Are you thinking of studying a psychology degree at university? Make sure your A-level line-up ticks admissions tutors’ boxes…
By Ryan Lunn (Content executive) | 04 April 2025 | 3 minutes read
Psychology, and other social sciences like sociology, are popular degrees normally open to you with any A-levels ie they don't usually have strict subject requirements.
However, certain A-level subject choices will help prepare you for studying psychology at degree level, and may give you an edge over other applicants.
A few courses could ask for one or more of the following A-levels:
biology
chemistry
maths
physics
What A-levels would be useful to have to study psychology?
Some unis suggest that a mix of sciences and humanities would be useful. You could consider studying psychology, or sociology – having a feel for the subject before you start it is always helpful. Other typical A-levels taken by psychology students include:
English
general studies
history
Take a look at individual psychology courses on The Uni Guide to get a clearer idea of the requirements for psychology. If you want to find out where your A-level choices could take you, try our A-level explorer tool.
Examples of psychology degree entry requirements
Below are a range of Psychology BSc (Hons) courses offered by different universities and their A-level entry requirements for September 2025 entry (figures correct as of 18 December 2024).
You should always check entry requirements yourself when it comes to applying, but this gives you a good idea of what to expect:
University of Glasgow: AAA - ABB.Two A-level science subjects and GCSE Mathematics at grade 5 or 6.
University of Bath: A typical offer is A*AA in three A-level subjects. Your offer can include mathematics or further mathematics but not both.
Brunel University: AAB - BBB three A-level subjects.Five GCSEs at grade 4 or above are also required, including English language and maths.
Psychology students spill the beans
Here are some thoughts from psychology students on The Student Room:
Excellent essay skills are paramount. Even when you're not writing essays, you're writing up research/proposals/reports/presentations. It would be quite detrimental to your developing writing skills to omit this kind of A-level, or to drop the subject at AS.bibachu | (from The Student Room)
As you probably already know, psychology A level is not a prerequisite for the degree. I would highly recommend taking it anyway though, besides giving you a general grounding, it will push you onto further reading and make writing your PS a lot easier. It's a good way to get a feel for whether the subject is right for you, too.Scotland Yard | (from The Student Room)
What other similar subjects to psychology could you study?
A sociologydegree– the study of the development and structure of human society
Remember that even similar subjects may have slightly different A-level requirements to psychology – so if you want to keep your degree options open, be sure to check the entry requirements for specific courses.
Psychology vs psychiatry, what's the difference?
Although both study the mind, to do a psychiatry degree (so you can prescribe medicines as a psychiatrist) you must do a 5-year medicine course first. Learn more about the entry requirements for medicine.
