What universities want to see in applicants in 2026, and which programmes genuinely develop these qualities

Recently, one of the schools offering the IB, together with IBSCA, invested significant funds in a large-scale study among admissions staff at British universities. The survey was conducted by the external research company FieldworkHub, and the participants included representatives from 50 universities, including Oxford, Cambridge, Warwick, Bristol, Edinburgh, King’s College London, Manchester and others. The study gathered the views of the very people who actually read applications and decide who should be offered a place and who should not. We think this will be extremely interesting for parents and for students at British boarding schools themselves.

Many of the familiar assumptions held by parents are now outdated, and it is no longer enough simply to have high grades and strong subject knowledge. Universities are making it increasingly clear that they need students who are ready for real academic study in the modern world, where information is available instantly and artificial intelligence can quickly find and structure facts. This means that what matters is not only what a student knows, but also how they think, analyse, ask questions, connect ideas and learn independently.

Admissions staff point to an ongoing shift towards skills. Compared with 2016, the importance of subject knowledge has decreased by 15 per cent. Universities now place greater value on critical thinking, independent learning and intellectual curiosity. More than two thirds of respondents believe that the IB Diploma is the qualification that best prepares a student for successful university study. On average, the IB Diploma scored 23 per cent higher than A Levels across all measured competencies.

Universities want to see the following qualities in applicants.

• Critical thinking.
• The ability to learn independently.
• Intellectual curiosity.
• The ability to analyse and compare information from different sources.
• The ability to conduct independent research.
• The ability to manage a large and complex academic workload.
• Self-organisation and self-management.
• Communication skills.
• Open-mindedness.
• Global awareness.
• Resilience and motivation.
• A willingness to take responsibility for one’s own progress.

Universities need students who can do more than simply reproduce what they have learnt in an exam. They are looking for students who can work with ideas. They value the ability to ask questions, bring together competing viewpoints, cope with ambiguity, manage deadlines and stay motivated when things become difficult.

According to the survey, the IB Diploma received the highest scores in 9 out of 11 competencies. It is particularly strong in developing civic-mindedness, communication, the ability to cope under pressure, creativity, global awareness, independent research, open-mindedness and self-management. At the same time, in terms of depth of subject knowledge, the IB Diploma and A Levels are almost identical – 3.98 compared with 3.97. In other words, the IB does not compromise on academic rigour, but it develops a broader set of skills more strongly, and these are the skills that universities now value particularly highly.

The IB Career-related Programme also performed very strongly, but in a slightly different way. This programme was rated especially highly in three areas: workplace skills, self-management and an entrepreneurial approach. For students who are better suited to a practical and career-focused pathway, it is a very strong option. It combines practical preparation with academic breadth.

A Levels remain an academically serious and respected route, particularly when it comes to depth of subject knowledge. However, in the broader competencies that are now especially important to universities, A Levels perform less strongly than the IB Diploma. The difference is particularly noticeable in civic-mindedness, global awareness and workplace skills.

Admissions teams link the fact that IB students often make a more successful transition to university with the combination of breadth and depth within the programme, the need to balance several subjects at the same time, and the compulsory element of independent research. The Extended Essay is mentioned particularly often – an independent 4,000-word research project. In the view of universities, these elements closely match what is expected of students already in their first year.

An important point for parents and for students themselves is that universities are not moving away from academic rigour. Good grades and a strong subject foundation are still necessary, but they are no longer enough on their own. Applicants now have a stronger advantage when they can learn independently, write, research, connect ideas across subjects and manage a demanding workload without constant external supervision.

If we summarise which programmes develop the qualities universities are looking for, the picture is as follows.

• The IB Diploma best develops critical thinking, independent learning, independent research, global awareness, open-mindedness, communication, resilience under pressure and overall readiness for university study.
• The IB Career-related Programme is particularly strong in developing workplace skills, self-management, practical readiness and an entrepreneurial approach.
• A Levels develop subject depth well, but are less strong in forming the broader set of skills that universities are increasingly looking for.
• US Advanced Placement is viewed positively in terms of subject knowledge, self-management and communication, but overall it performs less strongly than the IB Diploma.

The main conclusion is this: universities still expect serious academic preparation, but they are placing less emphasis on subject knowledge alone and more value on thinking skills, independence and the personal qualities of the student.

This is exactly why programmes with research work, interdisciplinarity, breadth of learning and a strong emphasis on independence look particularly convincing to them.