Last updated

January 27, 2025

Which universities use STEP?

STEP

By

Amelia Calladine

Many top UK universities use admissions tests in the selection process for the most competitive undergraduate courses in mathematics and computer science. Admissions tests are used to distinguish between the best mathematicians in the cohort, who are all predicted to achieve an A* in their Mathematics/Further Mathematics A Level. Originally a Cambridge-specific exam, STEP is the perhaps the best established of the mathematics admissions tests. Other universities now also use STEP as an offer condition. This article summarises STEP requirements for the 2024-25 admissions cycle concisely, but please follow the links to the relevant web pages for full details.

Students who receive a conditional offer to read Mathematics at the University of Cambridge are required to take STEP 2 and STEP 3. Specific colleges also use STEP 2 for Engineering applicants.

The most common grade requirements for mathematicians is 1,1 (grade 1 in both papers). Some colleges also ask for an S grade (for example, Pembroke College gave some S,1 offers in 2024), and reapplicants who have taken a gap year are usually required to achieve S,1. Some colleges have been known to ask for 2,1, though this is uncommon.

A small number of applicants choose to take STEP a year early to strengthen their Cambridge application. In this case, some colleges (e.g. St Catherine's) have only asked them to retake the paper that they did not pass the previous year. Cambridge colleges receive the STEP exam scripts of their offer holders, so they can assess a student’s performance on the exam in the case of a missed offer.

STEP is the most challenging and important part of the Cambridge application process for Mathematics: only half of offer holders typically meet their offer conditions and are accepted onto the course, so it is crucial to take the STEP requirement seriously and start preparing early!

From 2024, Imperial College London mainly uses the TMUA in the selection process for courses in mathematics and computing. Applicants for the courses listed below are required (or strongly encouraged *) to take the TMUA if they submit their UCAS application before the final TMUA registration deadline (23rd December 2024). Students who apply after the 23rd December 2024 are typically required to take at least one STEP paper as a condition of their offer.

In this case, the offer condition is usually a grade 2 in either STEP paper, but they may increase the grade or require both papers. Imperial may also include STEP as an offer condition for students who achieved a borderline TMUA score.

Applicants for Computing and Mathematics with Computer Science are required to take the TMUA in order to be considered for a place in 2025. STEP is not generally included in the typical offer conditions, but might be required if the TMUA registration deadline was missed, or in the case of a borderline TMUA score.

The University of Warwick uses the TMUA, STEP, and the AEA across several courses in the Mathematics Institute and Department of Statistics.

Admissions tests are compulsory for the BSc and MMath Mathematics courses offered by the Mathematics Institute, unless the applicant is eligible for a contextual offer. Applicants will typically take the TMUA, but STEP is a required offer condition for applicants who did not take the TMUA or did not achieve the required threshold. The typical requirement is a grade 2 in either STEP paper.

Applicants for the Department of Statistics courses listed below will be eligible for a reduced offer if they achieve a suitable score in the TMUA, a grade 2 in either STEP paper, or Distinction in the AEA:

The reduced offer grades can vary based on a number of factors so it is advisable to check the linked pages for full details. It is also worth noting that the Department of Statistics offers a prize of £2000 for any applicants who achieve grade 1 in either STEP paper or 7.5 on the TMUA! Visit this page to find out more about the Undergraduate Entrance Prizes.

Durham University strongly encourages applicants to take a mathematics admissions test because they are heavily weighted in their selection process for:

Applicants who achieve a suitable score on either the TMUA or STEP are automatically eligible to be considered a reduced offer one grade below the standard offer (A*AA with an A* in Mathematics or Further Mathematics, rather than A*A*A). A grade 2 in either STEP paper is usually sufficient to be considered for a reduced offer.

For students who are only taking an AS Level in Mathematics (not the full A Level), grade 2 in STEP (or a 5.0 on the TMUA) is a compulsory requirement.

University College London applicants can take STEP or the AEA to be considered for a reduced offer for the following courses:

Achieving a grade 2 in either STEP paper, or a Distinction in the AEA, reduces the standard offer of A*A*A to A*AA with A*A in Mathematics and Further Mathematics.

The University of Bath only requires students to take an admissions test if they have not studied sufficient content in their A Level or IB qualifications. Students taking A Level Further Mathematics or IB Higher Level Mathematics: Analysis and Approaches do not need to take an admissions test, and their score will not be considered in the selection process for Bath if they take an admissions test for admission to another university. This applies to the following courses:

Achieving grade 2 in either STEP paper, or a Merit in the AEA, will be sufficient to meet the offer condition.