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Switzerland

ENGLISH LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS

The English language requirements for our courses are provided on individual course pages as minimum IELTS scores, however we accept many other tests and qualifications.

Please visit our English language requirements page for more information. 

Undergraduate Entry Requirements

Applicants from Switzerland who have completed the Federal Secondary School Leaving Certificate (Certificat de Maturité/Certificat de Maturité Cantonal reconnu par la Confédératio/Maturität/Eidgenössisch anerkanntes kantonales Maturitätszeugnis/Attestato di Maturità/Attestato di Maturità Cantonale riconosciuto dalla Confederazione) can be considered for direct entry to an undergraduate course at Birkbeck.

Applicants with the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma or A-levels will also be considered for direct admission to our undergraduate degree programmes. IB requirements range from 28 to 30, depending on the course.

Applicants who do not meet the minimum requirements can consider a Foundation course, which allows students the chance to progress onto Birkbeck’s Bachelor programmes.

  • A-level AAA = 144 UCAS tariff points = comparable offer: 6 (1-6 max), 10 (1-10 max), 1 (5-1 max) (corresponding subject grades: A = 6/10/1)
  • A-level AAB = 136 UCAS tariff points = comparable offer: 5.5 (1-6 max), 9 (1-10 max), 1.5 (5-1 max)
  • A-level ABB = 128 UCAS tariff points = comparable offer: 5.8 (1-6 max), 8.5 (1-10 max), 1.8 (5-1 max)
  • A-level BBB = 120 UCAS tariff points = comparable offer: 5 (1-6 max), 8 (1-10 max), 2 (5-1 max) (corresponding subject grades: B = 5/8/2)
  • A-level BBC = 112 UCAS tariff points = comparable offer 4.8 (1-6 max), 7.5 (1-10 max), 2.2 (5-1 max)
  • A-level BCC = 104 UCAS tariff points = comparable offer: 4.6 (1-6 max), 7 (1-10 max), 2.4 (5-1 max)
  • A-level CCC = 96 UCAS tariff points = comparable offer: 4.4 (1-6 max), 6.5 (1-10 max), 2.6 (5-1 max) (corresponding subject grades: C = 4/6/3).

Postgraduate Entry Requirements

Birkbeck will consider applicants from Switzerland holding a good Bachelor's (Diplom/Diplôme/Lizentiat/Licence/Staatsdiplom/Diplôme d'Etat) degree with an average grade of at least 5 (1-6 grading scheme), 8 (1-10 grading scheme), 2 (5-1 grading scheme) or gut/bien/bene.

All applications are considered on an individual basis and you may be admitted to a Master's programme with a lower-level degree if you have significant work experience relevant to the degree applied for.

If you do not meet these criteria, you can apply for OnCampus' Master's Foundation programme, which is available for 2- or 3-term progression onto a wide range of Master’s degrees at Birkbeck.

  • Grade (1-6 scale): 6; Grade (5-1 scale): 1; Grade (1-10 scale): 10 (German: Sehr gut; French: Trés bien; Italian: Molto bene; English translation or equivalent: Very good = 1st)
  • Grade (1-6 scale): 5; Grade (5-1 scale): 2.2; Grade (1-10 scale): 8 (German: Gut; French: Bien; Italian: Bene; English translation or equivalent: Good = 2:1)
  • Grade (1-6 scale): 4; Grade (5-1 scale): 3; Grade (1-10 scale): 6 (German: Genügend; French: Sufficiant; Italian: Sufficiente; English translation or equivalent: Fair/Pass = 2:2).

Research degrees Entry Requirements

The usual entrance requirement for a research degree is a Master’s degree from a recognised university with at least 5/6 or 8/10 overall; schools may accept students with high grades in the Bachelor’s degree or Diplom/Diplôm/Lizentiat/Licence/Staatsdiplom/Diplôme d'Etat.

Applicants are strongly urged to contact potential supervisors within the department before submitting a research application.