Shoot your shot! These are the easiest Russell Group universities to get into in 2023

Despite most people not actually knowing what the Russell Group is, (spoiler alert, it’s not named after some random man called Russell) it has a big reputation for having some of the best universities in the UK.

Obviously, unis like Oxford, Cambridge and Durham are notoriously hard to get into, with acceptance rates on some courses such as maths or computer science as low as 4.6 per cent, but what about the rest of the Russell Group? Did you manage to get away with sneaking into one of the less highly regarded Russell Group unis to impress your mum and dad with your bang-average A-Level grades?

This year’s Complete University Guide calculated the average entry tariff for each Russell Group university to work out how hard each one is to get into. Your UCAS tariff can be worked out with this calculator but basically, the higher the grades you get, the more points you have. So:

A* = 56 UCAS points

A = 48 UCAS points

B = 40 UCAS points

C = 32 UCAS points

D = 24 UCAS points

E = 16 UCAS points

These are officially the easiest Russell Group unis to get into in 2023:

10. University of Birmingham

The 10th easiest Russell Group to get into, the average UCAS entry tariff at The University of Birmingham is 158.

9. University of Sheffield

Most Read

Current record holder for sleeping with most men in a day issues stark warning to Lily Phillips

Here’s why the house in Netflix’s No Good Deed looks so incredibly familiar

These are the Russell Group unis with the cleverest lecturers in 2024, and Oxbridge aren’t top

Sheffield’s average UCAS point tariff needed to get into the uni is 157. This puts it at ninth.

8. University of York

With 157 average required UCAS points, York is the eighth easiest Russell Group to get into in 2023/24.

7. Queen’s University Belfast

The seventh easiest Russell Group uni to get into, Queen’s University Belfast has an average entry tariff of 156 UCAS points.

6. University of Southampton

To get into Southampton you need around 156 UCAS points in total.

5. University of Nottingham

The fifth easiest Russell Group to get into, Nottingham requires around 154 UCAS points on average across all subjects.

4. Cardiff University

At fourth, Cardiff University has an average UCAS points requirement of 153 across all subjects .

3. Newcastle University

Newcastle ranks highly in a lot of uni league tables but is the third easiest Russell Group to get into. The average amount of UCAS points that are needed are 151.

2. Queen Mary University of London

QMUL is the second easiest uni to get into out of all the Russell Groups. The average entry tariff is 151.

1. University of Liverpool

Liverpool is officially the easiest Russell Group uni to get into if you want to look smart but still just have a good time. The average entry tariff for The University of Liverpool is 147 UCAS points.

Related stories recommended by this writer:

• These are all the Russell Group universities where staff can still have relationships with students

• Revealed: This is what percentage of Oxbridge students actually went to private school in 2023

• These are the worst Russell Group Students’ Unions in 2023, according to students