Where to Study

School curricula and exams

International and national school-leaving qualifications: how they are graded, how universities use them, and which subjects lead to which careers. Every fact comes from the awarding body or an official admissions or recognition body.

International curricula

Cambridge IGCSECambridge International (Cambridge University Press & Assessment)Upper secondary (ISCED 3 entry stage)Grading: Eight grades, A* (highest) to G.28 subjects linked to careers
Cambridge International AS & A LevelCambridge International (Cambridge University Press & Assessment)Upper secondary, final stage (university entry)Grading: A Level: A* (highest) to E.28 subjects linked to careers
Pearson Edexcel International GCSEPearson EdexcelUpper secondary (ISCED 3 entry stage)Grading: Graded 9 (highest) to 1 for the current (9-1) specifications..
Pearson Edexcel International AS and A Level (IAL)Pearson EdexcelUpper secondary, final stage (university entry)Grading: International A Level: A* (highest) to E.
International Baccalaureate Diploma ProgrammeInternational Baccalaureate Organization (IBO)Upper secondary, final stage (university entry)Grading: Higher Level and Standard Level subjects are graded 7 (highest) to 1.
US high school: Advanced Placement (AP) and the SATCollege BoardUpper secondary (alongside a US high school diploma)Grading: AP exams: 1 to 5.

National exams

Using foreign results at home: recognition by country

If you studied one curriculum and apply to university in another country, that country decides how your results count. These are the official routes we have confirmed so far.

Uganda

Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB): equating of foreign results

UNEB equates foreign school results (for example IGCSE, A Levels or the IB) to their Ugandan equivalents. You apply online, and the exam body that issued your results must send UNEB a verified copy by email. (Source: Uganda National Examinations Board)
The fee is UGX 200,000 per document from East Africa and UGX 250,000 from outside East Africa. Documents not in English are translated at UNEB for UGX 70,000 per results page. Fees are not refunded. (Source: Uganda National Examinations Board)

Kenya

Kenya National Qualifications Authority (KNQA): alignment and validation

KNQA aligns qualifications, including foreign ones, to the Kenya National Qualifications Framework, and takes applications online through its alignment and validation portal. (Source: Kenya National Qualifications Authority)

South Africa

Universities South Africa (USAf) Matriculation Board: exemption certificates

A matriculation exemption is a legal requirement for first-degree study at a South African university. Students with foreign school-leaving qualifications have them evaluated by the Matriculation Board, which issues a certificate of exemption to those who qualify. (Source: Universities South Africa)

Nigeria

Federal Ministry of Education

WAEC does not accredit foreign certificates; in Nigeria accreditation is carried out by the Federal Ministry of Education alone. (Source: West African Examinations Council (Nigeria))

United Kingdom

Universities, through UCAS

UK universities set their own entry requirements; not every course uses UCAS Tariff points, and many make offers in grades. (Source: UCAS)
Cambridge states that UK universities accept Cambridge International A Levels grade for grade as equivalent to UK A Levels, and Pearson states the same benchmarking for its International A Levels. (Source: Cambridge University Press & Assessment)

Checked 2026-11-11. Facts come only from the awarding body's own pages and documents, or from official admission and recognition bodies, read on the date shown and written in our own words. Subjects are mapped to our global subject structure only where the match is clear. Where an official page could not be reached or did not state a fact, we leave it out and say so.