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Which A-levels do you need for Linguistics? Requirements at 16 UK universities
Of the 25 Linguistics degree courses at 16 UK universities (2027 entry), 3 require Modern Language (12%); the most common standard offer is ABB (10 courses). The safest three subjects are Modern Language, English Language and English Literature, which keep 24 of 25 courses open.
- Courses
- 25
- Universities
- 16
- Most common standard offers
- ABB (10), AAB (8) and BBB (3)
- Admissions tests
- None of these courses asks for one
- Data
- 2027 entry · official course pages, verified October 2026
Subject demandacross 25 courses
RequiredOptionalSelect a subject to see what it opens in the Course Finder.
- Modern Languagerequired 3 · optional 2 · recommended 5
- English Languageoptional 2 · recommended 3
- English Literatureoptional 2 · recommended 2
- Historyoptional 2 · recommended 2
- Economicsoptional 2 · recommended 1
- Geographyoptional 2 · recommended 1
- Politicsoptional 2 · recommended 1
- Sociologyoptional 2 · recommended 1
- Philosophyoptional 2 · recommended 1
- Religious Studiesoptional 2 · recommended 1
The safest three subjects
Ranked by how many courses' subject requirements the three meet. This covers subjects only, not grades.
Modern Language + English Language + English Literature
Keeps 24 of 25 courses open
Check Modern Language, English Language, English Literature in the Course FinderModern Language + English Language + History
Keeps 24 of 25 courses open
Check Modern Language, English Language, History in the Course FinderModern Language + English Language + Economics
Keeps 24 of 25 courses open
Check Modern Language, English Language, Economics in the Course Finder
Course by course25 courses
| University | Course | Required / options | Standard offer | Admissions test |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cambridge | Linguistics (BA) | Any subjects | A*AA | — |
| Cambridge | Linguistics and Modern Languages (BA) | Any subjects | A*AA | — |
| UCL | Language and Culture BA | Any subjects | ABB | — |
| UCL | Experimental Linguistics BSc | 1 of Biology/Chemistry/Mathematics etc. | AAB | — |
| UCL | Linguistics BA | Any subjects | AAB | — |
| LSE | BSc Language, Culture and Society | Any subjects | AAB | — |
| Warwick | Linguistics with Modern Language BA | Any subjects | AAB | — |
| Edinburgh | Linguistics MA+2 (also covers: Linguistics and English Language MA, Linguistics and Social Anthropology MA) | Any subjects | ABB | — |
| Manchester | Linguistics BA | 1 of English Literature/English Language/History etc. | ABB | — |
| Manchester | Linguistics and Sociology BA | 1 of English Literature/English Language/History etc. | ABB | — |
| Southampton | Language, Culture and Communication BA | Any subjects | BBB | — |
| Leeds | Linguistics BA | Any subjects | ABB | — |
| Sheffield | Linguistics and Modern Languages & Cultures BA | Any subjects | ABB | — |
| York | Linguistics BA+6 (also covers: Linguistics BSc, Linguistics MSci, Linguistics with French BA, Linguistics with German BA, Linguistics with Italian BA, Linguistics with Spanish BA) | Any subjects | AAB | — |
| Lancaster | Language Sciences BSc | Any subjects | AAB | — |
| Lancaster | Linguistics and Philosophy BA | Any subjects | AAB | — |
| Lancaster | Linguistics BA | Any subjects | AAB | — |
| QMUL | Linguistics BA+1 (also covers: English Language and Linguistics BA) | Any subjects | BBB | — |
| Cardiff | Linguistics and a Modern Language BA | Any subjects | BBB | — |
| Newcastle | Linguistics BA+1 (also covers: Linguistics with Chinese or Japanese BA) | Any subjects | ABB | — |
| Newcastle | Linguistics with French BA | Modern Language | ABB | — |
| Newcastle | Linguistics with German BA | Modern Language | ABB | — |
| Newcastle | Linguistics with Spanish BA | Modern Language | ABB | — |
| Aberdeen | Language & Linguistics MA+5 (also covers: Language & Linguistics and Philosophy MA, Language & Linguistics and Psychology MA, Language & Linguistics and Sociology MA, Language & Linguistics and Spanish & Latin American Studies MA, Language and Linguistics with Mandarin MA) | Any subjects | BBC | — |
| Essex | Computational Linguistics BSc | Any subjects | BBC | — |
Also consider: joint degrees with Linguistics as the second subject32 courses
- Psychology, Philosophy and Linguistics · Oxford
- Modern Languages and Linguistics · Oxford
- Psychology and Language Sciences MSci · UCL
- Psychology and Language Sciences BSc · UCL
- English Language and Linguistics BA · Warwick
- Modern Languages and Linguistics BA · Warwick
- Portuguese and Linguistics MA · Edinburgh
- English Language & Linguistics BA · KCL
- Computing Science/English Language & Linguistics MA · Glasgow
- Economics/English Language & Linguistics MA · Glasgow
- English Language & Linguistics MA · Glasgow
- English Language and Linguistics BA · Southampton
- English Language and Linguistics BA · Leeds
- Modern Languages and Linguistics BA · Leeds
- English Language and Linguistics BA · Birmingham
- English Language and Linguistics BA · Sheffield
- English Language and Linguistics BA · York
- Philosophy and Linguistics BA · York
- French and Linguistics BA · York
- English Language and Linguistics BA · Lancaster
- Psychology and Linguistics BA · Lancaster
- Chinese Studies and Linguistics BA · Lancaster
- French Studies and Linguistics BA · Lancaster
- German Studies and Linguistics BA · Lancaster
- Spanish Studies and Linguistics BA · Lancaster
- English Language and Linguistics BA · Cardiff
- Psychology and Language Sciences BSc · Reading
- English Language and Linguistics BA · Reading
- English Language and Linguistics BA · Sussex
- English Language, Linguistics and World Literature BA · Kent
2 more joint degrees not listed.
Chosen your subjects? Check them course by course
Enter your A-level subjects and grades (or predictions) and the Course Finder checks them against the official requirements of every course at 43 universities.
Do you need Modern Language to study Linguistics?
Of the 25 Linguistics courses at 16 UK universities, 3 list Modern Language as required (12%); 22 do not list it as required (2 of them accept it as one of a choice of subjects), for example Linguistics (BA) at Cambridge; Language and Culture BA at UCL; BSc Language, Culture and Society at LSE.
What is the typical A-level offer for Linguistics?
The most common standard offers across the 25 Linguistics courses are ABB (10), AAB (8) and BBB (3); check each course page for the exact requirement.
Which three A-levels are safest for Linguistics?
Counting the courses whose subject requirements they meet, the safest three are Modern Language, English Language and English Literature, keeping 24 of 25 courses open; next come Modern Language, English Language and History (24 of 25).