If you’ve searched for a single table to handle your IB to UCAS points conversion, here’s the most important thing to understand first: there isn’t one official number for a total IB score. UCAS converts your IB result component by component — Higher Level subjects, Standard Level subjects, and your TOK/Extended Essay core — not as a single diploma total, which is exactly why so many online “conversion charts” give inconsistent answers.
Why There’s No Single Conversion Number
Two students with the exact same total IB score (say, 38 points) can end up with meaningfully different UCAS Tariff totals, because their individual grade profile across HL, SL, and the core differs. The UCAS Tariff system scores each qualification component separately, then adds everything together — so your specific mix of grades matters, not just your final diploma number.
How Each Component Is Scored
Higher Level (HL) subjects carry the most weight in your UCAS total, since they’re treated as more substantial qualifications. As a general reference: an HL grade of 7 is commonly valued significantly higher than an HL grade of 6, with points decreasing at each grade step down.
Standard Level (SL) subjects are also awarded UCAS points, but at roughly half the value of the equivalent HL grade — reflecting the shorter teaching hours and generally less extensive syllabus content of SL courses.
Core components (TOK and the Extended Essay) contribute additional points based on your combined letter-grade performance, on top of your six subject totals.
Because the exact published tariff figures are reviewed and can be updated by UCAS, always calculate your specific total using UCAS’s own official, current tariff tables (available on the UCAS website) or a calculator that’s explicitly kept up to date against those official tables, rather than relying on a static number from an older source.
Why This Matters Less Than You Might Expect
Here’s the part that surprises many students: most UK universities that accept the IB make offers directly in IB points and specific HL subject grades, not in UCAS Tariff points. A typical offer looks like “36 points including 6,6,5 at Higher Level,” not a UCAS Tariff number. The Tariff system exists mainly to let universities compare across genuinely different qualification types (A-Levels, BTECs, the IB, and others) at an institutional level — but your actual course-specific offer will almost always be expressed in IB points directly.
If you’re applying to universities outside the UK as well, see our companion guide on IB to US GPA conversion.
When UCAS Tariff Points Actually Matter for You
Tariff points become directly relevant mainly in a few specific situations: some universities use a minimum Tariff threshold for initial eligibility screening before looking at subject-specific requirements, and Clearing (the process for filling remaining places after results day) sometimes uses Tariff points as a quick initial filter across very different qualification types.
How to Calculate Your Own Estimate
- List your six subjects and note which are HL and which are SL, along with your predicted or actual grade for each
- Look up the current official UCAS Tariff value for each specific grade at the appropriate level (HL or SL)
- Look up the current tariff value for your TOK/EE letter grade combination
- Add all these values together for your total UCAS Tariff points
Common Misunderstandings to Avoid
- Assuming your total IB score (e.g., “38”) directly converts to one specific UCAS number — it doesn’t, since the calculation is component-based
- Assuming Tariff points are what determines your actual offer — for the large majority of courses, universities publish offers in IB points and HL subject grades, not Tariff points
- Using an outdated conversion table, since points-per-grade values are reviewed periodically by UCAS
Final Tip
Rather than fixating on your overall UCAS Tariff total, focus your research on the specific IB points and HL subject grade requirements published on each target course’s own admissions page — this is what will actually determine your offer for the vast majority of UK university courses.
Once you have a realistic points estimate, see our guide on which universities you can get into with 38 IB points to check specific courses.