What score does she need?

It's the right question, just the wrong order. Because we've watched two students walk out with an identical 38 and only one of them get the offer. Same points. Same school. Same effort. One got into her course, the other got a polite rejection from a university that never had a problem with her marks.

The difference wasn't the score. It was a form she filled in at fifteen.

So before you spend the next two years optimising for a number, it's worth understanding what that number is actually measured against and what sits underneath it that nobody warns you about until it's too late to change.

How Is the IB Score Calculated? The 45-Point System, Explained

The IB Diploma is marked out of 45 points. Six subjects, each graded 1 to 7, gives you a maximum of 42. The remaining 3 points come from the core awarded on a matrix that combines your Theory of Knowledge grade with your Extended Essay grade.

That's the whole structure:

• 6 subjects × 7 points = 42
• + 3 core points (TOK + Extended Essay matrix)
• = 45 maximum

Three of those six subjects are taken at Higher Level (HL) and three at Standard Level (SL). 

How to Choose IB HL Subjects: The Decision That Writes the Application

Your HL subjects aren't just subjects. They're a university application submitted two years early.

Here's the pattern we see every single year: students pick their three HLs based on what they're currently good at, or what their friends are taking, or which teacher they like. Almost nobody picks backwards from the course they want.

That's the mistake. And unlike a weak grade, it can't be fixed with more tutoring in Year 12.

We walked through all six groups properly in our breakdown of the six IB subject groups but here's the short version.

Subject choice comes down to matching, not difficulty-chasing.

In Individuals and Societies, let your degree goal decide; Psychology degree means Psychology HL because a focused profile beats a scattered one.

And in the sciences, two is usually safer than one: Medicine wants Biology and Chemistry, Engineering wants Physics and Chemistry, CS/Tech wants Computer Science.

Three HL sciences on a Political Science application sends the wrong signal, when essay-heavy HLs like History, English, and Economics would fit better.

The Arts group is where most students default without thinking, about 90% skip it for another subject, and sometimes that's smart, sometimes it costs the application its most memorable piece, so it deserves a real decision rather than a reflex.

And there's one group we've left out entirely on purpose: it's cost students more offers than every other group combined…

Maths AA vs AI: The Choice That Closes Doors Before You Knock

The IB offers two maths courses, and they are not interchangeable.

• Analysis and Approaches (AA) - analytical, proof-driven, algebra-heavy. Built for STEM.
• Applications and Interpretation (AI) - modelling, statistics, real-world application. Built for business, psychology and the social sciences.

Choose wrong and certain applications don't get read. 

Imperial College London strongly prefers and effectively requires Maths AA HL for engineering, usually at a 7. TU Delft states AA HL outright for most of its engineering degrees. MIT doesn't publish an explicit rule, but its first-year curriculum assumes AA-level reasoning from day one.

For Economics at a school like LSE, "Maths HL" isn't the full answer either. The course matters and the grade matters, and the two are checked together.

Rule: before you lock in Group 5, open the actual admissions page of three target universities and write down their exact stated requirement. 

Not a forum. Not a blog. Not this one. Their page.

We unpacked exactly how the wrong HL choice costs students their dream university offer here.

That's the global picture. If you're applying within India, there's a second layer and it catches families completely off guard.

Is the IB Accepted in Indian Universities?

Yes. The Association of Indian Universities (AIU) has recognised the IB Diploma since 1983 as a valid entry qualification to Indian universities.

Under the current equivalence policy, you need:

• A minimum of 24 points
• Three subjects at Higher Level and three at Standard Level
• TOK, the Extended Essay and CAS all completed

More than 60 Indian universities explicitly accept IB students including the University of Delhi, University of Mumbai, Ashoka University, Christ University, FLAME, NMIMS and the IITs. (IBO India recognition guide)

You'll need an official AIU equivalence certificate, and individual universities can still layer their own entrance exams and subject criteria on top.

The Two Indian Exceptions Nobody Plans For

Engineering. AIU recognition makes you eligible, it does not get you in. Admission to the NITs and centrally funded technical institutions still runs through JEE (Main), and IIT admission requires ranking inside the top 150,000 JEE (Main) qualifiers. The IB doesn't bypass that. Plan both tracks in parallel, from Year 11.

Medicine. Indian medical admissions require all three sciences: Physics, Chemistry and Biology. The IB allows an additional science as an extra certificate, or a non-regular diploma replacing a Group 3 subject. Both need coordinator approval and notification to IB Cardiff at least 18 months before exams.

Eighteen months. That's a Year 11 decision, made before most families have even started thinking about applications.

IB Requirements for University Admission from the UAE

IB World Schools across Dubai and Abu Dhabi feed into three main destinations: UK and European universities, US universities, and international branch campuses inside the UAE.

The logic doesn't change:

• UK universities publish a points total plus specific HL grades. Both are hard filters.
• US universities read the whole profile and want the HL choices to tell a coherent story.
• UAE branch campuses generally mirror their home institution's requirements.

Wherever you're applying from, the same thing is true: the subject choice made at fifteen sets the ceiling on where the score can be spent.

The Real Problem: 

These decisions get made in the wrong order, and it's almost never an effort.

A student picks six subjects in Year 11 based on what they enjoy. Two years later they've worked hard, earned a genuinely good score, and discovered that the course they want lists a requirement they can no longer meet.

The maths is the wrong course.
The third science was never taken.
The HL profile points in a direction they've since moved away from.

Nothing about that is fixable in Year 12.

It's only fixable in Year 11 and by someone who has seen it happen enough times to spot it coming.

That's the gap.

Schools guide you through the IB. Very few people guide you backwards from the offer, starting with the universities you actually want, reading their published requirements, and reverse-engineering the six subjects that keep every one of those doors open.

Start With the Offer, Not the Timetable

If you're a parent reading this before your child's subject selection form is due, you're in the best position you'll ever be in. If you're a student already mid-diploma, there's still more room to move than you think but it narrows every term.

At MentorMatch, this is the conversation we have with families every week. We've tutored hundreds of IB students across India and the UAE, and we build the plan the same way each time: start with the universities you want, pull their actual published requirements, and work backwards to the six subjects and the score that keeps those doors open.

Not guesswork.

Not what worked for someone else's child.

Talk to a MentorMatch IB mentor →

Frequently Asked Questions

What IB score do you need for university admission?

‍ The IB passes at 24 points out of 45. Most selective universities ask for 35–39 points with specified Higher Level grades — LSE requires 37–39 with 6,6,6 or 7,6,6 at HL. Requirements always combine a total with a specific HL profile.

What is a good IB score?

‍ 30–34 is solid, 35–38 is strong and covers most selective universities, and 39–45 opens the most competitive courses. Anything from 24 up is a valid diploma.

Is the IB Diploma accepted in Indian universities?

‍ Yes. The AIU has recognised it since 1983, requiring 24+ points with three HL and three SL subjects plus TOK, EE and CAS. Over 60 Indian universities accept IB students, including Delhi University, Mumbai University and the IITs.

How do I convert an IB score to a percentage?

Use the official AIU table: grade 7 = 96–100%, 6 = 83–95%, 5 = 70–82%, 4 = 56–69%, 3 = 41–55%, 2 = 21–40%, 1 = 1–20%. Schools apply the midpoint of each band.

Should I take Maths AA or AI?

AA for STEM, engineering and most economics courses. AI for business, psychology and social sciences. Check your target universities' published requirements before deciding — several engineering programmes accept AA HL only.

Can IB students apply to IITs and medical colleges in India?

Yes, but with conditions. IIT and NIT admission runs through JEE (Main), and medicine requires all three sciences — which may need IB coordinator approval 18 months before exams.

TDLR,
Quick answer: The IB Diploma is scored out of 45 points and passes at 24. Most selective universities ask for 35–39 points with specific Higher Level grades — LSE, for example, requires 37 to 39 points with 6,6,6 or 7,6,6 at HL. But the total is only half of it. Your Higher Level subject combination determines which courses you're even eligible to apply to, and that choice is made two years before the exam.

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