Politics and International Relations BA
AAB at A level; graduates earn a median £27,500 three years on.
92% of entrants came with A levels · 96% stay on after year 1 · Sheffield course page, Discover Uni
What do you need to get in?
Typical offer — the grades most applicants are asked for. Contextual offer: ABB, for applicants from under-represented backgrounds.
Sheffield course page, read 19 September 2026 · Discover Uni entry profile
UCAS tariff points — a points scale for grades: A* = 56, A = 48, so A*A*A = 160. Entrants’ totals include extra subjects.
Other qualifications6
| Qualification | Typical offer | Required subjects |
|---|---|---|
| IB | 34International Baccalaureate: 34; 33, with B in the extended essay | — |
| BTEC | DDDBTEC Extended Diploma | — |
| BTEC | DDBTEC Diploma: DD + A at A Level | — |
| T Level | Distinction in the Management and Administration T Level, including grade A in tT Level: Distinction in the Management and Administration T Level, including grade A in the core component | A in the core component |
| Scottish Highers | AAAABScottish Highers | — |
| Access | Award of Access to HE Diploma in either Law, Business Management, Humanities or Access to HE Diploma: Award of Access to HE Diploma in either Law, Business Management, Humanities or Social Sciences, with 45 credits at Level 3, including 36 at Distinction and 9 at Merit | — |
What do you study?
Module — one course unit, usually a term or a year long; “core” means everyone takes it. One UK credit is about ten hours of study; a full year is 120 credits.
Sheffield course page · optional modules vary by year
Year 2 · 3 core, 6 optional · 60 credits ≈ 600 hours
Year 3 · 1 core, 25 optional · 40 credits ≈ 400 hours
25 optional modules
Where does it lead?
Median — the middle earner: half earned more, half less. Pay is for graduates of this subject at this university who finished in 2016-18, not adjusted for inflation; based on 200 graduates.
Discover Uni dataset (HESA and Office for Students, CC BY 4.0, contains HESA data); earnings from the Longitudinal Education Outcomes data (Department for Education) · aggregation level 24, 14, 23
Half of graduates earned between £22,500 and £34,500. Five years on, the median is £36,000. 83% were in work or further study 15 months after finishing; 65% of those in work were in professional or managerial jobs.
All outcome figures7
| Measure | Value | Based on |
|---|---|---|
| Continue after year 14% left | 96% | 90 |
| In work or study, 15 months on2% studying | 83% | 55 |
| Professional or managerial job | 65% | 40 |
| Pay 15 months on, median | £30,000 | 85 |
| Pay 3 years on, median | £27,500 | 200 |
| Pay 5 years on, median | £36,000 | 215 |
What do students say?
NSS — a yearly survey of final-year students at every UK university; 66% of this course’s final year answered. Small groups can swing a lot year to year.
National Student Survey, via Discover Uni · 40 students answered
Highest: 95% agreed on question 1; lowest: 41% on question 24.
All questions26
| Question | Agree |
|---|---|
| Question 1 | 95% |
| Question 2 | 83% |
| Question 3 | 90% |
| Question 4 | 83% |
| Question 5 | 88% |
| Question 6 | 76% |
| Question 7 | 88% |
| Question 8 | 54% |
| Question 9 | 73% |
| Question 10 | 73% |
| Question 11 | 76% |
| Question 12 | 71% |
| Question 13 | 83% |
| Question 14 | 60% |
| Question 15 | 95% |
| Question 16 | 78% |
| Question 17 | 76% |
| Question 18 | 65% |
| Question 19 | 90% |
| Question 20 | 83% |
| Question 21 | 91% |
| Question 22 | 90% |
| Question 23 | 68% |
| Question 24 | 41% |
| Question 25 | 70% |
| Question 26 | 78% |
Question texts are published by the Office for Students; the dataset carries only the question numbers.
Modules, entry requirements and fees are facts read from University of Sheffield’s course page on 2026-09-19 and may change; the university’s page is authoritative. Descriptions are not reproduced. Outcome figures are from the Discover Uni dataset. University of Sheffield is a trade mark of the university; sch.today is independent of it.