UCL Acceptance Rate: Full Admissions Statistics 2026
UCL received 89,239 undergraduate applications for 9,138 places in the 2025/26 cycle and made 38,696 offers. That is an offer rate of 43.4% and an acceptance rate of 10.2%, and the gap between those two numbers is the most revealing thing about UCL admissions.
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What UCL’s acceptance rate actually measures
UCL publishes applications, offers and confirmed places separately, so two very different rates can be calculated from the same intake, and both get quoted as the acceptance rate:
The offer rate is offers divided by applications: 43.4% for 2025/26. The acceptance rate is the applicants who actually take up a place divided by applications: 10.2%. At most universities those two numbers sit reasonably close together. At UCL they are more than four times apart, which is why published figures for UCL range from about 10% to about 45% depending on which one a source picked.
One caveat before the tables. UCL excludes Clearing from this dataset, so every figure on this page describes the main UCAS cycle only. Real intake is slightly higher than the places column shows.
The most competitive departments at UCL
Acceptance rate is the measure that matters at UCL, because the offer rate flatters almost every department here. The School of Management’s International Management degree is the hardest place at UCL to win: 2,772 applications and 318 offers for 80 places, an acceptance rate of 2.9%. Laws, the largest genuinely competitive department, admits 4.4% of its applicants and Statistical Sciences 4.6%, though both look far more open on offer rate alone.
One route is left out of the table above. Integrated Foundation Years admits 3.0% of its applicants, which would place it second, but it is a foundation-year entry point rather than a standard degree, so it is not comparable with the rest. It appears in the full data at the foot of this page.
| Department | Applications | Offer rate | Places | Acceptance rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UCL School of Management - International Management | 2,772 | 11.5% | 80 | 2.9% |
| Laws | 4,552 | 14.0% | 200 | 4.4% |
| Statistical Sciences | 4,683 | 18.1% | 215 | 4.6% |
| Mechanical Engineering | 4,457 | 21.2% | 235 | 5.3% |
| Computer Science | 4,006 | 20.1% | 228 | 5.7% |
| Slade School of Fine Art | 1,294 | 12.6% | 77 | 6.0% |
| Human Neuroscience BSc | 400 | 46.5% | 25 | 6.2% |
| Electronic & Electrical Engineering | 2,200 | 24.8% | 139 | 6.3% |
| Political Science | 3,552 | 32.4% | 250 | 7.0% |
| Psychology | 1,918 | 22.7% | 139 | 7.2% |
The most applied-to departments
Application volume is a different ranking from competitiveness. Statistical Sciences attracts the most applications of any UCL department at 4,683, narrowly ahead of Economics at 4,639, but Economics admits 10.8% of its applicants against Statistical Sciences’ 4.6%. Volume and difficulty are only loosely related here.
| Department | Applications | Offer rate | Places | Acceptance rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Statistical Sciences | 4,683 | 18.1% | 215 | 4.6% |
| Economics | 4,639 | 39.9% | 500 | 10.8% |
| Laws | 4,552 | 14.0% | 200 | 4.4% |
| Mechanical Engineering | 4,457 | 21.2% | 235 | 5.3% |
| Computer Science | 4,006 | 20.1% | 228 | 5.7% |
| Mathematics | 3,894 | 53.9% | 324 | 8.3% |
| Political Science | 3,552 | 32.4% | 250 | 7.0% |
| Architecture | 3,233 | 16.7% | 256 | 7.9% |
| UCL School of Management - International Management | 2,772 | 11.5% | 80 | 2.9% |
| Physics & Astronomy | 2,250 | 50.8% | 241 | 10.7% |
Largest department by intake
Intake size matters for a reason applicants rarely consider: a larger cohort absorbs more offer holders, so a strong application meets a wider door. Economics confirms 500 places, half as many again as UCL Medical School and more than any other department.
| Department | Places | Applications | Offer rate | Acceptance rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Economics | 500 | 4,639 | 39.9% | 10.8% |
| UCL Medical School | 337 | 2,092 | 30.0% | 16.1% |
| Mathematics | 324 | 3,894 | 53.9% | 8.3% |
| School of Slavonic and East European Studies | 291 | 2,097 | 78.2% | 13.9% |
| School of European Languages, Culture, and Society (SELCS) | 290 | 1,243 | 79.9% | 23.3% |
| Architecture | 256 | 3,233 | 16.7% | 7.9% |
| Political Science | 250 | 3,552 | 32.4% | 7.0% |
| Physics & Astronomy | 241 | 2,250 | 50.8% | 10.7% |
| Mechanical Engineering | 235 | 4,457 | 21.2% | 5.3% |
| History | 235 | 1,159 | 78.6% | 20.3% |
Acceptance rates by faculty
Faculties group departments together, so the pattern is smoother than at department level and more useful for judging where you stand. The spread is still wide: Population Health Sciences admits 16.4% of its applicants and the Faculty of Laws 4.4%. Applying to UCL means very little on its own; applying to a particular faculty means a great deal.
| Faculty | Applications | Offers | Places | Offer rate | Acceptance rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engineering Sciences | 22,576 | 6,388 | 1,555 | 28.3% | 6.9% |
| Mathematical and Physical Sciences | 15,427 | 7,347 | 1,397 | 47.6% | 9.1% |
| Social and Historical Sciences | 11,668 | 5,810 | 1,549 | 49.8% | 13.3% |
| Arts and Humanities | 9,002 | 5,946 | 1,315 | 66.1% | 14.6% |
| Life Sciences | 7,754 | 3,196 | 820 | 41.2% | 10.6% |
| Institute of Education | 4,829 | 3,312 | 661 | 68.6% | 13.7% |
| the Built Environment | 4,678 | 1,509 | 455 | 32.3% | 9.7% |
| Laws | 4,552 | 637 | 200 | 14.0% | 4.4% |
| Medical Sciences | 4,036 | 2,117 | 624 | 52.5% | 15.5% |
| Brain Sciences | 3,025 | 1,141 | 285 | 37.7% | 9.4% |
| Population Health Sciences | 1,692 | 1,293 | 277 | 76.4% | 16.4% |
| All faculties | 89,239 | 38,696 | 9,138 | 43.4% | 10.2% |
Why UCL makes so many offers
This is the part no one else publishes, and it explains the whole shape of UCL admissions. UCL made 38,696 offers for 9,138 places. Only 23.6% of its offers became a student.
| Faculty | Offers | Places | Offers converted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Laws | 637 | 200 | 31.4% |
| the Built Environment | 1,509 | 455 | 30.2% |
| Medical Sciences | 2,117 | 624 | 29.5% |
| Social and Historical Sciences | 5,810 | 1,549 | 26.7% |
| Life Sciences | 3,196 | 820 | 25.7% |
| Brain Sciences | 1,141 | 285 | 25.0% |
| Engineering Sciences | 6,388 | 1,555 | 24.3% |
| Arts and Humanities | 5,946 | 1,315 | 22.1% |
| Population Health Sciences | 1,293 | 277 | 21.4% |
| Institute of Education | 3,312 | 661 | 20.0% |
| Mathematical and Physical Sciences | 7,347 | 1,397 | 19.0% |
| All faculties | 38,696 | 9,138 | 23.6% |
For comparison, on the same basis Imperial converted 44.5% of its offers in 2025 and LSE 40.9%.
For comparison, on the same basis Imperial converted 44.5% of its offers in 2025 and LSE 40.9%. UCL converts barely half as well as either. That is not a sign of weakness, it is a sign of position: UCL is the most common insurance choice in the country, so it must issue offers on the assumption that most will lapse. The Faculty of Mathematical and Physical Sciences converts just 19.0% of its offers, meaning more than four in five of its offer holders go elsewhere.
What this means for your UCAS choices. A UCL offer is more achievable than the raw competition suggests, which makes UCL a strong insurance choice. It also means an offer is worth less as a signal than one from a university that issues far fewer. Choosing which five to apply to, and which to make firm, is the decision this data should inform.
See how our UK admissions support works →
The conversion rate also varies by subject in a way that rewards attention. The Faculty of Laws converts 31.4% of its offers, the highest at UCL, because applicants who receive one rarely have a better offer to hold. The faculties that convert worst are the ones competing hardest with Oxbridge, Imperial and Warwick for the same students.
What this means for your application
UCL is genuinely large and genuinely selective at the same time, and the two facts sit in different parts of the data. Around ten people apply for every place across the university, but the offer rate of 43.4% means that on most courses a well-matched application has a real chance of an offer. The competition is concentrated: Laws, Architecture, Statistical Sciences, Computer Science, the Slade and the School of Management are a different proposition from the rest.
What that means in practice is that department choice matters more at UCL than at almost any other university in this group. The difference between applying to Population Health Sciences and applying to Laws is the difference between a 76.4% and a 14.0% offer rate, at the same institution, with the same UCAS form. Nothing else you do with the application moves the odds as far as that single decision.
That is a great deal to judge on your own. If you are in a position to get expert help, this is the kind of process where it earns its keep. Our consultants are Oxbridge and London graduates who have been through the same admissions round from the inside, and they work with applicants on course choice, the personal statement and admissions test preparation. See how our UK admissions support works →
Find this article useful? Check out our other resources for UCL applicants.
TARA Practice Tests
UCL requires the TARA for Computer Science and, from 2027, Mechanical Engineering. Sit a full paper under timed conditions with original questions.
LSE Acceptance Rate
Offer and acceptance rates for every LSE programme and department.
Personal Statement Guide
Learn how to structure and write a UCAS personal statement that shows how you think.
Full data
Every UCL department and faculty in the 2025/26 cycle, not just the figures we picked out above. Sort any column by clicking its heading, or search by name. Offer rate, acceptance rate and offer conversion are shown separately because they answer three different questions: how likely you are to get an offer, how likely you are to end up here, and how many people who could come actually do.
Every department, 2025/26
| Department▲▼ | Applications▲▼ | Offers▲▼ | Offer rate▲▼ | Places▲▼ | Acceptance rate▲▼ | Offers converted▲▼ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Statistical SciencesMathematical and Physical Sciences | 4,683 | 847 | 18.1% | 215 | 4.6% | 25.4% |
| EconomicsSocial and Historical Sciences | 4,639 | 1,853 | 39.9% | 500 | 10.8% | 27.0% |
| LawsLaws | 4,552 | 637 | 14.0% | 200 | 4.4% | 31.4% |
| Mechanical EngineeringEngineering Sciences | 4,457 | 943 | 21.2% | 235 | 5.3% | 24.9% |
| Computer ScienceEngineering Sciences | 4,006 | 805 | 20.1% | 228 | 5.7% | 28.3% |
| MathematicsMathematical and Physical Sciences | 3,894 | 2,098 | 53.9% | 324 | 8.3% | 15.4% |
| Political ScienceSocial and Historical Sciences | 3,552 | 1,151 | 32.4% | 250 | 7.0% | 21.7% |
| Architecturethe Built Environment | 3,233 | 539 | 16.7% | 256 | 7.9% | 47.5% |
| UCL School of Management - International ManagementEngineering Sciences | 2,772 | 318 | 11.5% | 80 | 2.9% | 25.2% |
| Physics & AstronomyMathematical and Physical Sciences | 2,250 | 1,144 | 50.8% | 241 | 10.7% | 21.1% |
| School of PharmacyLife Sciences | 2,223 | 540 | 24.3% | 200 | 9.0% | 37.0% |
| Electronic & Electrical EngineeringEngineering Sciences | 2,200 | 545 | 24.8% | 139 | 6.3% | 25.5% |
| School of Slavonic and East European StudiesArts and Humanities | 2,097 | 1,639 | 78.2% | 291 | 13.9% | 17.8% |
| UCL Medical SchoolMedical Sciences | 2,092 | 628 | 30.0% | 337 | 16.1% | 53.7% |
| ChemistryMathematical and Physical Sciences | 1,921 | 1,254 | 65.3% | 220 | 11.5% | 17.5% |
| PsychologyBrain Sciences | 1,918 | 436 | 22.7% | 139 | 7.2% | 31.9% |
| Chemical EngineeringEngineering Sciences | 1,856 | 612 | 33.0% | 160 | 8.6% | 26.1% |
| Integrated Foundation YearsEngineering Sciences | 1,710 | 79 | 4.6% | 52 | 3.0% | 65.8% |
| Biomedical Sciences BScLife Sciences | 1,647 | 726 | 44.1% | 160 | 9.7% | 22.0% |
| Culture Communication & MediaInstitute of Education | 1,460 | 613 | 42.0% | 160 | 11.0% | 26.1% |
| Arts and Sciences BAScArts and Humanities | 1,354 | 1,096 | 80.9% | 217 | 16.0% | 19.8% |
| Social Research InstituteInstitute of Education | 1,344 | 1,076 | 80.1% | 176 | 13.1% | 16.4% |
| Health Care Global Business School forPopulation Health Sciences | 1,333 | 995 | 74.6% | 200 | 15.0% | 20.1% |
| Biological Sciences BSc/MSciLife Sciences | 1,305 | 630 | 48.3% | 131 | 10.0% | 20.8% |
| Slade School of Fine ArtArts and Humanities | 1,294 | 163 | 12.6% | 77 | 6.0% | 47.2% |
| School of European Languages, Culture, and Society (SELCS)Arts and Humanities | 1,243 | 993 | 79.9% | 290 | 23.3% | 29.2% |
| Medical Physics - Biomedical EngineeringEngineering Sciences | 1,235 | 616 | 49.9% | 133 | 10.8% | 21.6% |
| Division of MedicineMedical Sciences | 1,205 | 1,000 | 83.0% | 174 | 14.4% | 17.4% |
| HistorySocial and Historical Sciences | 1,159 | 911 | 78.6% | 235 | 20.3% | 25.8% |
| UCL School of Management – Information Management for BusinessEngineering Sciences | 1,093 | 396 | 36.2% | 115 | 10.5% | 29.0% |
| Biochemistry and BiotechnologyLife Sciences | 1,027 | 541 | 52.7% | 130 | 12.7% | 24.0% |
| Natural Sciences BSc/MSciMathematical and Physical Sciences | 1,002 | 733 | 73.2% | 135 | 13.5% | 18.4% |
| GeographySocial and Historical Sciences | 971 | 813 | 83.7% | 221 | 22.8% | 27.2% |
| Earth SciencesMathematical and Physical Sciences | 969 | 656 | 67.7% | 110 | 11.4% | 16.8% |
| PhilosophyArts and Humanities | 934 | 662 | 70.9% | 133 | 14.2% | 20.1% |
| Civil, Environmental and Geomatic EngineeringEngineering Sciences | 923 | 585 | 63.4% | 100 | 10.8% | 17.1% |
| UCL School of Management – Management ScienceEngineering Sciences | 807 | 341 | 42.3% | 90 | 11.2% | 26.4% |
| EnglishArts and Humanities | 783 | 429 | 54.8% | 110 | 14.0% | 25.6% |
| Biochemical EngineeringEngineering Sciences | 723 | 526 | 72.8% | 93 | 12.9% | 17.7% |
| Neuroscience BScLife Sciences | 713 | 351 | 49.2% | 99 | 13.9% | 28.2% |
| Psychology with Education BScInstitute of Education | 699 | 536 | 76.7% | 90 | 12.9% | 16.8% |
| European Social and Political Studies BAArts and Humanities | 681 | 415 | 60.9% | 107 | 15.7% | 25.8% |
| Education, Society and Culture BAInstitute of Education | 675 | 594 | 88.0% | 135 | 20.0% | 22.7% |
| Planningthe Built Environment | 624 | 336 | 53.8% | 79 | 12.7% | 23.5% |
| PharmacologyLife Sciences | 588 | 202 | 34.4% | 50 | 8.5% | 24.8% |
| Science & Technology StudiesMathematical and Physical Sciences | 447 | 392 | 87.7% | 78 | 17.4% | 19.9% |
| Sustainable Constructionthe Built Environment | 445 | 330 | 74.2% | 70 | 15.7% | 21.2% |
| Institute of ArchaeologySocial and Historical Sciences | 421 | 352 | 83.6% | 99 | 23.5% | 28.1% |
| Human Neuroscience BScBrain Sciences | 400 | 186 | 46.5% | 25 | 6.2% | 13.4% |
| Early Childhood Education BAInstitute of Education | 387 | 278 | 71.8% | 60 | 15.5% | 21.6% |
| Environment, Energy and Resourcesthe Built Environment | 376 | 304 | 80.9% | 50 | 13.3% | 16.4% |
| Surgery and Interventional MedicineMedical Sciences | 361 | 213 | 59.0% | 62 | 17.2% | 29.1% |
| Institute of Epidemiology andPopulation Health Sciences | 359 | 298 | 83.0% | 77 | 21.4% | 25.8% |
| AnthropologySocial and Historical Sciences | 336 | 239 | 71.1% | 91 | 27.1% | 38.1% |
| Security and Crime ScienceEngineering Sciences | 333 | 238 | 71.5% | 75 | 22.5% | 31.5% |
| History of ArtSocial and Historical Sciences | 331 | 270 | 81.6% | 68 | 20.5% | 25.2% |
| LinguisticsBrain Sciences | 322 | 249 | 77.3% | 45 | 14.0% | 18.1% |
| Cancer InstituteMedical Sciences | 307 | 220 | 71.7% | 35 | 11.4% | 15.9% |
| Information StudiesArts and Humanities | 287 | 265 | 92.3% | 26 | 9.1% | 9.8% |
| Greek & LatinArts and Humanities | 285 | 250 | 87.7% | 60 | 21.1% | 24.0% |
| Psychology and Language Sciences BScBrain Sciences | 284 | 211 | 74.3% | 56 | 19.7% | 26.5% |
| Youth, Society and Sustainable Futures BAInstitute of Education | 264 | 215 | 81.4% | 40 | 15.2% | 18.6% |
| Risk & Disaster ReductionMathematical and Physical Sciences | 261 | 223 | 85.4% | 74 | 28.4% | 33.2% |
| Institute of the AmericasSocial and Historical Sciences | 259 | 221 | 85.3% | 85 | 32.8% | 38.5% |
| Science, Technology, Engineering and Public PolicyEngineering Sciences | 257 | 198 | 77.0% | 25 | 9.7% | 12.6% |
| Human Sciences BScLife Sciences | 251 | 206 | 82.1% | 50 | 19.9% | 24.3% |
| Medical Physics – Medical PhysicsEngineering Sciences | 204 | 186 | 91.2% | 30 | 14.7% | 16.1% |
| Ear InstituteBrain Sciences | 101 | 59 | 58.4% | 20 | 19.8% | 33.9% |
| Division of Infection and ImmunityMedical Sciences | 71 | 56 | 78.9% | 16 | 22.5% | 28.6% |
| Hebrew & Jewish StudiesArts and Humanities | 44 | 34 | 77.3% | 4 | 9.1% | 11.8% |
| All departments | 89,239 | 38,696 | 43.4% | 9,138 | 10.2% | 23.6% |
Every faculty, 2025/26
| Faculty▲▼ | Applications▲▼ | Offers▲▼ | Offer rate▲▼ | Places▲▼ | Acceptance rate▲▼ | Offers converted▲▼ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engineering Sciences | 22,576 | 6,388 | 28.3% | 1,555 | 6.9% | 24.3% |
| Mathematical and Physical Sciences | 15,427 | 7,347 | 47.6% | 1,397 | 9.1% | 19.0% |
| Social and Historical Sciences | 11,668 | 5,810 | 49.8% | 1,549 | 13.3% | 26.7% |
| Arts and Humanities | 9,002 | 5,946 | 66.1% | 1,315 | 14.6% | 22.1% |
| Life Sciences | 7,754 | 3,196 | 41.2% | 820 | 10.6% | 25.7% |
| Institute of Education | 4,829 | 3,312 | 68.6% | 661 | 13.7% | 20.0% |
| the Built Environment | 4,678 | 1,509 | 32.3% | 455 | 9.7% | 30.2% |
| Laws | 4,552 | 637 | 14.0% | 200 | 4.4% | 31.4% |
| Medical Sciences | 4,036 | 2,117 | 52.5% | 624 | 15.5% | 29.5% |
| Brain Sciences | 3,025 | 1,141 | 37.7% | 285 | 9.4% | 25.0% |
| Population Health Sciences | 1,692 | 1,293 | 76.4% | 277 | 16.4% | 21.4% |
| All faculties | 89,239 | 38,696 | 43.4% | 9,138 | 10.2% | 23.6% |
Comparing systems? We publish the equivalent figures for Imperial, LSE, Oxford and Cambridge, and the top US universities.
UCL: Undergraduate application data 2025/26, published in Student Statistics at ucl.ac.uk/srs/student-statistics, read 1 September 2026. Applications, offers and confirmed places by department, excluding Clearing.
Comparing universities? We publish the equivalent figures for Imperial, LSE and Oxford and Cambridge.
Frequently asked questions
About 10.2% of applicants take up a place: UCL received 89,239 undergraduate applications for 9,138 confirmed places in 2025/26. Its offer rate is much higher at 43.4%, because UCL makes far more offers than it has places and most are declined. Both figures describe the same intake.
To receive an offer, yes, by a wide margin: UCL’s offer rate is 43.4% against Imperial’s 24.0% and LSE’s 16.1%. To actually enrol, the three are much closer, at 10.2%, 10.7% and 6.6%. UCL is easier to get an offer from and about as hard to end up at.
Among standard degrees, the School of Management’s International Management at 11.5%, then the Slade School of Fine Art at 12.6% and Laws at 14.0%. Integrated Foundation Years has a lower rate still at 4.6%, but it is a foundation-year route rather than a degree and is not directly comparable.
Because most are declined. Only 23.6% of UCL offers became a student in 2025/26, against 44.5% at Imperial and 40.9% at LSE. UCL is the most common insurance choice in the country, so it issues offers on the assumption that the majority will lapse.
No. UCL states that its published figures exclude Clearing applications, offers and places, so actual intake is somewhat higher than the places column shows and the acceptance rate is a little understated.
Which UCL department?
UCL offer rates run from 4.6% to 76.4% depending on the department you apply to. That single choice moves your odds further than anything else on the UCAS form.
See every department