University of Birmingham（伯明翰大学）entry requirements for Chinese students (2027) — minimum average mark, university list tiers and programme extras

For the 2027 intake, the University of Birmingham（伯明翰大学）does not publish a single minimum average. It sorts Chinese institutions into Groups 1 to 4, and each group carries its own threshold — and each group splits again, because economics and non-quantitative courses in the Business School ask for a lower mark than other master's programmes.

The two thresholds you are aiming at

Read across the row for your university, then down the column for your programme type. Both columns are entry requirements for a 2:1 classification. Group 1 carries the lowest bar at 0.73 for most programmes; Group 4 asks the most at 0.87.

The Business School column covers a specific set of economics and non-quantitative programmes: MSc AI in Management, MSc Sustainable Innovation and Entrepreneurship, MSc International Business, MSc Marketing, MSc Management, MSc Strategic Marketing and Consulting, MSc Supply Chain Management, MSc Business Analytics, and MSc Human Resource Management.

What the tiers actually do

The grouping exists because the university builds its China list from various composite Chinese university rankings. The published list is stated to be for partner reference only — the ranges of institutions each school and course accepts are set by what appears on the university's own official website information. In practice that means a tier is a starting point for your own check, not a guarantee about a specific school or programme; check the university's own pages, which take precedence.

Where something is not stated in the published material — including whether an individual programme adds an entrance test, a portfolio or an interview — check the university's own pages, which take precedence.

Dubai campusA separate line applies to the Dubai campus. It can consider some institutions appearing in the 2025 ShanghaiRanking list of Chinese private undergraduate universities, provided the applicant's subject background matches and the academic average reaches a minimum of 87%.

Programme exceptions worth knowing

Some programmes are handled differently. MSc Public Management, MA Global Public Policy, MA International Political Economy, MPA Finance, MPA HR, MPA, MSc AI and Government, and MSc AI and Sustainable Development are assessed for 3+1 students on the UK partner institution and the corresponding grades only — though the Chinese institution still needs to be a university recognised by ENIC.

If your Chinese institution is not on the list, the only route noted is an application to CoSS postgraduate courses in the social sciences: refer to Study with us – College of Social Sciences on the University of Birmingham website.

Cooperative and joint-programme routes

For 4+0 Sino-foreign cooperative institutions and programmes (TNE), and 1+3 or 2+2 joint training programmes, you may apply if the Chinese institution is on the list, with the main reference being the foreign partner's degree grades. The outcome is confirmed by admissions review. The attached list covers only some 4+0 institutions and programmes: if yours is not there but it appears on the Chinese cooperative education regulatory platform (www.crs.jsj.edu.cn/aproval/orglists/2) and your Chinese institution is on the list, you can still try.

Students who entered a domestic programme without Gaokao selection — three years of SQA or Pearson BTEC plus a top-up year abroad, or two years at a Chinese institution then two years of UK undergraduate study — are handled as follows. If the Chinese institution is on the list, you can apply. If it is not, you can only attempt application to the CoSS postgraduate courses noted above.

Undergraduate route, for reference

The same country page also sets out undergraduate entry: the Gaokao with a minimum 80% overall average, including 80% in Mathematics where A-level Mathematics is required; or a Senior Secondary School Graduation Certificate with a minimum 85% overall across years 11 and 12, including 85% in relevant subjects where A-level subjects are required. Standard English language requirements apply for international students. Provincial Gaokao requirements are referenced on the Gaokao page.

Where to verify each figure

Open the country-specific China page on the University of Birmingham website and search for your institution by its Chinese name. Check the group shown next to it. Then open your target programme's own entry requirements page and confirm whether it sits in the Business School economics and non-quantitative set. Anything the two pages do not state, or where they disagree with anything above, is settled by the university's own pages, which take precedence.

If your institution is not listed at all, or you are unsure which group it belongs to, the published material directs enquiries to the University of Birmingham China office at China@contacts.bham.ac.uk.

Sources

• University of Birmingham — China: Gaokao and country requirements
• University of Birmingham — official website