Lowest offer rate courses in the UK

Data: UCAS End of Cycle 2025 and university course pages, updated November 2026. Methodology

Subjects with the lowest offer rates

Medicine and dentistry is in a category of its own at 34%. It fell as low as 17% in 2022 when applications rose and places stayed capped. Veterinary science (45%) and subjects allied to medicine, such as nursing, physiotherapy and paramedic science (66%), follow for the same reason: places are funded and limited. Creative arts (70%) is low for a different reason, because auditions and portfolios turn down many applicants.

The 30 lowest offer rates by university and subject

This ranking covers 1,079 university and subject-area combinations with at least 300 applications in 2025, so small courses with a lucky or unlucky year are left out. 20 of the 30 are at Oxford, Cambridge, St Andrews or a London university. The example course links to a course page with its typical offer.

Why these rates are so low

• Self-selection. Most people applying to Oxford law or Cambridge computing are already predicted top grades. A 10% offer rate there is competition among strong applicants, not a sign that 90% were weak.
• Extra hurdles. Admissions tests (UCAT, LNAT, TMUA), interviews, auditions and portfolios all filter applicants beyond grades.
• Fixed places. Medicine, dentistry, veterinary science and many healthcare courses have capped numbers, so rising demand pushes rates down instead of adding places.
• Subject-area mixing. UCAS publishes rates for subject areas, not single courses. A low rate can be driven by one very popular course inside the area.

Low rates outside Oxbridge

Not every low rate belongs to a famous university. Newer medical schools such as Brunel, Chester and Worcester appear because they receive thousands of medicine applications for small intakes. Drama schools and conservatoires appear because auditions turn away most applicants, and some creative courses at large universities, such as acting at Surrey, are as selective as Oxbridge law. If you are applying for any of these, the offer rate tells you more about the course than the university's overall reputation does.

What this means for your five choices

To check the rate for a university and subject not listed here, use the free UCAS offer rate calculator. One choice from this list is a reasonable ambition. Several is a risk: if every choice has an offer rate near 10 to 20%, the chance of ending up with no offers at all is real, even with strong predictions. Balance a low-rate choice with courses where your predicted grades sit at or above the typical offer. The highest offer rate courses show where offers are far more likely, and the subject guides for law, medicine and computer science list every university.