UCAS C700, three years
UCL describes a three-year BSc, with a four-year version that adds an industrial placement year.
Undergraduate · UCL Biochemistry
UCL Biochemistry: three subjects required, molecules as the focus
UCL's Biochemistry BSc is unusual among its life-science degrees for requiring three subjects: Biology, Chemistry and Mathematics. It studies how living things are organised at the molecular level in health and disease, and a four-year version adds an industrial placement year. The entry rule is the quickest way to see where it sits among UCL's neighbouring degrees.
Official information · last verified for 2027 entry
What UCL asks for in Biochemistry
Taken from UCL's Biochemistry BSc course page (a saved copy that UCL labels as possibly not showing recent changes) and read on 31 October 2026. For a normal 2028-entry application, made in 2027, every requirement below is last verified for the previous cycle and may change; UCL's 2028-entry requirements and dates are awaiting publication.
AAA with Biology, Chemistry and Mathematics
The A-level requirement is AAA, with all three of Biology, Chemistry and Mathematics required.
IB 18 points across Biology, Chemistry and Mathematics
18 points in three higher level subjects that include Biology, Chemistry and Mathematics, with no higher level score below 5.
All three of Biology, Chemistry and Mathematics
Unlike UCL's more flexible biology degrees, this one names all three subjects.
An optional placement year
The four-year Biochemistry (with Placement Year) BSc adds an industrial placement year.
Official sources
Read on 31 October 2026 on UCL's Biochemistry BSc course page (a saved copy that UCL labels as possibly not showing recent changes), which describes 2027 entry. UCL's department pages, the fees pages, the contextual-offer details and the 2028-entry values were not read, and the page lists no admissions test or interview so none is stated and are not stated.
The course
Life at the molecular level
UCL says students explore the mechanisms and processes that underpin all life, building skills in rapidly evolving areas to understand how living things are organised at the molecular level in both health and disease. A four-year Biochemistry (with Placement Year) BSc adds an industrial placement year.
Is it the right degree?
Biochemistry against its neighbours
UCL teaches several biology-related degrees with different entry rules.
Choose Biochemistry if
you take Biology, Chemistry and Mathematics and want a molecular focus.
Choose Biological Sciences if
you want a more flexible subject rule and pathways such as genetics or zoology. Avandy's UCL Biological Sciences guide covers it.
Choose Chemistry if
your interest is chemistry rather than biology. Avandy's UCL Chemistry guide covers it.
Entry rules
Biology, Chemistry and Mathematics together
A-level applicants need AAA with Biology, Chemistry and Mathematics, and at least two A-levels from UCL's list of preferred subjects. IB applicants need 18 points in three higher level subjects that include Biology, Chemistry and Mathematics. UCL's page lists no admissions test or interview. This page states no scores.
A decision framework
Three questions before you commit
This is Avandy's own framework, not UCL's.
Do you take all three subjects?
Biology, Chemistry and Mathematics are all required.
Is the molecular scale what interests you?
That is the course's stated focus.
Would a placement year help?
It is a separate four-year version.
Planning for 2028 entry
Planning for 2028 entry: what carries over and what is awaiting publication
Applying for 2028 entry means applying in 2027, under rules UCL has not yet published for that cycle. Each item below carries one of two labels. Last verified for 2027 entry means UCL published it for the previous cycle and it may change. Awaiting publication for 2028 entry means UCL has not yet published it.
Grades, the subject requirements and the preferred-subject guidance: last verified for 2027 entry
These are the best guide to what to prepare. UCL has not confirmed them for 2028 entry.
The UCAS deadline and the 2028-entry requirements: awaiting publication for 2028 entry
Check UCL's course page for the 2028-entry values when they appear.
What to do now
Confirm the required subjects, read the course structure and plan your preparation around it.
Support
Independent support with course choice and preparation
Avandy provides independent academic and admissions support. It is not affiliated with University College London or any of its colleges or departments. Preparation sits within the Avandy Trinity Advisory Model: a Strategic Admissions Consultant, a PhD-level Academic Mentor and a Subject-specific Tutor, working to the actual requirements of each course. Support here means course-fit advice, subject mentoring and ethical preparation; Avandy gives no scores or probabilities and does not write applications. No outcome is promised.
Questions
Questions applicants ask
What does UCL Biochemistry BSc require?
AAA at A level with Biology, Chemistry and Mathematics, in UCL's wording for 2027 entry.
What is the IB requirement?
18 points in three higher level subjects to include Biology, Chemistry and Mathematics.
Do I need Mathematics?
Yes. UCL lists Biology, Chemistry and Mathematics as required.
Is there a placement year?
UCL says students may opt for the four-year Biochemistry (with Placement Year) BSc.
Does Avandy state offer scores?
No. This page records UCL's wording for 2027 entry and states no scores or probabilities.
Are these the rules for 2028 entry?
No. They are UCL's wording for the 2027 application cycle. Check the course page again when UCL publishes its 2028-entry requirements.
Students and families
Talk to us about UCL Biochemistry
Tell us about the student's curriculum, their Biology, Chemistry and Mathematics, their interest in molecular mechanisms and whether a placement year appeals, the universities on the list, and the intended year of entry. A senior adviser will review the academic profile before recommending how to prepare.