Entry Requirements

We believe that Holy Cross is unique. We warmly and proudly welcome applications from students of all faiths and beliefs – and those of none – and as a result, we have a wonderfully diverse student population. All members of Holy Cross, whatever their background, are treated equally.

How do we select students?

In offering places we take into account the following:

• Your application form – which tells us about you as an individual
• Discussions at interview, which are focussed on whether you would be happy here and whether our courses are the right ones for you
• A reference from your school – telling us your approach and commitment to school (including attendance and punctuality)
• The date you submitted your application form, if this is after the closing date

In other words, we want to get to know you.

We are not in the business of ensuring high league table places by only taking those with very high grades. We achieve our high league table position while welcoming a wide range of students.

What we are looking for is commitment, passion and hard work.

Beyond that, we try and keep our GCSE tariff as welcoming as we possibly can for the courses we offer.

We find that some hardworking students can improve by several grades at Holy Cross, providing they follow our advice about the right courses to study.

This was confirmed on Results Day 2025 – students make more progress at Holy Cross than they would be expected to nationally with their GCSE profile. Holy Cross is ranked in the top 10-20% in the country for student progression, based on the grades students join us with compared to the grades they leave us with.  

Find out more about how we select our students in this film:

What do you need to achieve?

Our general Entry Requirements for 2026* are available here. 

Please note: Individual subject requirements may be higher than the general college Entry Requirements. You can find these on each subject's course page.

Offers of a place to study at Holy Cross are always conditional upon students meeting the entry requirements (both college and subject).

*The College reserves the right to make changes to particular entry requirements (general or subject specific) in light of the development of government policy and local and national circumstances.

Log In or Create a New Application