaving Certificate with good grades must complete an approved Foundation programme or GCE A Levels for progression to undergraduate degree programmes.
• The Gaokao Chinese University Entrance Examination will be considered, along with performance in the Senior High School examination for entry to Stage 1 of our undergraduate programmes (excluding Medicine and Dentistry), with a minimum score of 75% overall average in Gaokao and 75% in all subjects.  Subject-specific requirements must be met.  Where A-level Mathematics is a course requirement, both Mathematics and Physics must be taken as part of the Gaokao, and a score of 80% in each subject will be required.  If a subject is a specified as a requirement at GCSE grade C, a score of 75% in this subject in Senior Secondary school HUI Kao (Graduation Certificate) will be accepted.  If Grade B in GCSE is required, a score of 80% in the subject in Senior Secondary school HUI Kao will be accepted.
• Progression to Stage 1 of an undergraduate degree programme at Queen's (with the exception of Agricultural Technology, Medicine, Dentistry and Social Work) is guaranteed for students who successfully complete the INTO Queen's International Foundation Programme at the required standard.
• Students who have completed one or two years of university study in China may be eligible for admission to Bachelor degree programmes, if relevant subjects have been studied and strong grades have been achieved.
• Applicants who have already completed A-Levels/a recognised Foundation programme or the first year of a relevant degree programme in China, but who do not meet the academic or English language requirements for entry, may wish to consider INTO Queen's International Year One. Successful completion at the required standard offers direct entry to the second year of selected undergraduate degree programmes in Management, Economics, Finance and Engineering.
• Between 30 and 36 points in the International Baccalaureate Diploma (IB). Information on required grades.

Please note: Grades required vary depending on the programme of study. Further guidance on the entry requirements for each degree programme can be found in the Undergraduate Coursefinder.

Entry to graduate diploma or taught masters programmes usually requires either a UK upper second-class (2:1) or a lower second-class (2:2) undergraduate degree. For most courses, your major subject or content of your Bachelor degree may also be considered. Please check our Course Finder for specific entry requirements.

Applicants from China should hold a good four-year bachelor degree from a recognised, well ranked university with an average grade of at least 70-85%.

Tier 1: Prestigious Universities (Double First Class Universities and Top 100 Academic Ranking of World Universities). Tier 2: Other Recognised Universities and Independent Colleges affiliated to a Tier 1 Institution (as defined by Queen's). Tier 3: Other Independent Colleges recognised by Ministry of Education and Self-Study Degrees.

Supporting Documentation

When submitting your application, please ensure that you upload copies of official transcripts for completed programmes as well as those currently in progress. Final Bachelor Degree and Graduation Certificates for programmes already complete should also be provided.  

Applicants should upload official English translations of their qualifications documents, for example, official translations (signed and stamped) issued by the degree-awarding university/institution in China.

We will also accept online verification reports (in English) of the degree certificate, transcript and the qualification certificate issued by CHESICC (China Credentials Verification service) – please see https://www.chsi.com.cn/en/service/ for further details.  There is a fee for this service. 

Borderline Cases

We will consider students who have completed their degree with lower grades than those outlined in their offer letter. For many postgraduate taught programmes, Chinese graduates will normally be accepted with a final average mark of up to 2% below the condition stated in the official offer letter, assuming that performance in key modules is of an appropriate standard. 

Sometimes, it may be possible to exercise flexibility in the case of applicants who have fallen more than 2% below the target grade when final results are known. In these cases, the decision will be at the discretion of the Academic Selector.

On completion of your degree, you should forward a copy of the following documents to intl.student@qub.ac.uk to confirm the award of your qualification and the overall grade:

• Official transcript (final version including all your grades)
• Bachelor degree Certificate
• Graduation Certificate

It is only on receipt of these documents that we will be able to confirm your acceptance.

INTO Queen's Preparation Courses

For those interested in Computing, Finance and Management courses, but who do not meet the entry requirements, you may wish to consider a a pre-masters Graduate Diploma offered by INTO Queen's.

PhD Study

Students interested in undertaking a PhD at Queen’s University need good grades in their Bachelor and Masters degree programmes awarded by a recognised university, in addition to a strong research proposal.

If your first language is not English, evidence of an acceptable level of proficiency will be required. In addition, applicants who are non-EEA nationals must satisfy the UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) immigration requirements for English language for visa purposes. This evidence should be in the form of a Secure English Language Test (SELT), normally the IELTS Academic for UKVI Purposes test, or another English language qualification acceptable to the University which examines all four elements of language learning – Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking.

The English language requirement for entry to each of our programmes is expressed in terms of IELTS Academic test scores. The IELTS Academic scores listed are the minimum overall score requirements. For each individual test component, the minimum score required is normally 5.5, however for some programmes the component scores necessary may be higher.

Applicants will normally need to demonstrate a minimum level of proficiency in English language equivalent to an overall score of IELTS Academic 6.0, or TOEFL 80 (internet-based test); however, many courses have higher requirements. Please note that minimum scores will be required in each component of the test. Please check individual programme requirements here.

For details of other English language qualifications which may be accepted by the University please visit go.qub.ac.uk/EnglishLanguageReqs

INTO Queen's - Pre-University English Language Programmes

INTO Queen's University Belfast offers a wide range of English Language courses, which may assist students to meet the required standard of English language to be eligible for entry to degree programmes at the University.

View courses >

• A minimum 75% overall average in Gao Kao scores.
• If a subject is required at A-level, a minimum score of 75% will be required in this subject in Gao Kao.
• If Mathematics is a required subject at A-level, a score of 80% will be required in both Mathematics and Physics in Gao Kao.
• If a subject is a specified as a requirement at GCSE grade C, a score of 75% in this subject in Senior Secondary school HUI Kao will be required.
• If Grade B in GCSE is required, a score of 80% in Senior Secondary school Hui Kao will be required.
• If the overall average is 75% but the relevant subjects which are required at A Level are lower than 75% or 80%, the academic selector will make a final decision.
• Excluding Medicine and Dentistry.

English Language Requirements

Meet Queen’s standard English Language Entry Requirements for undergraduate programmes.

Queen's welcomes applications from International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma students. Offers will normally be conditional upon successful completion of the IB, to include three subjects at Higher Level (with scores between 6,6,6,- 5,5,5), in addition to an overall score (normally between 29 and 37 points). Points obtained for the Extended Essay and Theory of Knowledge can count towards the total.

The table below shows the IB requirements compared to the University’s UK A-level entry requirements. We may also require specific grades in relevant Higher Level subjects. Details of the A-level grades and any specific subject requirements for each programme may be found in our Course Finder.

Please note that these grades should be treated as a guide as variations may occur in certain circumstances.

English Language Requirements

Applicants should also hold an acceptable English language qualification at the appropriate level. English (Syllabus A) with a score of 4 at Standard Level or 4 at Higher Level will normally meet the English language entry requirement for the majority of our programmes. English (Syllabus B) with a score of 5 at Standard Level or 4 at Higher Level is also acceptable. However, please note that English language requirements may vary depending on your chosen programme.  Please refer to our Course Finder for English language requirements by programme.

Applicants who are not studying English as part of the International Baccalaureate Diploma should refer to the full list of other acceptable English language requirements.

Mathematics Requirements

We will accept both Mathematics Standard Level and Mathematical Studies Standard Level in lieu of GCSE Mathematics.  The corresponding grade requirements are: