American SATs for UK University entry (2024)

Using American SATs to get into UK universities[]

If you want to continue home-educating all the way through to university, A-levels are very challenging and can be expensive to take from home education. Some UK students have taken American SAT university entrance tests in the UK, and have found these to be a cheaper and easier way to gain entry to some UK universities.

Because UK universities are popular with international students, most publish admissions requirements for applicants with US qualifications. Where a university might accept SATs alone or with a High School Diploma, this can be cheaper than taking A-levels as an external candidate, and some who have done it feel that it is less work. Other universities require Advanced Placement Tests, which are comparable to A-levels and so this route may not be any more straightforward than taking conventional UK qualifications. Many have struggled for example to find an exam centre willing to assist with AP exams. Some greatly prefer the US approach with a broader curriculum, or have been using US-based curriculums for earlier years and so wish to continue this approach. Switching after GCSEs, seems to be a less popular approach.

If your heart is set on a particular course or a particular uni, then check before taking this path to ensure that the university will accept US qualifications from a UK applicant. But if you do not have time to complete A-levels, or cannot find an exam centre to accommodate your options, then this might be a way to get to university.

If you're completely new to taking exams from home education, please see our Quick Start Guide first, then join the HE community to get support from fellow UK home-educators.

There is a lot more information, including exam centres and available subjects, on the College Board website. The Home Scholar has free resources at her site about entrance to US universities and homeschool transcripts.

Can you use SATs as alternatives to GCSEs?[]

It depends what you want the GCSEs for. This page is about university applications and there is a clear pathway for using SATs to apply to university which some UK home educators have had success with. However, if you want to go to Further Education (FE) college or sixth form at age 16-19, to do A-levels or Level 2 or Level 3 qualifications, then requirements are different.

If you go to a state-funded FE college at 16-19 and do not have GCSE passes at grade 4+ in English and maths, you have to continue studying those subjects and work towards either GCSE or Functional Skills in them, alongside your other studies. There are some alternative qualifications which are accepted instead, including IGCSEs, but SATs are not accepted as an equivalent for this purpose if you took them in the UK. Overseas qualifications may be accepted if you were living abroad when you took them, and if the college can satisfy itself that they are equivalent to GCSE level. However, if you were resident in the UK then the only qualifications accepted for this purpose are those specified in the funding guidance. For more information, see IGCSEs and 16-19 College Funding.

FE Colleges and sixth forms set their own admissions requirements. It is possible that some would accept you with SATs instead of GCSEs, but you would need to check with each college individually. Because you would need to study for maths and English qualifications alongside your other courses, you might be limited in which courses you could take.

Employers may accept SATs as GCSE alternatives; a child of one of our group members in Scotland was able to get a job with the Scottish government on the basis of her SATs, once she'd provided information on the qualification. However, you would need to discuss this with each potential employer as it is up to them whether they accept alternatives to UK qualifications.

US University Entrance Tests and UK equivalents[]

There is a useful explanation of the exams required for US universities here.

Top 7 Entrance Exams and College Tests

1. ACT (American College Test)
2. SAT (Scholastic Assessment Test)
3. SAT Subject Tests (formerly SAT II)
4. CLT (Classic Learning Test)
5. AP Test (Advanced Placement Test)
6. TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language)
7. GED (General Education Development)

The main college entrance exams are the ACT and the SAT. The CLT is a newer alternative that is accepted by a small number of colleges. Colleges and universities, especially highly selective schools, may also require SAT Subject Tests. International students may be required to include a TOEFL score in their application to U.S. based schools.

UCAS on applying to UK universities with US qualifications[]

(note that this is aimed at overseas applicants, not UK applicants with US qualifications. Although it is reasonable to expect requirements to be the same for UK applicants, please do check.)

Please note that UK universities create their own entry requirements using AP exams and generally require a high school diploma in addition.Universities and colleges may wish to make offers using a range of indicators – including GPA, AP results, ACT/SAT scores – for example requiring an overall GPA of 4.0 together with qualifying scores on two AP tests (3 and above). UK universities generally require a high school diploma in addition to AP exam grades.

Source: UCAS - Key Issues for UK Admissions.

	Durham University has produced a helpful equivalence table which shows how their requirements for applicants with US qualifications compare to A-levels.

High School Diplomas for home-educated children:[]

US Universities generally require entrance exams scores (SATor ACT) in addition to a high school diploma. Home educated students inAmerica usually went about getting a diploma in a couple ways:

1. By keeping track of their courses the last 4 or odd years (high school years) and issuing their own or one by an online high school

1. Getting a GED (a test taken that is equivalent to a diploma - though it is not generally looked upon as highly, so having other skills like extracurricular activities is a plus).

Note that University applications are not the same in the US as in the UK. There is no standardised application system. Each University handles applications however they want but many have begun to welcome home educated students.

Scottish Universities[]

A number of home-educated children have gone to Scottish universities via this route; because Scottish degrees are four years as standard, they dovetail better with the US system than the usual three-year degree elsewhere in the UK. Although, it should be noted, that with strong A Level results, some Scottish universities will allow a candidate to join a degree course at the start of Year Two.

Dundee University explains:

Four Year HonoursAs with most Scottish universities, the majority of our undergraduate degrees traditionally take four years study to complete. This is different from those in the rest of the UK, and the additional year is designed to give you a broader education in the early years with a greater degree of flexibility, and in many cases, the opportunity to try out new subjects.

Online Discussion Groups[]

All routes to university are discussed on the HE Exams Support Group.

There is also a Facebook support group, HE Success Without UK Exams, for home-educated students applying to UK uni with US exams instead of UK ones, where you can discuss this route with others who have experience of this.

Case Studies[]

M has three children who bypassed GCSEs and A-levels, and instead applied to university with American SATs:

Both my girls took the US College Board SAT, bypassing both GCSEs and College. My daughter was just accepted straight into university to study for an honours degree in Applied Biology and Zoology. Another was accepted for an honours degree in English. My son did not want to go to college to gain qualifications because he feels passionately about his home education and always knew he had been educated to university standard, so we set about contacting universities of his choice in order to ascertain what was required for entry. They all said they would accept US college board SAT scores and so we worked towards that. This is a much cheaper option as it does not require individual exams but rather one exam testing, Math and English. It costs $85 and books can be purchased cheaply from Amazon and even better this year practice tests and study aids are all free on Khan academy. My son applied through UCAS and was accepted straight in university based on his scores and was even offered full merit scholarships to universities in the US.

Most unis list the entry requirements on their websites now. Because the applications are being submitted through UCAS, my children have never been questioned as to why they have SAT scores, the universities just accepted them. In this last case,.. I called them first to ensure they knew her place would be funded through SAAS (the Scottish funding agency) and also that they knew ( being very nice about it of course) how to apply SAT scores. When she then submitted her UCAS application, the university offered her a place within days.

My other daughter who is going to Stirling university to study English, simply completed the UCAS application and was offered her place without any contact.

How you are doing / using SATS? Is it possible to do it for a year as an alternative to Advanced Scottish Highers?
You mention books what are these called? Where do you have a syllabus or past papers?
With SATS do you get treated as an overseas student?

I really don't think you would need a full year to prepare for SAT's. Have a look on Khan Academy, my girls have found that invaluable for test prep. Test prep books can be purchased on Amazon and unfortunately the college board redesigned the test in March of this year so there are no past papers as such to go on but my son says the questions look much the same as the test he took two years ago. All of the work is covered on Khan Academy where it can be done for free. They also let you write an essay for the essay part ( which is no longer compulsory for the new SAT) and send it to them for marking. We bought this book which my daughters liked for the information it had on the essay in addition to the explanations.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Redesigned-Pattern-Strategy-Practice-College/dp/099116573X

As far as university applications, yes you are treated like an international student in regards to the application. We completed the UCAS form as usual, listed the subjects we had covered ( we use a US Catholic home study school) and the grades. Then in the qualification parts we listed my son's SAT score ( he received unconditional offers from Stirling, GCU, Dundee based on his score) and in my daughter's case we completed it saying she is due to sit SATs this year and she has received conditional offers subject to achieving the required SAT score. My son is studying Psychology and my daughter will be studying English.

For us, it is a much much cheaper option and I honestly believe that due to the English skills my children have learned by doing learning this way, they are much better prepared for university than were my older school educated children.

Applying to US Universities from the UK[]

This page is primarily about using US tests as a way to gain entrance to UK universities, but of course you can also apply to university in the USA. This has been a popular route for some home-educated children from the UK, finding the US system more flexible in many ways. Although the fees may seem high, scholarships and bursaries are widely available and are always worth investigating. US universities are familiar with and well disposed towards UK A Levels.

Here's some advice from Dr Kat Patrick, a home-educating parent who has lived in both countries:

US unis are very geared toward homeschooling applicants and accept transcripts (portfolio of work) prepared by the family. External corroboration is helpful: art award, music exams, even GCSEs, though it will not always be necessary.The bottom line is that there are more places than students in the US, so there will be somewhere that will accept your child: the question will be if it's a good fit, and if they will provide any aid toward the fees.

There are a number of US universities that don't require SATs, especially small liberal arts colleges. See Guide to SAT Optional Colleges

More Information[]

UCAS explanation of American Advanced Placement (AP) exams

UCAS explanation of American SATs

Facebook support group for applying to uni with US SATs

How to obtain a High School Diploma from homeschooling

Khan Academy free online SAT preparation

If you are planning to use the US system, read The HomeScholar Helper Blog - Helping Parents Homeschool High School – TheHomeScholar.com