The UK school system differs significantly from the American one. Education is compulsory for all students until the 11th grade. After that, university-bound students stay in a secondary school for two additional years (grades 12 and 13) and specialize in only three or four subjects. Those 3 or 4 chosen subjects are studied at much greater depth than in an American High School curriculum, normally at a level that would be equivalent to a first-year college course on the same subjects in the US.
Based on the results of external final exams taken respectively at the end of years 12 and 13, UK students may receive a GCE ("General Certificate of Education"), popularly known as an "A-Level" certificate, in each of the disciplines he/she has studied. Most UK universities require that a student obtain a minimum of 3 British A-level certificates in 3 different subjects that are directly relevant to the student's intended major. The minimum letter scores (A, B, C, etc.) required in each A-level vary however from college to college, depending on the university's selectivity.
The top 2 universities in the UK are
Cambridge and
Oxford , both of which admit only a very small number of US students fresh out of High School. Both Oxford and Cambridge normally require that applicants have perfect 'AAA' scores in their 3 studied A-levels; many successful applicants however have 'AAAA' qualifications or higher .
In the case of US applicants who didn't go to school in the UK, the equivalent requirement in addition to good SAT/SAT II results is normally to have passed at least 3 or 4 AP exams in relevant subjects with perfect '5' scores (in the case of engineering majors for example, AP Calculus and AP Physics are mandatory). Alternatively, US applicants may also submit IB exam results as part of their application, provided that they achieve a minimum of 38-40 total points in the IB diploma with grades at least '7-6-6' or higher in 3 relevant subjects studied at higher level (HL).
Irrespective of their school credentials (A-levels, APs, or IB diploma), all UK Oxbridge applicants and some overseas applicants with the minimum predicted exam scores must also go through an oral interview of a technical nature, during or prior to which they may be required to take additional written tests. The interview plays a major role in Oxbridge admissions besides exam results. Contrary however to what happens in the US, extra-curricular activities and other social factors like gender, race, or athletic ability have little influence on admission decisions, which are based mostly on purely academic criteria.
Oxford and Cambridge are generalist universities offering a broad range of majors. Nevertheless, there are also a few famous specialist colleges in the UK that focus instead on a limited set of disciplines only. In particular,
Imperial College London specializes in engineering, computer science, natural sciences (physics, chemistry, biology, etc.), mathematics, statistics, and medicine courses, whereas the
LSE offers courses in law, international relations, business, history, and applied social sciences (including anthropology, sociology, political science, and economics). Both used to be part of the federal University of London, together with the University College London and the King's College London, but Imperial has recently seceded from the university and is now on its own. Like Oxbridge, the London colleges also normally require at least 3 A-levels (or an equivalent set of APs) for admission, but, depending on the applicant's intended major, the minimum admission standards my be lower (for example, 'AAB' instead of 'AAA' and no required interview or additional testing).
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