How to work out your BTEC UCAS points

If you’ve studied BTECs and you’re looking to apply to university, you’ll need to convert your BTEC grades into UCAS points. 

Here we explain what UCAS points are, how universities use them, and how you can determine yours using our BTEC UCAS calculator.

About UCAS points

Each qualification and grade, such as a BTEC grade of Distinction Merit Merit, is worth a number of UCAS points, or UCAS tariff points as they’re also known. 

There are many different qualifications and grades that count towards the entry requirements for a university course, including BTECs. UCAS points give universities one simple system by which to work out whether or not to offer you a place. 

Each university course requires you to have a certain number of UCAS points to be accepted on to it, and these vary from course to course. For most courses, your UCAS points need to fall within a range, such as 112-120 points.

Using UCAS points to find the right course

So, knowing your BTEC UCAS points is an important part of applying to university. Once you know how many UCAS points BTECs are worth, you can begin to narrow down which universities and courses are right for you. UCAS points let you see how your grades match up to the entry requirements of various courses and see at a glance which are the best fit. 

We accept a wide variety of qualifications at the University of Portsmouth, including BTECs. Take a look at our course pages to see the entry requirements for each course - you’ll find them on the entry requirements tab. 

Each course lists the number of UCAS points you’ll need to be eligible for a place, and many also list the BTEC grades you’ll need too. If not though, you’ll find a link that’ll take you to a full breakdown of entry requirements and qualifications we accept, including BTECs of all levels.  

How do I calculate my UCAS points?

There are different levels of BTECs and each is equal to other well-known qualifications. For example, BTEC Level 2 is equivalent to GCSEs, while BTEC Level 3 is equivalent to A-Levels. 

As they come in different sizes, BTECs at Level 3 can equate to one, two or even three A-Levels. Make sure you know exactly which BTEC you’ve taken as it can be a big difference in UCAS points. If you’re unsure, check with your school or college adviser.

As well as the level or levels of BTEC you studied, your UCAS points score will depend on how many BTEC qualifications you have and the grades you achieved. Each level and grade is worth a different number of UCAS points and these add up to give you your UCAS points total. The higher your BTEC grades, the more UCAS points they’re worth.

Working this out yourself can seem daunting, but don’t worry. This is where our BTEC UCAS calculator comes in. 

Using our BTEC UCAS points calculator

Our BTEC UCAS points calculator takes all of your qualifications and converts them instantly to UCAS points with no fiddly addition necessary. Simply enter each of your qualifications into the calculator, plus the subject and grade you got, and it’ll give you your UCAS points total.

You can enter all types of qualifications into the calculator, which is especially useful if you’ve earned other qualifications alongside your BTECs, such as A-Levels. 

Calculate your score now