The top 12 most difficult undergraduate courses to get into a UK university for have been revealed.
While we have listed the top 12 most difficult courses to get a place on, the most recent data shows geography, earth and environmental studies had a 90 per cent offer rate in 2024.
The data comes from UCAS and refers to the 2024 admissions cycle comparing the number of applications to the number of offers given out by universities.
This data is specifically related to UK students that have applied to UK universities so international applications have not been counted.
Here are the top 12 university courses that are the hardest to get a place on, ranked by offer rate:
1. Medicine and dentistry - 25.8 per cent
For the 2024 intake, 97,000 students from the UK submitted applications to study medicine and dentistry related degrees. However, only 25,210 of them received an offer to study the course. | Getty Images
2. Veterinary sciences - 40.6 per cent
13,195 applications from UK students were made to study veterinary sciences at universities across the country. However, only 5,360 of students received an offer. | Universal Images Group via Getty
3. Subjects allied to medicine - 53.6 per cent
339,090 applications were made by UK students to study subjects "allied to medicine". However, only 181,885 received an offer. In UCAS terms, these subjects refer to courses that provide foundational knowledge and skills for careers in the healthcare and biomedical fields. This category includes subjects like physiotherapy, radiography, pharmacy and osteopathic medicine as well as broader scientific disciplines such as biology and chemistry. | Universal Images Group via Getty
4. Design, and creative and performing arts - 62.9 per cent
There were 215,680 applications made to study design, creative and performing arts degrees in the 2024 intake. 135,740 offers were made. This includes subjects like fine art, design studies, music, drama, dance, cinematography, photography and creative writing. | SOPA Images/LightRocket via Gett