Picking IGCSE / GCSE subjects in Year 9 or 10? Choose now and you can box yourself out of A-level Chemistry, Further Maths or a specific language — and from competitive degrees like Medicine or Engineering. Pick your aspirational degree and we'll show the IGCSE subjects + grades you need to keep that pathway open at 16+, with what universities actually look at from IGCSEs.
Pick the degree you're aiming for. We'll show you which IGCSE subjects you need to take. If you're undecided between two, pick the stricter one — its subjects usually keep the other open too.
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Quick answers about picking IGCSE subjects for university.
Pick the university degree you're aiming for. We map that back to the IGCSE subjects you need to take — sorted into required (no offer without them), strongly recommended, recommended and useful complements — plus the typical UK offer (or IB total), the famous flagship-university exceptions (Oxbridge / LSE / Imperial), and country-specific notes where the answer materially differs (US / Singapore / Australia).
It boxes you in or keeps you free. To take A-level Chemistry, you need a strong IGCSE Chemistry (typically 7+ / A); to do Medicine, you need Triple Science (separate Biology + Chemistry + Physics IGCSEs) — Combined Science makes you uncompetitive. Foreign-language IGCSEs are often required for Modern Languages degrees. Additional Maths IGCSE is the springboard to A-level Further Maths. Get IGCSEs wrong and you're closed out of degrees you don't even know you wanted yet.
Yes. For selective degrees, universities flag certain subjects as 'soft' or 'non-facilitating' — they don't actively hurt by themselves but can make a 3-subject combination uncompetitive. Critical Thinking and General Studies are commonly excluded from offers entirely. A-level Law is generally not preferred for LLB degrees (top schools want a different rigorous subject). The result page flags the avoid-list per degree.
Mostly yes for required subjects, but flagship universities (Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial, LSE, UCL, NUS, NTU, ETH Zurich, MIT, Stanford) often layer on additional requirements — Cambridge Engineering wants Further Maths; LSE Economics wants A* in Maths; Oxford Medicine doesn't accept Maths/Further Maths as your only quantitative subject. The result page surfaces the famous exceptions. For your final shortlist, always cross-check each university's specific course page.
US Medicine and Law are post-graduate degrees — different pathway entirely. US universities are generally more flexible about specific subjects (they look at GPA + SAT/ACT + AP credits holistically). Australian universities mirror UK requirements closely for selective degrees like Engineering and Medicine. Singapore universities (NUS, NTU, SMU) are often as strict as the UK Russell Group. The result page flags these country variations for each degree.
The recommendations follow each degree's published entry requirements at the major UK and IB-receiving universities, refreshed annually. Requirements DO drift — flagship universities sometimes tighten or loosen what they accept. Always cross-check the specific course page on the university's own admissions site before locking in your subject choices. This tool is the orientation; the university's own course page is the contract.
Smart move — most students change their mind between Year 11 and Year 13. The strongest 'open-doors' IGCSE combinations are: Triple Science (separate Biology + Chemistry + Physics) + strong Maths + a foreign language is the widest-options combo at IGCSE.
Yes. Once you have a shortlist of degrees and a few candidate IGCSE combinations, Tutopiya tutors can stress-test the combination against your target universities, help you prepare for entrance assessments (BMAT / UCAT / TMUA / STEP / LNAT / MAT) that come on top of grades, and coach your personal statement. Book a free 30-min consult.