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Liberal Arts

Course details
  • BA (Hons)
  • 3 Years
  • Full-time
  • September 2026
  • Undergraduate
Course location
Main Site

Course summary

Our rich and challenging three-year BA Liberal Arts course allows you to explore the arts and humanities while building crucial skills in analysis and communication that will be valuable throughout your degree and beyond.

The course combines in-depth study of a single discipline (your subject 'pathway') with the exploration of other subjects within the Faculty of Arts. This combination of depth and breadth enables you to develop innovative ways of thinking and provides you with an enviable range of abilities.

In the first two years of your degree, you will devote at least a quarter of your studies to your subject pathway. Alongside this, you will be enrolled on a combination of bespoke core units exploring foundational and interdisciplinary issues in the arts and humanities, which may include the art of writing, the ways history shapes the present and the present shapes history, and concepts of nature and beauty. Additionally, you will study the language of your choice and learn how to visualise and understand data. You will also be able to take optional units from a wide range of arts and humanities disciplines.

In your final year, you will research and write an interdisciplinary dissertation and take your final pathway and optional units. You'll also participate in our capstone unit, which helps you understand the professional value of your degree, encourages you to think like a global citizen, and includes opportunities for working with organisations outside the university.

If you are interested in the modern languages pathway, we strongly encourage you to enrol on the MLibArts course. This four-year degree includes a year abroad, which will accelerate your language skills and provide an invaluable opportunity to develop your cultural knowledge. If you are unable to go abroad, the three-year degree with a modern language pathway remains available.

How to apply

Apply by
14 January

This is the deadline for applications to be completed and sent for this course. If the university or college still has places available you can apply after this date, but your application is not guaranteed to be considered.

Application codes

Course code:
2ZB7
Institution code:
B78
Campus name:
Main Site
Campus Code:
-

Points of entry

The following entry points are available for this course:

  • Year 1

International applicants

The University of Bristol welcomes applications from international students, and accepts a wide range of qualifications for undergraduate study. If you studied at a school, college or university outside the UK, please select the relevant page for further information on qualification equivalences, scholarships and details of our education representatives in your country/region: bristol.ac.uk/international/countries/

Entry requirements

UCAS Tariff Not accepted

A level AAA - ABB

Standard offer: AAA. Contextual offer: ABB. Please visit: bristol.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/entry-requirements-qualifications/contextual-offers/ for more information about contextual offers.

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016) DDD

DDD in any Applied General BTEC National Level 3 Extended Diploma.

Access to HE Diploma D: 30 credits M: 15 credits

Access to HE Diploma in Humanities, Social Sciences, Law or History (or similar titles). The 45 graded Level 3 credits must include at least 30 credits at Distinction and 15 at Merit or above. Mature students can contact mature-students@bristol.ac.uk to check the suitability of their Access course.

Scottish Higher AAAAB

Advanced Higher: AA and Standard Higher: AAAAB.

Scottish Advanced Higher AA

Advanced Higher: AA and Standard Higher: AAAAB.

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme 32 - 36 points

Standard offer: 36 points overall with 18 at Higher Level. Contextual offer: 32 points overall with 16 at Higher Level. Please visit: bristol.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/entry-requirements-qualifications/contextual-offers/ for more information about contextual offers.

Welsh Baccalaureate - Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate (last awarded Summer 2024)

Requirements are as for A-levels, where you can substitute a non-subject specific grade for the Welsh Baccalaureate Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate at that grade.

Cambridge International Pre-U Certificate - Principal

Requirements for principal subjects are as for A-level, where D1/ D2 is A*, D3 is A, M1/ M2 is B, and M3 is C.

European Baccalaureate: 85% overall.

Please note that the English, History and Music pathways will only be available to students who meet the requirements listed below:
English pathway requires an A-level (or equivalent) in English Literature or English Language and Literature
History pathway requires an A-level (or equivalent) in History
Music pathway requires an A-level (or equivalent) in Music or Pass in Grade 6 Theory, Practical or Performance

Find out more about qualification requirements for this course.

Additional entry requirements

Other
Music pathway requires an A-level (or equivalent) in Music or Pass in Grade 8 Theory, Practical or Performance

Contextual admissions

Universities and colleges consider more than grades when assessing applications and may make offers based on a range of criteria. Learn more about contextual offers.

We accept a wide variety of qualifications and welcome applications from students of all backgrounds. We consider a large range of contextual factors when making application decisions.

If you receive and accept an offer from the University of Bristol, and you meet the terms of your offer in full, you will be accepted.

Learn more on the University of Bristol website

Historical entry grades data

This section shows the range of grades students (with UK A-Levels or Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diplomas) who received offers were previously accepted with (learn more). It is designed to support your research but does not guarantee whether you will or won't get a place. Admissions teams consider various factors, including interviews, subject requirements, and entrance tests. Check all course entry requirements for eligibility.

Not enough data available

We are unable to show previous accepted grades for this course. This could be because the course is new, it's a postgraduate course, there isn't enough historical data, or the provider has opted out of sharing their entry grades data for this course - learn more.

Fees and funding

Tuition fees

Per year tuition fees

LocationFeeYear

Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website.

Additional fee information

No additional fees or cost information has been supplied for this course, please contact the provider directly.

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