UCAS points calculator — add up your Tariff in seconds
Add your A levels, AS levels, BTECs, Highers, Advanced Highers, and EPQ to get your total UCAS Tariff points. Free, instant, and no sign-up.
Free to use · No sign-up · Based on the published UCAS Tariff
Add up your UCAS points
Pick each qualification and grade. The total updates as you go — no sign-up needed.
Your UCAS Tariff points
Add every qualification that carries Tariff points. For a BTEC, add one row per grade — an Extended Diploma is three grades, a Diploma two, an Extended Certificate one.
Based on the published UCAS Tariff, which has been unchanged since the 2017 entry cycle. This is a guide, not an offer: many universities make offers in grades rather than points, some qualifications carry no Tariff points, and where you sit an Advanced Higher the Higher in the same subject is not usually counted as well. Always check the entry requirements on the course page and the official UCAS Tariff calculator.
UCAS Tariff points by qualification
The UCAS Tariff has been unchanged since the 2017 entry cycle. These are the published values the calculator uses.
A level
- A*
- 56 points
- A
- 48 points
- B
- 40 points
- C
- 32 points
- D
- 24 points
- E
- 16 points
AS level
- A
- 20 points
- B
- 16 points
- C
- 12 points
- D
- 10 points
- E
- 6 points
BTEC National (per grade)
- D*
- 56 points
- D
- 48 points
- M
- 32 points
- P
- 16 points
Scottish Higher
- A
- 33 points
- B
- 27 points
- C
- 21 points
- D
- 15 points
Scottish Advanced Higher
- A
- 56 points
- B
- 48 points
- C
- 40 points
- D
- 32 points
Extended Project (EPQ)
- A*
- 28 points
- A
- 24 points
- B
- 20 points
- C
- 16 points
- D
- 12 points
- E
- 8 points
What are UCAS points?
UCAS Tariff points are a way of putting very different qualifications onto one scale so that universities can compare applicants who sat A levels, BTECs, Highers, or a mix of all three. Each grade in each qualification is worth a set number of points — an A level at grade A is worth 48, a Scottish Higher at grade A is worth 33 — and your Tariff total is simply the sum. The system exists because a university admissions team cannot reasonably hold every qualification in every nation of the UK in their head. It is a translation layer, not a judgement of how hard your subjects were.
How to work out your UCAS points
Add one row per qualification, choose the grade, and read the total. Two details catch people out. First, BTECs are graded per unit-size: a National Extended Certificate is one grade, a Diploma is two, and an Extended Diploma is three — so you add three rows for an Extended Diploma, which is why D*D*D* comes to 168 points, exactly the same as three A levels at A*. Second, only count qualifications that actually carry Tariff points; plenty of things you have done, from GCSEs to Duke of Edinburgh, carry none at all.
Most universities do not actually make offers in points
This is the single most useful thing to understand about the Tariff, and it is routinely missed. The majority of offers are made in grades — "AAB including Chemistry" — not in points, because a points total hides the two things admissions tutors care most about: whether you took the specific subject the course requires, and how your grades are distributed. BBB and A*AC can produce a similar Tariff total while being very different applications. Use your points total as a rough orientation and a way to filter courses, then read the actual entry requirements on the course page, which is where the real answer lives.
When the Tariff genuinely matters
It matters most in Clearing and in adjustment, where courses often advertise a points threshold because they are comparing a flood of applicants with wildly different qualification mixes very quickly. It also matters at universities and courses that explicitly state a Tariff range, and for applicants with unusual combinations — a BTEC plus an A level plus an EPQ — where a grade-based offer would be awkward to express. If you are in any of those situations, knowing your number before results day is worth the two minutes it takes.
Points will not revise for you
Once you know your predicted total, the useful question stops being arithmetic and becomes what to do about it. A points total is a lagging indicator of a lot of hours of revision. If the number is below where you need it, the lever is not the calculator — it is the revision: getting your weakest topics onto a timetable, and turning the notes, textbook chapters, and lecture slides you already have into active recall rather than re-reading them. That is the part Scholarly is for.
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UCAS points questions
How many UCAS points is an A level worth?
An A level is worth 56 points at A*, 48 at A, 40 at B, 32 at C, 24 at D, and 16 at E. Three A levels at grade A therefore come to 144 points.
How many UCAS points is a BTEC worth?
A BTEC National is graded per unit-size, so it depends how big your BTEC is. Each grade is worth 56 for a Distinction*, 48 for a Distinction, 32 for a Merit, and 16 for a Pass. An Extended Certificate is one grade, a Diploma is two, and an Extended Diploma is three — so an Extended Diploma at D*D*D* is 168 points, and at DDD it is 144.
How many UCAS points do I need for university?
There is no single number — it depends entirely on the course. Requirements range from around 32 points to 168 and above, and most universities express their offers in grades rather than points anyway. Always check the entry requirements on the specific course page rather than relying on a Tariff total.
Do GCSEs give UCAS points?
No. GCSEs do not carry UCAS Tariff points. They still matter a great deal — many courses require a specific GCSE grade in maths or English as a condition of entry — but they do not add to your Tariff total.
Does the EPQ count towards UCAS points?
Yes. The Extended Project Qualification carries Tariff points, from 28 at A* down to 8 at E. Whether a particular university will count it towards an offer is a separate question — some make reduced offers to applicants with a strong EPQ, and some ignore it entirely.
Do Scottish Highers and Advanced Highers count?
Yes, both carry Tariff points. A Higher is worth 33 points at A down to 15 at D; an Advanced Higher is worth 56 at A down to 32 at D, the same scale as an A level. Note that where you sit an Advanced Higher, the Higher you already hold in that same subject is not usually counted as well — so do not double-count it.
Is this calculator official?
No. It is a free guide built on the published UCAS Tariff, which has been unchanged since the 2017 entry cycle. It is accurate for the qualifications listed, but it is not an offer and it does not cover every qualification that carries Tariff points. For anything that matters, check the official UCAS Tariff calculator and the entry requirements on your course page.
My points are lower than the course asks for. What now?
Two things are worth separating. If you have not sat the exams yet, the number is a prediction and the lever is your revision — get your weakest topics onto a timetable and revise them actively rather than re-reading. If you already have your results, look at Clearing, where courses often quote a points threshold, and at foundation years, which exist precisely for applicants who are below the standard entry route.
The points come from the revision
Scholarly turns the notes, textbook chapters, and lecture recordings you already have into revision cards, quizzes, and revision notes — so the hours you put in actually stick.
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