What IB score do you need? University requirements for 2027 entry

IB score guides usually give you a table and leave you to guess what it means. This one explains what the numbers actually tell you, where they don't, and what matters more than your total.

The most important thing to understand upfront: universities make offers based on predicted scores and conditions, not your total alone. A student predicted IB 40 with 6,6,6 at HL is not the same as a student predicted IB 40 with 7,7,5. Know your HL profile, not just your number.

Medicine — the most score-sensitive field

Medicine is where IB scores matter most, because the filters are explicit and the competition intense.

University	Country	IB minimum	Typical range	Also required
NUS Medicine	Singapore	42	43–45	UCAT or BMAT, interview
NTU LKCMedicine	Singapore	42	43–45	Interview
University of Edinburgh	UK	37	39–42	UCAT
King's College London	UK	35	38–41	UCAT
University of Melbourne	Australia	38	40–45	UCAT ANZ or GAMSAT
Monash University	Australia	38	40–44	UCAT ANZ

What the minimums don't tell you: NUS publishes IB 42 as a minimum but admitted students almost never come in below 43. Edinburgh's minimum of 37 is technically accurate — but with over 3,000 applicants for ~240 places, the realistic floor for interview shortlisting is closer to 39. Treat published minimums as "you won't be considered below this," not "this is what you need."

The UCAT changes the calculus significantly. A student with IB 38 and a UCAT score in the top decile (2800+) will outperform a student with IB 41 and a weak UCAT at most UK medical schools. If medicine is your goal, treat UCAT prep as seriously as you treat your HL assessments.

Law — essays matter as much as scores

University	Country	IB minimum	Typical range
NUS Law	Singapore	40	42–45
Oxford (Jurisprudence)	UK	39	41–45
UCL Laws	UK	37	39–42
LSE LLB	UK	37	38–42
University of Sydney	Australia	36	38–42

Law is where the personal statement and interview can shift outcomes more than one or two IB points. Oxford's law tutors are looking for legal reasoning, not just high scores. UCL and LSE get thousands of applicants with IB 40+ — they're also looking at your personal statement for genuine engagement with legal ideas.

NUS Law is among the hardest programs to enter in Singapore. IB score matters but so does your Mother Tongue grade, which contributes to the Combined Rank Point used by local admissions.

Engineering and Computer Science

University	Country	IB minimum	Typical range
NTU Engineering	Singapore	35	37–40
NUS Computing / CS	Singapore	36	38–40
Imperial College London	UK	38	40–44
University College London	UK	36	38–42
University of Melbourne	Australia	34	36–40
University of Toronto	Canada	34	36–40

HL Mathematics is non-negotiable for competitive engineering and CS programs at every institution listed. Analysis and Approaches (AA) is strongly preferred over Applications and Interpretation (AI) at Imperial, UCL, and NUS. If you're doing HL Maths AI, verify the specific requirement before applying — some programs explicitly state AA preferred.

Imperial and ETH Zurich are the most technically demanding programs to get into in Europe. Imperial at IB 40–44 selects heavily on HL scores — a 7 in HL Maths and 7 in HL Physics matters more than your total.

Business

University	Country	IB minimum	Typical range
SMU Business	Singapore	30	34–38
NUS Business (BBA)	Singapore	34	36–39
Warwick Business School	UK	36	38–40
University of Bath	UK	35	37–39
University of Melbourne	Australia	33	35–38

Business programs are the most accessible by IB score but the most competitive by soft factors. At top US and UK business schools, internships, entrepreneurial experience, and leadership roles in school matter. SMU specifically has an ABA (aptitude-based admissions) pathway for students with strong portfolios and lower IB scores — worth checking if your score is borderline.

What the table doesn't capture

HL grades over total. Most universities specify HL conditions alongside the total IB. "IB 38 with 6,6,5 at HL" is a different offer from "IB 38." If your HL grades in relevant subjects are strong, you may be competitive above your total IB suggests. If they're weak, the opposite is true. Subject matching. Imperial wants HL Physics + Maths for Engineering. NUS Med wants HL Bio + Chemistry. If you're not doing the right HL subjects, no score is high enough. Entrance exams. UCAT for UK/AU medicine, LNAT for Oxford/UCL law, TMUA for Cambridge Maths/CS — these are weighted heavily and aren't captured in IB score at all. Budget prep time for whichever exam applies to your field. US admissions. For US universities, IB score is an input into a holistic review, not a threshold. Harvard and MIT admit students with IB 36 who are genuinely exceptional in other ways. They also reject students with IB 45 whose profiles aren't interesting. The IB score matters less for US admissions than for any other destination.

Use these benchmarks as a starting point. Then go directly to each university's admissions page and read their stated conditions. Requirements shift year to year, and the official source is always more reliable than any guide, including this one.