Entry Requirements
Varndean has differing entry requirements for each subject. Please check each subject you are interested in, on the Course page of the website.
For International students, we assess your school report grades and convert them to UK GCSE equivalents.
For A-levels/BTEC and Short Year programmes, a general guide is you need a mixture of at least six subjects at GCSE grades 4 – 9.
For IB, you need at least seven subjects at GCSE grades 6 – 9 including English, Maths and Science.
All International students also need to achieve a minimum level of English, which is assessed through a UK Visa and Immigration Secure English Language Test (UKVI SELT) exam.
We accept certificates from three different providers, please see the table below for the minimum entry grades.
| UKVI Academic IELTS | Language Cert International ESOL SELT | Pearson PTE Academic UKVI | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Short Year (1 year) | Overall 5.5 with no category less than 5.0 Reading & Writing must be at least 5.5 | CEFR B2 Note: Visa requirement is B1 but Varndean requires B2 | 43 overall Visa requirement of minimum of 43 in each category |
| Full A levels (2 years) | Overall 5.5 with no category less than 5.0 Reading & Writing must be at least 5.5 | CEFR B2 Note: Visa requirement is B1 but Varndean requires B2 | 43 overall Visa requirement of minimum of 43 in each category |
| Full International Baccalaureate (2 years) | Overall 6.5 with no category less than 6.0 Reading & Writing must be at least 6.5 | CEFR C1 | 56 overall No category less than 46 |
Find out more
How to Apply
Four great reasons to choose Varndean College
1. Excellent results
• Varndean is in the top 10% in the UK for ‘added value’ – this means that Varndean students perform better than 90% of all other schools/sixth forms in the country compared to students with the same GCSE grades on entry. This confirms the high quality teaching support, care and guidance that takes place here
• Our IB results are officially world class and are 4 points above the global average
2. A wide choice of subjects to study
• We offer an usually wide choice of 56 subjects of A level and BTEC vocational subjects
• We are the only college on the south coast of UK offering the International Baccalaureate
3. Excellent location
• We have a beautiful campus with fields and views of Brighton. Our students love the vibrant life in Brighton which is on a 15 min bus ride direct from the college
• We are 45 mins from Gatwick and 1hr 45 mins from Heathrow airports and 1.5hrs direct train line to London
4. International team support for welfare for all international students
• We have a dedicated International team, who support the students throughout their entire time at Varndean. We are renowned for our welfare support and many students recommend us due to our commitment to enabling them to have the best time here possible
• We select, monitor and support our team of local host families to provide a ‘home-from-home’ experience for our students. We have a dedicated Host Family Co-ordinator for support, and the International team monitor a 24/7 emergency phone line
• We run a very well-received Induction week at the start of the programme which is designed to give a warm welcome, build friendships and settle everyone into the new college, home and UK environment. It includes cultural trips out in the first week and throughout the first year
“Varndean College is an amazing environment for young people. All of the teachers are here to help students, especially Internationals. The International team have been a pleasure to know and have taught me so many things that I will bring outside the school grounds and into my adult life.” (Agnese, Italian 2024)
For all Application enquire please contact Shaun Clark at scl@varndean.ac.uk or telephone 0044 (0)1273 508011 ext 418
For Host family enquire please contact Siobhan Winney at international@varndean.ac.uk or telephone 0044 (0)1273 508011 ext 114