Quick Answer
An A level is worth 56 UCAS points at A*, 48 at A, 40 at B, 32 at C, 24 at D and 16 at E. Three A levels at A come to 144 points, AAB comes to 136 and BBB to 120. An AS level is worth rather less than half its A level: 20 points at A, down to 6 at E. Nothing below Level 3 carries any tariff at all, so your GCSEs add nothing to the total.
- One A level: A* 56 · A 48 · B 40 · C 32 · D 24 · E 16
- Three A levels: AAA 144 · AAB 136 · ABB 128 · BBB 120
- One AS level: A 20 · B 16 · C 12 · D 10 · E 6. There is no A* at AS
- Advanced Highers match A levels grade for grade. Scottish Highers do not
- Work out any combination: use the calculator
- Holding a points figure instead? turn points back into grades
Reviewed by Dr Elizabeth Adey for 2027 entry · Uni Direct team, 2026
A level points at a glance for 2027 entry
One A* grade56 pointsThe value every other Level 3 qualification in the tariff is priced against.Three A grades144 pointsAAA. The figure most selective courses are built around.One AS at A20 pointsAn AS is half an A level in size and well under half in points.
Every GCSE0 pointsThe tariff begins at Level 3. GCSEs sit below it and score nothing.UCAS 2027 tariff tables, read 3 September 2026.
The A level is the qualification the whole UCAS tariff is built around. Every other Level 3 qualification, from a BTEC to an Extended Project, is priced against it by size and grade rather than by subject, which is why an A level in further maths and one in film studies carry exactly the same points. This page is the A level detail behind our UCAS points calculator: what each grade is worth, what every common combination comes to, and what the total does not tell you.
Most applicants need the second table on this page rather than the first. Individual grade values are easy to look up. What people actually want to know is whether their three subjects clear the number a course has asked for, and that means the combinations.
How many UCAS points is an A level worth?
An A level is a size-band 4 qualification, worth 56 points at A* down to 16 at E. An AS level is size-band 2, and it is graded A to E with no A* available. The two are listed together below because a great many applicants hold both.
| Grade | A level | AS level |
|---|---|---|
| A* | 56 | — |
| A | 48 | 20 |
| B | 40 | 16 |
| C | 32 | 12 |
| D | 24 | 10 |
| E | 16 | 6 |
UCAS 2027 tariff tables, read 3 September 2026. A level and AS level appear in the tables under those names; older material calls them GCE A level and GCE AS. A double-award A level is tariffed as a pair, from A*A* at 112 down to EE at 32.
Every A level grade combination in UCAS points
Courses quote a points figure or a grade string, and applicants hold the other one. This table is every common three A level combination, worked out from the grade values above, with the offer wording that usually sits alongside it.
| Grades | UCAS points | How it is usually worded in an offer |
|---|---|---|
| A*A*A* | 168 | The highest three A levels can reach |
| A*A*A | 160 | Named-subject offers at the most selective courses |
| A*AA | 152 | A*AA |
| AAA | 144 | AAA, or 144 points |
| AAB | 136 | AAB, or 136 points |
| ABB | 128 | ABB, or 128 points |
| BBB | 120 | BBB, or 120 points |
| BBC | 112 | BBC, or 112 points. The commonest offer level in the UK |
| BCC | 104 | BCC, or 104 points |
| CCC | 96 | CCC, or 96 points |
| CCD | 88 | CCD, or 88 points |
| CDD | 80 | CDD, or 80 points |
| DDD | 72 | DDD, or 72 points |
Computed from the UCAS 2027 tariff values above, read 3 September 2026. Four A levels add the fourth grade on top, so AAAA is 192 and AAAB is 184, but most courses count only your best three. An Extended Project on top adds 28 points at A* down to 8 at E.
What an A level points total does not tell you
Points are blind to subject, and subject is where most A level offers are actually decided. A course asking for 136 points will often be asking for AAB including chemistry, and 136 points made up of three subjects it does not recognise will not satisfy it. Economics degrees that want maths, engineering degrees that want physics and medicine's chemistry requirement all work this way.
“Qualifications which do not receive Tariff points may be accepted too.”
UCAS, UCAS Tariff points, read 3 September 2026The second thing the total hides is that many providers do not use the tariff at all and make their offers in grades. A points figure and a grade string are not interchangeable requests, even when they happen to describe the same result, and the difference matters most where a course sets a minimum in one named subject.
Not sure whether your subjects fit the courses you want? Send us the three you are taking and the grades you expect, and we will tell you which courses those subjects actually open.
WhatsApp us Other ways to reach usHow A levels compare with the other Level 3 qualifications
BTEC Nationals
An Extended Diploma at D*D*D* is 168, the same as three A* A levels. All four BTEC sizes.
International Baccalaureate
Tariffed subject by subject, not on the diploma total. An HL 7 matches an A* at 56. The IB worked through.
Scottish qualifications
An Advanced Higher matches an A level exactly, A for A. A Higher at A is 33, well under an A level B.
T Levels
A whole T Level is sized against three A levels: Distinction* 168, Distinction 144, Merit 120.
UCAS 2027 tariff tables, read 3 September 2026.
Using the number properly
A points total is a shortlisting tool and a poor decision tool. It is genuinely useful for cutting a list of forty courses to twelve, because it tells you which band you are in. After that it stops helping, and the things that decide the offer are the subjects you took, the grade in the subject the course cares about, your GCSEs in English and maths where they are set, and what your statement and reference say.
Elizabeth's view
Common questions about A level UCAS points
How many UCAS points is an A at A level?
48. The full scale is A* 56, A 48, B 40, C 32, D 24 and E 16, so each grade is worth exactly eight points more than the one below it.
How many UCAS points is AAB?
136. Three A levels at A, A and B come to 48 plus 48 plus 40. AAA is 144 and ABB is 128.
What A level grades are 112 UCAS points?
BBC. It is the commonest offer level in the UK, and it can also be reached by other routes, for example ABD or an A level and a BTEC Diploma together.
How many UCAS points do four A levels give you?
Four A grades come to 192 and four B grades to 160, but most universities count only your best three, so the fourth often adds nothing to the offer. Check the course page before relying on it.
Do AS levels still count towards UCAS points?
Yes. An AS is worth 20 points at A, 16 at B, 12 at C, 10 at D and 6 at E. Whether a particular course counts it alongside your A levels is the course's decision, and many do not.
Are Advanced Highers worth the same as A levels?
Yes, grade for grade: A 56, B 48, C 40 and D 32. A Scottish Higher is a smaller qualification and scores 33 at A, which is less than an A level at B.
Does an Extended Project add to my A level points?
Yes, if the course counts it. An EPQ is worth 28 points at A* down to 8 at E, roughly half an A level, and some offers reduce by a grade where an EPQ is achieved.
Working out where your grades take you
If your predicted grades are close to the courses you want, the useful next step is the shortlist rather than the arithmetic. We look at the subjects, the GCSEs, the statement and the timing together, and the first conversation costs nothing. Please get in touch and tell us what you are taking.
- UCAS points calculatorAdd up any mix of qualifications
- UCAS points to gradesTurn an offer's number back into grades
- BTEC UCAS pointsAll four sizes and every grade string
- IB to UCAS pointsA full diploma worked through
- Entry requirementsWhat universities ask beyond points
- UCAS deadlinesThe dates that matter this cycle
Sources: UCAS 2027 tariff tables and the UCAS Tariff points guidance, both read 3 September 2026. Every grade value on this page was read from those tables; every combination total is computed from them and shown in full so it can be checked.
Next review: when UCAS publishes the 2028 tariff tables.