Journalism degree entry requirements

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A journalism degree will help you gain hands-on experience in being able to grip audiences and tell stories through a range of multimedia platforms. Given the opportunity to produce and analyse media, you'll be on your way to becoming a successful journalist. 

You'll also have many career opportunities. Graduates have been known to take these skills and apply them in industries such as advertising, copywriting, broadcast journalism, editing, market research and so much more.

If your grades don’t meet the entry requirements to study journalism at your firm or insurance choice universities, don’t feel too disheartened. You still have plenty of other options to consider, including searching through Clearing to find an alternative course to apply to. Here’s how to do it.

Journalism degree entry requirements

The minimum UCAS Tariff points to study journalism ranges from 80 points (CDD at A-level) to 128 (ABB at A-level), with the average being 112 points (BBC at A-level).

For applicants with A-levels, universities don’t tend to require you to have studied any specific subjects in preparation for this degree. Typically, subjects such as general studies and critical thinking are excluded and cannot be counted as part of your points total.

BTECs are accepted by most universities for a journalism degree. Some universities require you to have a BTEC National or Extended Diploma in a related subject but again this varies heavily from university to university. You’ll need a DDD for the top universities but could find a place on a course with as little as PP.

There are also a number of universities that offer journalism degrees with integrated foundation years, specifically for students who don’t have the required qualifications to gain direct entry onto their degree programme. The first year is designed to equip students with the necessary academic knowledge and skills for degree-level study.

The entry requirements for these courses are much lower – as little as 32 UCAS points – so this could be a good option for you. It’s important to remember though, that not only will your degree take longer to complete, the extra year will add additional course fees and living expenses to the cost of your studies. 

Note: The exact entry requirements for journalism courses will vary from university to university. It’s important to check the individual course pages for exact entry information – including information on what other qualifications may be accepted – before making any applications.

It’s important to remember that universities don’t just assess you on your grades or UCAS points totals. They'll take into account your personal statement, and how well you’ve communicated your passion for the subject and for your chosen career path. They'll also want to see what you can contribute to university life, so will look favourably on students who’ve been active members of clubs and societies at college/sixth form. 

Some universities may also ask students to attend an interview or selection day and your performance here will form part of your application success.

Top tip: If you have only just missed out on the grades/UCAS points needed for your chosen university, it’s worth giving them a call to see if they would be willing to accept you – based on your personal statement and interview performance. There are no guarantees, but it’s worth a try. 

Other important information to look at when choosing a journalism course includes: what the module choices are; how you’ll be taught and/or assessed; whether there are placement opportunities; and what the graduate employment rates are.

You can compare courses based on all these important factors right here on Whatuni. To start your search, head over to Whatuni’s Clearing hub and enter 'journalism' into the search bar. Then you can start browsing through the information pages for each course, comparing them to all the important factors listed above.

Top Tip: During Clearing, some universities have been known to lower the entry requirements for some of their courses. There is no way to tell if this will happen to Journalism courses in Clearing, but if a university has a lot of vacancies to fill, they may be willing to accept students with lower grades.

The easiest way to see which courses your grades make you eligible for is to click the ‘YOUR GRADES’ button located at the top of the search results page and fill in the on-screen form. The list will then be personalised with matching courses:

Once you’ve compiled a list of courses, you then need to decide which of the shortlisted universities you’d be most happy living at for the next three to four years. A good place to begin your research is the university’s prospectus, which will give you an overview of what they offer students in terms of learning facilities, accommodation, social activities, and financial and welfare support.

It's useful to book yourself onto an open day tour or event at each university – if you have time to do so. This'll give you a chance to have a closer look at the campus and perhaps speak to some current students and/or potential tutors. Open day events are really useful for helping you build a picture of what your life there might be like and whether you’d enjoy it.

Before making any final decisions, we’d also suggest you check our student reviews. They'll give you an honest insight into what it’s really like to study and live at your shortlisted universities. Simply enter the university name and/or subject name to see what students are saying:

What if I can’t find a journalism course in Clearing?

If you haven’t been able to find or secure a place on a suitable journalism course in Clearing, don’t despair. There are still a number of other options available to you:

• Apply for a joint honours degree: If you can’t find a suitable journalism course to apply for, then one alternative is to search for a joint honours course where journalism makes up one half of the degree. Common subjects to be paired with journalism include English, media, creative writing and history. Just make sure to think carefully about your future career aspirations before making a decision.
• Apply for a Clearing course in a similar subject: Subjects like media, film studies, photography and creative writing all cover important aspects involved in journalism and maybe good alternatives to consider. Again, make sure to think carefully about your future career aspirations before making a decision.
• Study a journalism foundation degree: Much like HNDs, foundation degrees (FdSc) are vocationally based courses that last two years full-time and are worth two years of a bachelor’s degree. Entry requirements are a lot lower – between 24 and 48 UCAS points (D – BB at A-level or P – MMP BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma). They are ideal for those who didn’t get the grades for entry onto a degree or for mature students looking to re-enter higher education. After completing a Foundation degree students can progress onto the third year of a BSc degree or gain employment.
• Resit your exams: If none of these alternative options appeals to you, or you have your heart set on a particular course at a particular university, then you could opt to re-sit your A-level exams and apply for university entry next year.