Academic requirements

Academic requirements for entry to courses in England and Wales

Primary, middle years and secondary teaching courses

Before you can start a PGCE course in primary, middle years or secondary teaching in England or Wales you must have:

  • a degree awarded by a UK university or college or a recognised equivalent qualification

    • and be able to show that you have

  • the knowledge of English required to obtain a GCSE at grade C.

  • the knowledge of mathematics required to obtain a GCSE at grade C.


If you want to take a PGCE course in primary or middle years teaching, you must also be able to show that you have:

  • the knowledge of a science subject required to obtain a GCSE at grade C.

Training providers are responsible for assessing your knowledge of English, mathematics and, if applicable, science. They may be able to ascertain that you have the required knowledge of these subjects from your qualifications or work experience. Some training providers may ask you to take their own equivalency tests in English, mathematics and/or science to assess your knowledge. There is more information about equivalency tests below.

For further information about the minimum entry requirements for entry to postgraduate teacher training courses in England, visit the TDA website or for courses in Wales visit the Teacher Education & Training in Wales website.

Post-compulsory and further education courses

Before you start a course for post-compulsory or further education teaching in England or Wales, you must have a degree awarded by a UK university or college or a recognised equivalent qualification. You do not need to have GCSEs at grade C or higher in English language, mathematics or science as standard entry requirements for these courses, but some training providers may ask for one or more of these qualifications. You must read the Entry Profiles on Course Search and visit the training providers' websites to find out the specific entry requirements for their courses before you apply.

There are no training providers in Scotland that recruit for post-compulsory or further education courses through the GTTR.

Academic requirements for entry to courses in Scotland

Primary teaching courses

Before you can start a postgraduate Initial Teacher Education (ITE) course in primary teaching in Scotland, you must have:

  • a degree from a UK university or college. Degree equivalent qualifications are not acceptable

  • a National Qualifications Course award in English at level 6 or above in the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) or an equivalent qualification

  • a National Qualifications Course award in mathematics at level 5 or above in the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) or an equivalent qualification.

The training providers will also want to ensure that your education provides the necessary foundation for working as a primary teacher. In addition to English and mathematics, they will also normally look for evidence that you have studied at least two of science, social studies, expressive arts, religious and moral education, technology or modern languages.

Secondary teaching courses

Before you can start a postgraduate Initial Teacher Education (ITE) course in secondary teaching in Scotland, you must have

  • a degree from a UK university or college or an equivalent that contains sufficient breadth and depth in the subject(s) you intend to teach

  • a National Qualifications Course award in English at level 6 or above in the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) or an equivalent.

You do not need a qualification in mathematics to take a course for secondary teaching in Scotland.

For further information about the entry requirements for ITE courses in Scotland, visit the Scottish Government's website.

Finding the specific entry requirements for courses

The previous sections list the standard minimum academic requirements for entry to courses in England, Wales and Scotland. Training providers may have higher academic or other requirements for entry to their courses. For example, they may ask for a specific class of degree (2:2, 2:1 or First) or if you want to take a course in Spanish or German teaching, they may also require a Higher in French. Most providers will ask you to obtain some experience of working in a school before starting your course

You must read the Entry Profiles on Course Search and visit the training providers' websites to find out the specific entry requirements for your chosen courses before you apply.

Equivalent UK qualifications

If you think you have other UK qualifications that might be equivalent to a degree or to GCSEs at grade C in English, mathematics or science, you must contact the training providers for a final decision before you make your application. The GTTR cannot advise you whether or not your qualifications are acceptable for entry to postgraduate teacher training.

You have non-UK qualifications

Before you apply through the GTTR you should obtain a comparability letter from The National Academic Recognition Centre for the United Kingdom (UK NARIC) to confirm whether or not you have non - UK qualifications that are comparable to:

  • a UK degree
  • GCSEs at grade C in English and mathematics
  • GCSE at grade C in science (only required if you are applying for primary or middle years teaching courses).

If UK NARIC sends you a letter to confirm you have qualifications that are comparable to all the above UK qualifications, you can apply through the GTTR. After you have applied, each time we tell you that your application has been sent to a training provider for consideration, you must send a copy of UK NARIC's letter to that training provider.

If UK NARIC is unable to confirm that you have qualifications that are comparable to all the above UK qualifications, you must discuss your qualifications with training providers before you apply through the GTTR.

For further information about the comparability of qualifications, visit the UK NARIC website.

Equivalency tests

You may not be able to show that you have the required knowledge of English, mathematics and/or science before courses start. If so, some training providers may be able to offer you equivalency tests to assess your knowledge of these subjects for entry to their courses. You must contact your chosen providers to find out whether or not they can offer you these tests before you apply.

A pass in one training provider's equivalency test is not usually acceptable for entry to courses at other training providers. You would need to take tests at each training provider that is interested in offering you a place.