ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

Queen’s has welcomed students from the USA for many years. The University admissions office is very familiar with the American education system and qualifications. Below you will find information on entrance requirements for students from the USA. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact the North America team.

• Undergraduate entry requirements

  We understand that due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic there has been severe disruption to schooling and exam schedules in the academic year 2020/21. If you have been negatively impacted by cancelled examinations, please reach out to the North America team – contact details are listed on this page. We will explore other avenues and work with colleagues in admissions and Schools to see if it is possible to evaluate applications where students are unable to submit test scores.

  Please note that there is no requirement to have completed the necessary testing requirements at the point of application to study at Queen’s. We operate a conditional offer system, meaning that you can apply before you have completed testing. This means that your offer letter would be conditional upon completing your exams at a later point.
  
  The grades required for admission to our undergraduate Bachelor degree programmes will vary according to your chosen course of study. Please check our Course Finder for detailed entry requirements which are normally expressed in terms of three A-level grades.  The comparable US qualifications and grade requirements are shown in the table below.  Subject-specific requirements must be met.
  
  An Honors/College level class or SAT I or ACT test may be accepted in place of one AP or SAT Subject test, where the A-level requirement for the course is AAB or lower:

  A-level Grade	A	B	C
  Advanced Placement (AP)	5	4	3
  SAT II Subject Test	700	650	600
  SAT 1	1350 (min 700, 650)	1290 (min 620, 650)	1250 (min 620, 620)
  ACT	28	27	26
  Honors/College Course	A+	B+	C+

  For example, if the requirement is BBB at A-level, the following combination is possible:
  
  Two from

  • Advanced Placement Test with minimum Grade 4
  • SAT II Subject Test with minimum score of 650

  Plus one from

  • Honors/College level course with minimum Grade B+
  • SAT I test with a minimum of 1290 (with a minimum of 620 in Mathematics, and 650 in Evidence-Based Reading and Writing section)
  • ACT test with a score of 27

  
  Subjects cannot be counted twice, ie. if you are submitting an AP in US History, you cannot also submit a SAT Subject test or Honors course in US History.

  If A-level Mathematics is a course requirement, Advanced Placement Calculus (AB or BC) at grade 4 of higher is required.

  Please note that Queen’s University Belfast has institutional codes for the following College Board Exams. You can send score reports directly to Queen’s using the following codes:

  ACT: 7799
  SAT and AP:  7753

  • Applicants who have successfully completed an Associate Degree with an overall GPA of 3.0/4.0 awarded by a recognised US institution will be considered for admission to Stage 1 of an undergraduate degree programme.  Any subject requirements must be met.
  • Applications are welcomed from applicants completing the International Baccalaureate Diploma (IBD).  Scores of between 30 and 36 points overall are required depending on individual course requirements. Information on required grades.

  
  Medicine and Dentistry

  For Medicine and Dentistry, a High School Graduation Diploma with minimum GPA of 3.5/4.0 will be required, plus four AP tests with scores of 5,5 (Chemistry and Biology) 5,4.   Mathematics is also required to GCSE standard, normally Grade 12 in High School.  GCSE Physics or equivalent is also required for Medicine.  SAT Subject tests are not accepted in lieu of AP tests.

  A minimum of 36 points overall is required in the International Baccalaureate Diploma with grades 6,6,6 in Higher level subjects including Chemistry and Biology. Mathematics and English (and Physics for Medicine) is also required to Standard Level, or grade 11 (or GCSE Equivalent) if not taken as part of the IB. Points obtained for the Extended Essay and Theory of Knowledge can count towards the total. 

  Graduates may also be considered - a minimum of an Upper Second Class Honours degree or CGPA of 3.3 on scale of 4 (78%) would be required, and applicants must also have the appropriate background in the relevant science subjects to satisfy the course entry requirements.

  Applicants for Medicine must also undertake the University Clinical Aptitude Test (UCAT) www.ucat.ac.uk and the University will normally interview international applicants.  For Dentistry, shortlisted applicants will be interviewed via an online process.

• Postgraduate entry requirements

  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's degree may also be considered. Please visit our  for detailed entry requirements. 

  The comparable US qualifications are as follows:

  UK Upper Second-Class Honours (2:1)

  Bachelor degree with a cumulative GPA of at least 3.2 .

  UK Lower Second-Class Honours (2:2)

  Bachelor degree with a cumulative GPA of at least 2.8. 

  Please note the following key differences between graduate studies in the US and a taught Masters degree at Queen's:

  • Master's degrees in the UK are normally one-year in duration.
  • There is no GRE or GMAT required for entry to Queen's.

  A taught Master's refers to a program that combines academic instruction as well as the completion of a written dissertation. PhD degrees are three years in length and typically require you to have a Masters degree prior to applying and to prepare a research proposal.

  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. Degree award certificates for programmes already complete should also be provided.

  Borderline Cases

  Sometimes, it may be possible to exercise flexibility in the case of applicants who have completed their degree with slightly lower grades than those outlined in their offer letter. 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 your official transcript and award certificate to intl.student@qub.ac.uk to confirm the award of your qualification and the overall grade. Unfortunately we cannot advise you further until we receive this documentation .

  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 .

  PhD Study

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

• English language requirements

  Applicants whose first language is not English will normally need to demonstrate a level of English equivalent to 6.5 IELTS or 90 TOEFL IBT (Internet based test). However, some courses have higher or lower requirements (please check individual programme requirements in the relevant . View the full list of acceptable English Language qualifications.

  INTO Queen's 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. If you wish to apply for an INTO Queen's English course please contact into@qub.ac.uk or consult the INTO website