Economics degrees with ABB entry requirements for 2027
Economics degrees with ABB entry requirements for 2027
For a student holding an AAB firm offer in Economics, the insurance usually sits at ABB, and for one predicted ABB it is the centre of the list. At this level A-level Mathematics matters less than it does at AAA or AAB, because most single honours courses ask only for a good grade in GCSE Mathematics.
We checked the 2027 entry requirements on each university's own pages in September 2026. Fifteen universities ask ABB, or publish a range that starts at ABB, for single honours Economics: Brunel, City St George's, Essex, Leicester, Northeastern University London, Oxford Brookes, Portsmouth, Queen's Belfast, Reading, SOAS, Stirling, Strathclyde, Sussex, Swansea and UEA. Across single and joint honours, 80 courses at 20 universities ask ABB for a degree that includes Economics.
Single honours Economics at ABB
The table lists each single honours course with its UCAS code, the typical offer and the subject requirements, along with any contextual offer the university publishes. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brunel | Economics (BSc)UCAS L101 | ABB † | No specific A-level subjects. GCSE Mathematics grade B/5 required. | BBB | 31 points (contextual: 30 points) |
| City St George's | Economics (BSc)UCAS L100 | ABB. One of the A Levels should be in either Economics, Maths, Further Maths, or Physics. | One of the A Levels should be in either Economics, Maths, Further Maths, or Physics. GCSE: minimum grade 6 (B) in Mathematics. | 31 points overall, including 5 in Standard Level English, and either 6 in Standard Level Mathematics or 5 in Higher Level Mathematics. | |
| Essex | Economics (BSc)UCAS L101 | 128 UCAS tariff points from a minimum of the equivalent of 2 full A-levels | GCSE Mathematics B/5 | 32 points in the IB Diploma or 128 UCAS tariff points to include a minimum of 2 Higher Level subjects | |
| Leicester | Business Economics (BSc)UCAS LN11 | ABB † | No A-level subject requirement stated. GCSE Mathematics grade 5/B required. | Usually one or two grades lower | Pass Full Diploma with 30 points, including a minimum of grade 4 in SL Maths Analysis and Approach or 6 in SL Maths Application and Interpretation or 4 in HL Maths if not held at GCSE. Must include a minimum... |
| Leicester | Economics (BSc)UCAS L120 | ABB † | No specific A-level subjects required. GCSE Mathematics grade 5/B required. | Usually one or two grades lower | Pass Full Diploma with 30 points |
| Northeastern University London | Economics (BSc)UCAS 1EC0 | ABB to BBB | 32-34 points including TOK and the Extended Essay, or 6, 6, 5 in Higher Level subjects | ||
| Oxford Brookes | Economics (BSc)UCAS L100 | ABB | GCSE Mathematics grade 4 or above | BCC | 32 points |
| Portsmouth | Economics (BSc (Econ))UCAS L101 | ABB to BBC | 27-28 points | ||
| Queen's Belfast | Business Economics (BSc)UCAS L110 | ABB | |||
| Queen's Belfast | Economics (BSc)UCAS L100 | ABB | |||
| Queen's Belfast | Economics (MEcon) | ABB | GCSE Mathematics grade A/7 required | 33 points overall, including 6,5,5 at Higher Level, plus GCSE Mathematics grade 6 or equivalent | |
| Reading | Business Economics (BSc)UCAS L113 | ABB | GCSE Maths grade A (7) | 32 points overall, including 5 in Maths at standard level | |
| Reading | Economics (BA)UCAS L101 | ABB | Mathematics at GCSE grade B (6) minimum, no specific A-level subjects mandated | 32 points overall, including 4 in Maths at standard level | |
| Reading | Economics (BSc)UCAS L100 | ABB | Mathematics is a preferred subject, but not essential | 32 points overall, including 5 in Maths at standard level | |
| Reading | Economics and Finance (BSc)UCAS LN13 | ABB | B in A-level Mathematics OR grade B A-level Physics, Chemistry, Economics or Statistics | 32 points overall, minimum 4 in English and either minimum 5 in Mathematics or 5 at higher level in Physics, Chemistry or Economics | |
| SOAS | Development Economics (BSc)UCAS L170 | ABB † | GCSE Maths grade B (6) required if not offering A-level Maths | BBB | 32 points with minimum 16 points at Higher Level and no Higher Level score lower than 3 |
| SOAS | Economics (BA)UCAS L102 | ABB † | GCSE Maths grade B (6) required if not offering A-level Maths | BBB | 32 points with minimum 16 points at Higher Level and no Higher Level score lower than 3 |
| SOAS | Economics (BSc)UCAS L100 | ABB † | Minimum grade B in A Level Maths or equivalent | BBB | 32 points with minimum 16 points at Higher Level and no Higher Level score lower than 3 |
| Stirling | Economics (BSc)UCAS L100 | ABB | 28 points | ||
| Strathclyde | Economics (BA)UCAS L100 | ABB to BBB | GCSE English Language 6/B or Literature 6/B, or an essay-based A Level B may be considered in lieu of English, GCSE Maths 6/B | 32-30 (no subject below 5 and including English SL5, Maths/Maths Studies SL5) | |
| Sussex | Economics (BA)UCAS L100 | ABB to BBB | GCSE Mathematics grade 6 minimum | 32 points overall from the full IB Diploma | |
| Sussex | Economics (BSc)UCAS L102 | ABB to BBB | GCSE Mathematics grade 6 minimum | 32 points overall from the full IB Diploma | |
| Swansea | Economics (BSc)UCAS L100 | ABB to BBC | |||
| UEA | Business Economics (BSc) | ABB | GCSE Mathematics grade B/5 required (and GCSE English Language grade C/4) | BBC | 32 points overall |
| UEA | Economics (BA) | ABB † | BBC | 32 points overall. 3 subjects at H2, 3 subjects at H3 | |
| UEA | Economics (BSc) | ABB † | GCSE Mathematics grade B/5 required (and GCSE English Language grade C/4) | BBC | 32 points overall. 3 subjects at H2, 3 subjects at H3 |
A-level Mathematics is rarely a requirement for the single honours courses at this level. Brunel, Leicester, Oxford Brookes, Sussex and UEA ask only for GCSE Mathematics, at grades from 4 to 6. Despite being a BSc, Reading's Economics lists A-level Mathematics as preferred but not essential. SOAS is the clearest exception, since it asks for a B in A-level Mathematics for its BSc, though not for its BA, and City St George's asks for one A-level from Economics, Mathematics, Further Mathematics and Physics.
Five of these universities publish a range rather than a single offer. Portsmouth and Swansea run from ABB to BBC, and Northeastern University London, Strathclyde and Sussex run from ABB to BBB, which gives a student who drops a grade some room. Moreover, Leicester accepts BBB with a B in the EPQ, and Northeastern University London makes an alternative offer to students taking the EPQ, although it does not publish the grade.
Joint honours with Economics at ABB
SOAS has the longest list at this level, with 12 joint degrees, more than half of them pairing Economics with a language or with the study of a region. Strathclyde follows with nine and Stirling with seven, both on four-year Scottish degrees, while Sussex and UEA have five each.
| University | Courses | Typical offer |
|---|---|---|
| Brunel | Economics and Accounting · Economics and Business Finance · Economics and Management | ABB † |
| City St George's | Mathematics with Finance and Economics | ABB |
| Essex | Economics and Politics · Philosophy, Politics and Economics | 128 UCAS tariff points from a... |
| Leicester | Economics and Accounting · Economics and Data Analytics · Financial Economics and Banking | ABB † · ABB |
| Liverpool | Mathematics and Economics | ABB |
| Queen's Belfast | Economics (Major) with Finance · Economics (Major) with French · Economics (Major) with Spanish · Economics and Accounting | ABB |
| Reading | Philosophy, Politics and Economics | ABB |
| Royal Holloway | Politics, Philosophy and Economics | ABB to BBB |
| SOAS | Economics and Africa and Black Diaspora · Economics and Arabic · Economics and Chinese · Economics and East Asian Studies · Economics and International Relations · Economics and Japanese · Economics and Korean · Economics and Languages and Cultures (Middle East, Africa, South and Southeast Asia) · Economics and Social Anthropology · History and Economics · Politics and Economics · Politics, Philosophy and Economics | ABB † |
| Southampton | Politics and Economics | ABB |
| Stirling | Economics and Accountancy · Economics and Business Studies · Economics and Environmental Science · Economics and Finance · Economics and Marketing · Economics and Mathematics · Economics and Politics | ABB |
| Strathclyde | Business Analysis and Technology & Economics · Business Enterprise & Economics · Economics & Business Law · Economics & Finance · Economics & Human Resource Management · Economics & Marketing · Economics & Psychology · Economics, Mathematics & Statistics · Politics and International Relations & Economics | ABB to BBB |
| Surrey | Economics and Mathematics · Politics and Economics | ABB |
| Sussex | Economics and Data Science · Economics and Finance · Economics and Management Studies · Economics and Sustainable Development · Mathematics with Economics | ABB to BBB · ABB |
| Swansea | Economics and Finance | ABB to BBB |
| UEA | Business Finance and Economics · Economics and Finance · Economics, Behaviour and Data Science · Philosophy, Politics and Economics · Politics, Economics and Global Development | ABB |
| York | Environment, Economics and Ecology | ABB |
At four universities a joint degree asks a grade less than single honours Economics. Liverpool, Southampton, Surrey and York all ask AAB for Economics, yet Liverpool's Mathematics and Economics and Southampton's Politics and Economics ask ABB. The same applies to Surrey's Politics and Economics and its Economics and Mathematics, and to York's Environment, Economics and Ecology. Of course, the Mathematics pairings carry a condition, since Liverpool and Surrey both want an A in Mathematics, and Southampton's Politics and Economics also requires A-level Mathematics.
Five universities offer PPE at ABB: Essex, Reading, Royal Holloway, SOAS and UEA. That being said, PPE divides the time three ways, so it suits a student who wants all three subjects in equal measure. Our post on PPE alternatives sets these five beside the PPE courses at AAA and AAB.
Courses where ABB sits within the published range
Cardiff, Glasgow and Royal Holloway publish a range of AAB to BBB for single honours Economics, so ABB sits in the middle of it. Glasgow's joint degrees mostly share the same range, which gives it the longest list here at 44 courses. Of these, 18 are in Economic and Social History rather than Economics, and the pairings with Psychology run higher, from AAA to ABB.
| University | Courses | Published range |
|---|---|---|
| Cardiff | Business Economics · Economics | AAB to BBB |
| Glasgow | Business Economics · Business Economics/Business & Management · Business Economics/Politics · Chinese/Economic & Social History · Economic & Social History · Economic & Social History with Quantitative Methods · Economic & Social History/Celtic Studies · Economic & Social History/Central & East European Studies · Economic & Social History/Economics · Economic & Social History/English Literature · Economic & Social History/French · Economic & Social History/Geography · Economic & Social History/German · Economic & Social History/International Relations · Economic & Social History/Music · Economic & Social History/Philosophy · Economic & Social History/Politics · Economic & Social History/Portuguese · Economic & Social History/Psychology · Economic & Social History/Sociology · Economics · Economics/Accountancy · Economics/Business & Management · Economics/Comparative Literature · Economics/English Language & Linguistics · Economics/English Literature · Economics/French · Economics/Geography · Economics/German · Economics/Greek · Economics/Latin · Economics/Mathematics · Economics/Music · Economics/Politics · Economics/Russian · Economics/Statistics · Economics/Theatre Studies · History/Economic & Social History · History/Economics · Philosophy/Economics · Psychology/Business Economics · Psychology/Economics · Scottish History/Economic & Social History · Theology & Religious Studies/Economics | AAB to BBB · AAA to ABB |
| Royal Holloway | Economics · Economics and Data Science · Economics and Management · Economics and Mathematics · Economics with Political Studies · Economics, Politics and International Relations · Financial and Business Economics | AAB to BBB |
| Sussex | Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE) | AAB to ABB |
Reading the offers
Contextual offers vary widely at this level. Brunel and SOAS publish BBB, UEA publishes BBC and Oxford Brookes publishes BCC, while Leicester says its contextual offers are usually one or two grades below the standard offer. As such, a student who meets the criteria may find that the offer at some of these universities is closer to BBC than to ABB. Of course, each university sets its own criteria, usually built around the school attended and the home postcode, so they are worth checking early.
Essex states its offer as 128 UCAS tariff points, which ABB meets exactly. The points can come from qualifications other than A-levels, provided they include the equivalent of at least two full A-levels. A student with a mixed set of qualifications would do well to read the Essex course page closely.
Choosing an ABB course
We would choose between these courses on their content first. Some, such as SOAS's Development Economics or York's Environment, Economics and Ecology, are built around one application of economics, while others follow a broad route through theory and econometrics. As such, the compulsory modules in the first two years are worth reading for every course on the list, and our guide to reading the syllabus before you apply sets out what to look for.
For a student predicted ABB, we would normally put two or three of the five choices at ABB, with one at AAB as an ambition and one at BBB. Subsequently, once offers arrive, an ABB firm is best paired with an insurance at BBB or below, so that one dropped grade still leaves 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. Brunel, Leicester, SOAS and UEA had not published 2027 figures for some of these courses when we checked, so those rows show the 2026 offers, marked †. Glasgow sets joint-degree offers by a published rule rather than a page per course, and for those we applied the rule it 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 AAA entry requirements and with AAB entry requirements for 2027.
