For a Chinese high school candidate applying straight to an undergraduate course, University of Sussex（University of Sussex）publishes one undergraduate direct-entry figure: 高考直录 75% or above. That is the minimum stated score. Everything else on the university's entry-requirements page for this route — accepted alternative qualifications, language scores, which courses raise the bar — sits around that one number, so check it before you build a shortlist.
The undergraduate numbers the university actually lists
| Route | Requirement as published for the 2025 intake |
|---|---|
| 高考 direct entry | 75% or above |
| A level | AAB–BBB |
| IB | 30–34 |
| US high school | High school diploma + SAT (total not below 1300; some courses with a relevant-subject requirement ask for a single section score of 600), AP (544–554; some courses with a relevant-subject requirement ask for a single AP score of 4) |
| International foundation | 60% or above (Study Group and NCUK language course results recognised) |
| Second-year entry | Most Sussex undergraduate courses accept entry into year two, assessed case by case |
Read the SAT and AP lines carefully rather than averaging them: the sub-score conditions apply only where a specific course states a requirement for the relevant subject. Your high school qualification decides the row you use; the university does not publish a separate conversion between 高考 and, say, an A level offer.
Where the tier words come in — and what they do not cover
Sussex uses its own tier language, and it applies to postgraduate entry, not to the undergraduate 高考 threshold above. For 2025 autumn master's entry the university groups institutions in three layers:
- First layer: 985/211/双一流 universities
- Second layer: other undergraduate universities recognised by ENIC
- Third layer: recognised专科 institutions plus one to three years' work experience, considered case by case
Against a 2:2 degree, the published averages are 0.65, 0.7 and 0.75 respectively. Those are the university's own tier words, and they are worth reading alongside the layer definitions rather than as a league table: the published figures describe degree averages, not a ranking of universities, and the page does not attach a per-institution list you can check a specific university against. If you need your own degree's classification confirmed, the reliable route is Sussex's admissions office, not a secondhand reading of the tiers.
Note also what the page does not do. It does not publish a tiered undergraduate threshold for students who already hold a Chinese bachelor's degree and want to transfer or to progress — for that question, the stated options are year-two entry into most undergraduate courses, assessed individually, or a postgraduate application under the tier structure above.
Degrees that are acceptable, and degrees that are not automatically excluded
Sussex's published position on Chinese bachelor's qualifications is permissive in form rather than in score:
- A bachelor's degree obtained within two years in a country recognised by the UK immigration system (including 3+1 and 2+2 programmes) can be accepted as exempting the English requirement.
- Degrees obtained via 专升本, 自考, remote teaching, 函授, 电大 or 夜大 routes are accepted where both the graduation certificate and the degree certificate are held and verifiable through 学信网.
- Applicants with a 专科 plus substantial work experience applying to a direct-entry master's need to submit a CV for individual assessment.
- Applicants holding a bachelor's delivered as HND + Top-up are assessed on the final degree awarded.
The pattern worth carrying into an application decision: the route you studied through is not usually the disqualifier. Completeness of documentation and, in several cases, individual assessment are.
English language: the published scores
For courses with entry in September 2024, most of them, the university lists:
| Test | Overall | Sub-score |
|---|---|---|
| IELTS Academic | 6.0 | 5.5 |
| PTE Academic | 59 | 59 |
| TOEFL iBT | 80 | Listening 17, Reading 18, Speaking 20, Writing 17 |
| LanguageCert International ESOL SELT | B2 | no section below 36 |
One point of practical friction: for direct entry the university accepts a regular Academic IELTS, but anyone booking an in-person pre-sessional language course needs a UKVI IELTS instead.
How to self-check before you apply
- Decide which qualification row you are using from the table above — 高考, A level, IB, US high school or foundation.
- Check whether the specific course you want publishes a higher bar or a relevant-subject condition, since the SAT, AP and tier figures all have those clauses attached.
- If you hold a Chinese bachelor's degree, decide whether you are applying for undergraduate year-two entry or for a postgraduate course, because the published requirements differ.
- Confirm which English test you will sit, and whether the score you need is a regular Academic IELTS or a UKVI one.
- Gather毕业证 and 学位证 plus 学信网 verification if your degree came through any of the accepted专升本, 自考, distance or part-time routes.
- Send your specific qualification to Sussex's admissions office for a written view if your tier or route is not covered on the page.
The page for this intake does not state undergraduate tuition fees, application deadlines or course-specific English overrides in the extract available to this article, so verify those on the course pages before committing.