The easiest Russell Group unis to get into in 2024, based on how many UCAS points you need

It’s the season for panicking over your personal statement and frantically Googling, “which are the easiest Russell Group unis to get into that my grandparents will still be impressed by?” Luckily for you, we’ve worked out the easiest Russell Group unis to get into in 2024.

The Guardian worked out the average entry UCAS tariff of students under 21 at every UK uni, as part of its new UK uni rankings. The lower the average UCAS tariff, then the less accomplished students that uni is willing to take, so the easier it should be for you to claw your way in. Got it?

UCAS points are a way for UK unis to compare sixth form students whose teachers made them take different qualifications. UCAS points apply to Level 3/SCQF Level 6 qualifications, but not Level 2 qualifications. So, you don’t get UCAS points for your GCSEs, but you do get UCAS points for A-Levels, the International Baccalaureate, Pre-Us, Extended Project Qualifications, and, weirdly enough, some music and dance exams.

The hardest Russell Group uni to get into is so unexpected. It’s not Oxbridge, or Imperial College London, but the University of Glasgow. Really. The average UCAS entry tariff for it is 211 UCAS points – that’s roughly the equivalent of three A*s and an A at A-Level.

I reckon it would be worth partially destroying yourself through excessive studying if you got to go such a vibey-looking campus

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It is also technically possible to get exactly 211 UCAS points by getting *takes deep breath* two distinctions in Grade 8 music exams, distinctions at Grade 8 Classical Ballet and Indian Carnatic Performance, a certificate in Scuba Instruction, Level 6 Elementary Highland Dance, level one certificates in Adaptive Ski and Snowboarding, a Level 3 award in Taping and Strapping for Sport and Active Leisure, and a Level 3 award in Cut Facial Hair to Create a Variety of Looks (which, to be fair, sounds more useful than my degree in Ancient Greek). You might have a hard time convincing the admissions tutors at the Uni of Glasgow to let you in with those qualifications and no A-Levels, though.

The easiest Russell Group uni to get into in 2024 is the University of Liverpool. The students there have an average of  147 UCAS points to get into the University of Liverpool, which is a little over three As at A-level.

So, here are all the Russell Group unis ranked by the average UCAS scores of its students in 2024, from the hardest to the easiest:

24. University of Glasgow – 211 UCAS points

23. University of Cambridge – 208 UCAS points

22. Imperial College London – 204 UCAS points

21. University of Oxford – 203 UCAS points

20. University of Edinburgh – 197 UCAS points

19. London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) – 191 UCAS points

18. Durham University – 185 UCAS points

17. University College London (UCL) – 183 UCAS points

16. University of Warwick – 179 UCAS points

15. University of Bristol – 174 UCAS points

14. King’s College London – 169 UCAS points

13. University of Manchester – 167 UCAS points

=11. University of Leeds – 163 UCAS points

For just 163 UCAS points, you to could go to the Uni of Exetaaaaah and take aesthetic pics of your friends at Exmouth Beach instead of studying!

=11. University of Exeter – 163 UCAS points

=5. University of York – 157 UCAS points

=5. University of Sheffield – 157 UCAS points

=5. Queen’s University Belfast – 157 UCAS points

=5. University of Nottingham – 157 UCAS points

=5. University of Birmingham – 157 UCAS points

4. University of Southampton – 156 UCAS points

3. Cardiff University – 153 UCAS points

=2. Queen Mary University London – 150 UCAS points

=2. Newcastle University – 150 UCAS points

1. University of Liverpool – 147 UCAS points

Related articles recommended by this author:

• The Russell Group unis where the most students get snapped up for grad jobs in 2024
• Revealed: These are officially the Russell Group unis with the highest dropout rates in 2024
• The best UK unis to study each subject at in 2024, according to The Guardian’s rankings