How many IB points do you need for European universities?

What can you do with 33 IB points?

Why 33? It's a very common result. In May 2025, more than a quarter of IB students scored 30–34, and the global average was 30.6. So 33 is a typical, slightly above-average score. Here's what it gets you, country by country.

Scoring higher? Read What university can you get into with 36 IB points? for real course-by-course offers.

Requirements at a glance

United Kingdom

UK universities make conditional offers. They are based on your predicted grades, and you have to hit the numbers in your final results.

• Cambridge: 40–42 points with 7, 7, 6 at HL, depending on the course. Some colleges ask for more. Maths, for example, wants a 7 in HL Maths plus STEP papers.
• Oxford: 38, 39 or 40 points including bonus points, with 6s and 7s at HL. Law is 38 with 6, 6, 6. Maths and Computer Science are 39 with 7, 6, 6, and the 7 must be in HL Maths.
• Imperial: 38–42 depending on the course. Maths needs at least 39 (typical offer 40) with a 7 in HL Maths. Computing needs at least 41 (typical 42). Physics needs at least 40 (typical 42) with 7s in HL Maths and HL Physics.
• LSE: 37 points (6, 6, 6) up to 39 points (7, 6, 6). Several quantitative courses require Maths AA HL.
• UCL: publishes an exact table. It is the most useful answer to "how does the IB compare to A-levels?"

IB vs A-levels (UCL's official table)

Rules from UCL:

• You need at least 5 in every HL subject.
• If a course needs a subject at A-level, you need it at HL: A* = 7, A = 6, B = 5.
• If the course needs A-level Further Maths, only Maths AA HL counts. If it needs A-level Maths, AA HL or AI HL both count.

There is no single official IB to A-level conversion. Each university sets its own. UCL's is a clear public example.

Ireland: IB to CAO points

Irish universities rank applicants by CAO points. The table below is the official conversion for 2026 entry. It was agreed by the Irish universities, including Trinity, UCD, UCC, University of Galway and University of Limerick.

Bonus: you get +25 CAO points if you score 4 or higher in HL Maths. The conversion uses your total from a single exam session.

Minimum to apply for most degrees: the diploma with 24 points, including 3 HL subjects at grade 5 and 3 SL subjects at grade 4. You also need proof of English.

What did Trinity College Dublin courses need in 2025?

Below are Trinity's 2025 end-of-season cut-offs and the IB score that reached them.

Some things to know about these numbers:

• Cut-offs move every year. Use them as a guide, not a promise.
• At some cut-offs not everyone on exactly that score got a place. Aim one point above.
• Medicine (739) isn't in the table, because it also counts the HPAT-Ireland test score.

Netherlands

Dutch universities don't rank IB students by total points for most programmes. They check that you have the diploma and the right subjects.

• TU Delft: accepts only Maths AA HL. Most engineering programmes also need Physics HL. Nanobiology also needs Biology HL and Chemistry SL. TU Delft doesn't accept the IB Career-related Programme. Programmes with limited places, such as Aerospace Engineering and Computer Science and Engineering, run their own selection.
• University of Amsterdam, PPLE: one of the few Dutch programmes with a points rule. It asks for 34 points from your six subjects, without TOK/EE bonus points. Maths must be AA (SL or HL) or AI HL, at grade 4 or higher. AI SL is not enough. You also need grade 5 or higher in English A or B.
• Maastricht: accepts the IB Diploma with at least 3 HL subjects. Maths requirements depend on the programme. If you're missing maths, you can usually make it up with an online course and exam before you start.

Moving into the IB after VWO 4? Dutch universities accept the IB Diploma on its own. What matters is your subject choice. If you might apply to TU Delft or to economics programmes, take Maths AA HL.

Germany

German universities accept the IB Diploma if your subjects follow the rules set by the Kultusministerkonferenz (KMK). The rules below apply from the 2025 exams onward.

Your six subjects must include:

1. Two languages at A or B level. At least one must be a continued foreign language, taken as Language A or as Language B HL.
2. One natural science: Biology, Chemistry or Physics.
3. Maths: AA or AI.
4. One social science: for example History, Geography, Economics, Psychology, Philosophy, Business Management or Global Politics.
5. A sixth subject from the approved list.

Also:

• One of your three HL subjects must be a language, maths or a natural science.
• You need at least 4 in every subject. One grade 3 is allowed if you have a 5 at the same level and 24 points overall.
• Maths at SL: if you took Maths AA SL or AI SL, you only get access to courses outside maths, science and engineering. The exception is if your school is on the KMK's special list.
• You must have taken all subjects for the full two years.

If you don't meet these rules, you usually need a foundation year (Studienkolleg) and an exam (Feststellungsprüfung).

Your IB score as a German grade

Courses with limited places (numerus clausus), such as Medicine or Psychology, compare your grade with German students' grades. The official formula is:

German grade = 1 + 3 × (42 − your IB total) ÷ 18

Bonus points count. Any score from 42 to 45 equals 1.0.

Switzerland: ETH Zurich

ETH has one of the strictest IB rules in Europe. To get in without an entrance exam for 2026/27, you need all of the following:

• 38 out of 42 points. Bonus points don't count.
• At HL: Maths (AA or AI), one of Physics, Chemistry or Biology, and one Language A.
• At SL: three more subjects from this list: Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Geography, History, Economics or Business Management, one further language, Computer Science.

If you miss any of these, you take ETH's reduced entrance exam. ETH has also said its entry rules will change from autumn 2028.

Italy, France and Belgium

• Bocconi (Italy):
  • Minimum: 24 points, with 12 of them at HL, after at least 12 years of school. November retakes aren't accepted.
  • Selection: decided by an admissions test (55%) and your school grades from the two years before your final year (45%). The test can be Bocconi's online test, the SAT or the ACT. Your final IB score barely affects selection.
• Sciences Po (France):
  • No published IB minimum and no subject requirements. Students with no science subjects are not disadvantaged.
  • What you send: your IB predicted grades. Sciences Po then scores your grades, written work and an interview, with a minimum mark set each year.
• KU Leuven (Belgium):
  • Entry: the IB Diploma is accepted, with no points minimum.
  • Maths: some programmes check it separately. Group T engineering, for example, asks for SAT Maths 730, ACT Maths 32 or 60% on the OMPT-D test. Business Engineering strongly advises Maths AA HL.

Subject choices: the checklist

Decide these before the start of DP1. Changing later is hard.

1. Maths AA HL keeps the most doors open. It's required by TU Delft, by courses that need A-level Further Maths at UCL, and by several LSE courses. Irish universities strongly recommend it.
2. Maths AI SL is the riskiest choice for economics or STEM. UvA's PPLE doesn't accept it, and in Germany Maths at SL limits you to non-STEM courses.
3. Physics HL is needed for most engineering at TU Delft.
4. A science and a Language A at HL are needed for ETH Zurich.
5. For Germany, check the KMK subject list above. A missing language or science subject can mean a foundation year.

Questions students ask

Do TOK and EE bonus points count? At most universities, yes. They're part of your total out of 45: Oxford, UCL, Ireland's CAO conversion and Germany all count them. ETH Zurich and UvA's PPLE don't count them. They use your six subjects out of 42.

What's the minimum IB score to get into a European university? In most countries, it's the score you need to pass the diploma: 24 points. Germany and Bocconi state 24 as their minimum. The real bar depends on the course.

Is the IB or A-levels better for European universities? Neither is better on paper. Both are widely accepted. The IB's advantage in mainland Europe is that systems like Germany's and ETH's have clear IB rules. Make sure your HL subjects match them.

How do I convert IB points to CAO points? Use the official table above. 45 = 600, 40 = 553, 35 = 481, 30 = 412. Add 25 points if you have at least 4 in HL Maths.

Sources

All checked on 19 October 2026. Requirements change every year, so always confirm on the course page before you apply.

• IB: Final statistical bulletin, May 2025
• Irish universities: Entry requirements for EU/EFTA/UK applicants, 2026 entry (IB section, pp. 93–94)
• Trinity College Dublin: 2025 CAO end-of-season minimum entry levels
• KMK: Agreement on recognising the IB Diploma (2023 version, lists updated 2026)
• ETH Zurich: Admission requirements 2026/27
• University of Cambridge: Accepted qualifications
• University of Oxford: International qualifications and course pages
• Imperial College London: Accepted qualifications and course pages
• LSE: Entry requirements
• UCL: Entry requirements
• TU Delft: Specific diploma requirements
• University of Amsterdam: PPLE entry requirements
• Maastricht University: Foreign diploma requirements 2025–2026
• KU Leuven: Minimum eligibility for a bachelor's programme and Group T: how to apply
• Bocconi: Specific diploma requirements and Admissions
• Sciences Po: Applicants from foreign secondary schools

Requirements change every year. Before you apply, confirm them on the course page.