GCSE & GCE A2-Levels

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Admission Requirements

With the General Certificate of Education, you will probably be admissible to a bachelor's programme at the University of Twente. This depends on the subjects and levels you have achieved. Successfully completed GCE A2-Levels are required before the start of the academic year. For possible admission, we require at least:

In this case, the student is not admissible, because there are 4 different subjects obtained and not the required 6 different subjects.

In this case, the student is admissible, because there are 6 different subjects.

  • (I)GCSE English
  • (I)GCSE Mathematics
  • (I)GCSE Physics
  • GCE A-Level Mathematics
  • GCE A-Level Physics
  • GCE A-Level Chemistry
  • (I)GCSE English
  • (I)GCSE Mathematics
  • (I)GCSE Physics
  • (I)GCSE Biology
  • (I)GCSE Politics
  • GCE A-Level Mathematics
  • GCE A-Level Physics
  • GCE A-Level Chemistry

If you have obtained/will obtain the GCE A2-level certificates in combination with a diploma other than the GCSE certificates, the University of Twente advises you to apply as those applications will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis (there is no guaranteed admission). The same applies for students who have a different combination of 6 (I)GCSEs/GCE A2-Levels (e.g. 2 (I)GCSEs and 4 GCE A2-levels). Please give further information based on your personal situation by a written document within your application.

Students with the ‘BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma’ cannot be admitted directly because the level is not equivalent to Dutch pre-university education (called ‘VWO’ in Dutch). Please see further information about the Dutch educational system and routes if you are not directly admissible.

These admission requirements are valid for the September 2025 intake.

The admission requirements can change per intake moment. The requirements are announced in October for the following September intake moment. The University of Twente therefore cannot provide any information regarding admission requirements for future intake moments that are not yet open for applications. Please check the current admission requirements for advice, until the new admission requirements for the specific intake have been announced.

Note: the admission office reserves the right to make the final decision regarding the admissibility of your application. The admission requirements mentioned are for your information only.

Accepted GCE A2-Level subjects

The University of Twente accepts the following academic GCE A2- Level subjects.

  • Ancient History
  • Biology / Biology A / Biology B (Advancing Biology)
  • Business / Business Studies
  • Chemistry
  • Computer Science
  • Economics / Economics A / Economics B
  • Further Mathematics / Further Mathematics A / Further Mathematics B (MEI)
  • Geography
  • Geology
  • Government and Politics
  • History / History A
  • History of Art
  • Information and Communication Technology (ICT)
  • Information Technology
  • Language subject (only one language subject is allowed as one of the three required GCE A2-Levels)
  • Mathematics / Mathematics A / Mathematics B (MEI)
  • Philosophy
  • Physics / Physics A / Physics B (Advancing Physics)
  • Politics
  • Psychology
  • Religious Studies
  • Sociology
  • Statistics

Documents required for application

Already graduated?
Please upload copies of your official final (I)GCSE and GCE (O-, AS-, A2-Level) certificates. Provisional results will not be accepted for the application, as they are not official final certificate(s). The official certificates come out in November (after the JUNE exam session). This means you can apply after you got the final certificate(s) in November. 

Not graduated yet?
Please upload copies of your official final (I)GCSE certificates. Provisional results will not be accepted for the application, as they are not official certificate(s). Furthermore, please upload your GCE A2-Level predicted grades using the form below. Make sure the form is filled-in by your school, afterwards you can upload the document within your application.

English Language requirement

If you have English as a subject obtained at (I)GCSE or GCE (O-, AS-, A2-Level) with an A, B or C score you are exempted from the English language test. Please be aware that this only applies if you have the GCE A2-level certificates in combination with the GCSE certificates. If this does not apply to you, it will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. If you cannot meet this requirement, you have to make an additional test as mentioned on the English language requirement website.

Not the required grade, subject or level?

If you do not have the required grade, subject, or subject level, you might be eligible to do an additional test(s) if your overall level is equivalent to the Dutch VWO-Level. The University of Twente only accepts certificates from CCVX, James Boswell-Bèta (both online and physical tests from James Boswell-Bèta are accepted, contact them about the online possibilities), or the Dutch 'Staatsexamen'. The OMPT and Korteweg-de Vries tests are not accepted by the University of Twente.

The test must be passed with a positive result and should be taken before the deadline. Please submit your application to the University of Twente before you make a reservation for one of the tests (to prevent possibly unnecessary costs). The University of Twente assesses on individual bases whether you are eligible for such a test and inform you via email after a submitted application. You can continue your application the first time by answering with ‘No, I still have to complete a *subject* test’ if you are unsure if you meet the additional admission requirements. You will get additional questions about uploading a reservation, which you can skip as they are not mandatory. After submitting your application, you will be informed via email.

The Netherlands has different Mathematics subjects. For the social sciences bachelor's programmes, VWO Mathematics A is required. For the technical bachelor's programmes, VWO Mathematics B is required. For the subjects Physics, Chemistry and/or Biology you have to take the VWO Level, there are no sublevels like Mathematics. 

An additional test (such as CCVX, James Boswell-Bèta, IELTS, TOEFL, etc.) does not substitute a GCE A-Level. You need at least three GCE A-Levels; the additional exam is only if you have at least 3 GCE A-Levels and not the required subjects. For example, you have GCE A-Level Biology, GCE A-Level Physics, and GCE A-Level Chemistry with the required scores. You meet the admission requirements to have 3 GCE A-Levels with the correct scores. However, there is no GCE A-Level Mathematics, therefore might be eligible to do an additional test.

Admission requirements per bachelor's programme

Still need to graduate?

You can always apply even when you still have to graduate. Most of the prospective students are still in their last year of high school when they start their application. Please be aware that you need to be graduated in the school year prior to the start of the academic year.

  • Advanced Technology
    • GCE A2-Level Mathematics
    • GCE A2-Level Physics
    • English
  • Applied Mathematics
  • Applied Physics
  • Biomedical Engineering
    • GCE A2-Level Mathematics
    • GCE A2-Level Physics
    • GCE A2-Level Chemistry
    • English
    • Dutch
  • Business Information Technology
  • Chemical Science & Engineering
    • GCE A2-Level Mathematics
    • GCE A2-Level Physics
    • GCE A2-Level Chemistry
    • English
  • Civil Engineering
    • GCE A2-Level Mathematics
    • GCE A2-Level Physics
    • English
  • Communication Science
  • Creative Technology
  • Electrical Engineering
    • GCE A2-Level Mathematics
    • GCE A2-Level Physics
    • English
  • Health Sciences
  • Industrial Design Engineering
    • GCE A2-Level Mathematics
    • GCE A2-Level Physics
    • English
  • Industrial Engineering & Management Science
  • International Business Administration
  • Management, Society and Technology
  • Mechanical Engineering
    • GCE A2-Level Mathematics
    • GCE A2-Level Physics
    • English
  • Psychology
    • GCE A2-Level Mathematics
    • English
    • Dutch (only applicable for the Dutch-taught track)
  • Technical Computer Science
  • Technical Medicine
    • GCE A2-Level Mathematics
    • GCE A2-Level Physics
    • GCE A2-Level Chemistry
    • GCE A2-Level Biology
    • English
    • Dutch
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