Economics degrees with AAA entry requirements for 2027
Economics degrees with AAA entry requirements for 2027
Cambridge asks A*A*A for Economics in 2027, and LSE, UCL, Warwick, Bristol, Durham, King's College London and Nottingham all ask A*AA, with LSE wanting the A* in Mathematics. For a student aiming at those courses, AAA is where the back-ups begin. It is also the level at which the question of A-level Mathematics starts to open up, which matters a great deal to students who did not take it.
We checked the 2027 entry requirements on each university's own pages in September 2026. Seven universities give AAA as the typical offer for single honours Economics: Birmingham, Leeds, Loughborough, Manchester, Queen Mary, St Andrews and Nottingham, where the AAA courses are Economics and Econometrics and Industrial Economics. Across single and joint honours, 98 courses at 20 universities ask AAA for a degree that includes Economics.
Single honours Economics at AAA
The table lists each single honours course with its UCAS code, the offer the university describes as typical, and its subject requirements, since Mathematics is the requirement that decides most Economics lists. Where a university publishes a contextual offer we have included it, and courses marked † show 2026 entry figures because the 2027 page had not been published when we checked.
Swipe the tables sideways to see every column.
| University | Course | Typical offer | Subject requirements | Contextual offer | IB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Birmingham | Economics (BSc)UCAS L100 | AAA (including Maths) | A-level Mathematics required, GCSE Mathematics grade 7, GCSE English grade 4 | AAB (including Maths) | 7,6,6 or 6,6,6 to include Maths, 32 points overall |
| Birmingham | Economics (BA)UCAS L101 | AAA | A-level Mathematics not required, General Studies, Critical Thinking and Use of Maths A-levels not accepted | AAA or AAB (including Maths) | |
| Birmingham | Mathematical Economics and Statistics (BSc)UCAS LG13 | AAA (including Maths) | A-level Mathematics required (grade A minimum for the contextual offer) | AAB (including A in Maths) | 6,6,6 including 6 in HL Maths, 32 points overall |
| Leeds | Business Economics (BSc)UCAS L112 | AAA | GCSE Maths grade 7 (A) and English Language grade 5 (B) | ABB | 35 points overall with 17 from Higher Level subjects (Maths: 5 at SL or 4 at HL) |
| Leeds | Economics (BSc)UCAS L100 | AAA | GCSE Maths grade 7 (A) and English Language grade 5 (B) | ABB | 35 points overall with 17 from Higher Level subjects (Maths: 5 at SL or 4 at HL) |
| Loughborough | Economics (BSc)UCAS L100 | AAA | No specific A-level subjects required (preferred subjects show numerical, analytical and discursive ability, e.g. Economics, Mathematics), GCSE Mathematics grade 6 (B) and GCSE English Language grade 4 (C) required | ABB | 37 (6,6,6 HL) |
| Manchester | Economics (BSc)UCAS L102 | AAA including Mathematics | A-level Mathematics required, preference for two further subjects from Economics, Accounting, Finance, Business Studies and others | ABB including grade A in Mathematics | 36 points overall. 6,6,6 in Higher Level subjects including Mathematics |
| Manchester | Economics (BAEcon)UCAS L100 | AAA including at least one from an approved subject list (including Economics and Mathematics) | At least one A-level from an approved subject list (e.g. Economics, Mathematics and related subjects), Mathematics not stated as compulsory here | ABB including at least one from the approved subject list | 36 points overall. 6,6,6 in Higher Level subjects |
| Nottingham | Economics and Econometrics (BSc)UCAS L140 | AAA/A*AB including mathematics | A-level Mathematics required | 34 points overall or 666 in 3 Higher Level subjects, requiring Higher Level Mathematics | |
| Nottingham | Industrial Economics (BSc)UCAS L1N2 | AAA | GCSE Maths grade 6 (B) required | 34 points overall or 666 in 3 Higher Level subjects | |
| Queen Mary | Economics (BSc (Econ))UCAS L100 | AAA including A-Level Mathematics | This must include A-Level Mathematics. GCSE Maths at grade B or 5 (or an acceptable equivalent) | ABB with A in Maths (standard contextual offer), BBB including Maths (enhanced contextual offer) | International Baccalaureate Diploma with a minimum of 36 points overall, including 6,6,6 from three Higher Level subjects. This must include a minimum of 6 in Standard Level Mathematics, if not being studied... |
| St Andrews | Economics (MA)UCAS L100 | AAA | None stated, page says advanced school mathematics is an advantage and an ability to learn mathematical skills is essential | ABB | Standard 38 (HL 6,6,6), minimum 36 (HL 6,5,5) |
| St Andrews | Economics (BSc)UCAS L102 | AAA | None stated, page says advanced school mathematics is an advantage and an ability to learn mathematical skills is essential | ABB | Standard 38 (HL 6,6,6), minimum 36 (HL 6,5,5) |
| St Andrews | Economics (BA (International Hons)) | AAA † | None stated, page says advanced school mathematics is an advantage and an ability to learn mathematical skills is essential | ABB | Standard 38 (HL 6,6,6), minimum 36 (HL 6,5,5) |
| St Andrews | Financial Economics (MA)UCAS L111 | AAA | None stated, page says advanced school mathematics is an advantage and an ability to learn mathematical skills is essential | ABB | Standard 38 (HL 6,6,6), minimum 36 (HL 6,5,5) |
| St Andrews | Financial Economics (BSc)UCAS L161 | AAA | None stated, page says advanced school mathematics is an advantage and an ability to learn mathematical skills is essential | ABB | Standard 38 (HL 6,6,6), minimum 36 (HL 6,5,5) |
The Mathematics column is the one to read first. Birmingham's BSc, Manchester's BSc, Queen Mary and Nottingham's Economics and Econometrics all require A-level Mathematics, while Birmingham's BA asks AAA without it and Leeds asks for GCSE Mathematics at grade 7 instead. Moreover, Loughborough names no required subjects, St Andrews says only that advanced school mathematics is an advantage, and Manchester's BAEcon asks for one A-level from an approved list.
As such, a strong student who has not taken Mathematics at A-level is not shut out of Economics at this level. That being said, the first year of any Economics degree carries a substantial amount of mathematics and statistics. We would expect such a student to show, in the personal statement and at school, that they are ready for it.
Joint honours with Economics at AAA
St Andrews supplies the longest list, with 28 joint degrees pairing Economics with subjects as far apart as Ancient History and Computer Science, all at AAA. Manchester, Leeds, Bristol, LSE and Queen Mary follow with between five and nine each, mostly pairing Economics with Finance, Politics, Philosophy or Mathematics.
| University | Courses | Typical offer |
|---|---|---|
| Bath | Politics with Economics | AAA |
| Birmingham | Economics and Politics | AAA |
| Bristol | Economics and Accounting · Economics and Finance · Economics and Management · Economics and Politics · Philosophy and Economics · Politics, Philosophy and Economics | AAA |
| Exeter | Mathematics with Economics · Politics, Philosophy and Economics | AAA to AAB · AAA |
| Glasgow | Common Law/Economic & Social History · Economic & Social History/Psychology · Psychology/Business Economics · Psychology/Economics | AAA to ABB · AAA |
| King's College London | History & Political Economy | AAA |
| LSE | Economic History · Economics and Economic History · Environment and Sustainable Development with Economics · Geography with Economics · International Social and Public Policy with Economics · Philosophy and Economics · Politics and Economics | AAA · AAA † |
| Leeds | Economics and Finance · Economics and Geography · Economics and History · Economics and Mathematics · Economics and Politics · Modern Languages and Economics · Philosophy, Politics and Economics | AAA · AAA or A*AB |
| Loughborough | Mathematics with Economics | AAA or A*AB |
| Manchester | Data Science and Economics · Economics and Finance · Economics and Philosophy · Economics and Politics · Economics and Sociology · International Business, Finance and Economics · Management (International Business Economics) · Modern History with Economics · Politics, Philosophy and Economics | AAA |
| Nottingham | Industrial Economics with Insurance · Politics and Economics | AAA |
| Oxford | History and Economics · Philosophy, Politics and Economics | AAA |
| Queen Mary | Economics and Finance · Economics and International Relations · Economics and Politics · Economics, Finance and Management · Economics, Statistics and Mathematics | AAA |
| Queen's Belfast | Politics, Philosophy and Economics | AAA |
| Sheffield | Economics and Mathematics · Economics with Finance · Philosophy, Politics and Economics | AAA |
| Southampton | Economics and Actuarial Science · Economics with Data Science | AAA |
| St Andrews | Ancient History and Economics · Arabic and Economics · Biblical Studies and Economics · Biology and Economics · Chinese Studies and Economics · Computer Science and Economics · Economics and English · Economics and Film Studies · Economics and Geography · Economics and German · Economics and International Relations · Economics and Italian · Economics and Management · Economics and Medieval History · Economics and Middle East Studies · Economics and Modern History · Economics and Persian · Economics and Philosophy · Economics and Psychology · Economics and Russian · Economics and Social Anthropology · Economics and Spanish · Economics and Sustainable Development · Economics with German · Economics with Russian · Economics with Social Anthropology · Economics with Spanish · Financial Economics and Management | AAA · AAA † |
| Strathclyde | Accounting & Economics | AAA |
| UCL | Economics and Business with East European Studies · History, Politics and Economics | AAA |
| York | Economics and Mathematics · History and Economics | AAA |
Two names on this list deserve a closer look for students whose first choice is more demanding. LSE asks A*AA with an A* in Mathematics for Economics, but its Philosophy and Economics, Politics and Economics, and Economic History degrees all ask AAA, with an A in Mathematics required for the first two. Oxford's History and Economics and its PPE both ask AAA as well, against A*AA for Economics and Management.
Courses where AAA sits within the published range
Exeter publishes a range of A*AA to AAA for Economics, Business Economics, Economics and Finance, and Economics and Politics, so a student expecting AAA sits at the bottom of the range. Edinburgh's ranges start higher still, from A*AA or A*A*A, and Nottingham's Mathematics and Economics runs from A*AA to AAA.
| University | Courses | Published range |
|---|---|---|
| Edinburgh | Business and Economics · Business with Strategic Economics · History and Economics · Philosophy and Economics · Social Policy and Economics | A*AA to AAA · A*A*A to AAB · A*AA to AAB |
| Exeter | Business Economics · Economics · Economics and Finance · Economics and Politics | A*AA to AAA |
| Nottingham | Mathematics and Economics | A*AA to AAA |
Reading the offers
Contextual offers at AAA tend to drop by two grades rather than one. Leeds, Loughborough and St Andrews publish ABB, Manchester asks ABB with an A in Mathematics for its BSc, and Queen Mary asks ABB with an A in Mathematics. Of course, each university sets its own eligibility criteria, so they are worth checking before the list is settled.
Despite the attention it receives in History and Politics, the Extended Project Qualification plays a smaller part in Economics offers. Birmingham's BA accepts AAB with a B in the EPQ, and Nottingham lowers its offer for Economics and Econometrics by one grade with an EPQ, but most Economics departments make no EPQ offer at all.
Choosing an AAA course as a back-up
Economics degrees differ in how mathematical they are, and the gap between a BA and a BSc at the same university can be considerable. Manchester, for example, runs two separate degrees, a BSc that requires A-level Mathematics and a BAEcon that does not, and Birmingham does the same with its BSc and BA. As such, reading the first-year modules and the compulsory quantitative content is the best way to tell whether a course suits the student. Our guide to reading the syllabus before you apply sets out what to look for.
For a student predicted A*AA, we would usually expect one or two of the five choices to sit at AAA, with an AAB course as the likely insurance. Subsequently, once offers arrive, the gap between the firm and insurance offers is worth keeping to a grade or two, so that a single dropped grade does not leave the student without a place.
How we checked
We read the 2027 entry requirements on each university's own course pages in September 2026, and the single honours table links to the page we used for each course. Glasgow and some other universities set joint-degree offers by a published rule rather than a page per course, and in those cases we applied the rule the university states. Requirements can change during the cycle, so the course page should be the final word before you apply.
If you would like a second view on a list of five, we can go through it with you. The initial consultation lasts 30 minutes, costs nothing, and carries no obligation.
Also in this series: Economics degrees with AAB entry requirements and with ABB entry requirements for 2027.
