Entry requirements
Although entry to St Andrews is competitive, we recognise a range of different qualifications and consider all aspects of your application, including context, your personal statement and references. Grades alone will not guarantee you admission. We consider each application on its own merits according to our Admissions policy.
Below you will find information about the qualifications we accept and the requirements for admission. As entry requirements vary by course, the specific grades required will depend on the course you apply for.
For information on how to apply, and frequently asked questions about applying, visit the how to apply for undergraduate and postgraduate study webpages.
About our undergraduate requirements
The information below applies to all accepted qualifications for undergraduate study. For more information relating to your specific qualifications, please use our qualifications by country tool below.
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What do 'standard' and 'minimum' mean?
The University of St Andrews offers a variety of flexible entry options to ensure our doors remain open to all students, regardless of background or personal circumstances.
We offer three levels of entry requirements for candidates with a Home or RUK fee status:
- Standard entry grades: unless you are a widening access student, you will need these grades to be considered. All candidates with an Overseas fee status will need to meet the standard entry grades for the course applied to.
- Minimum entry grades: if you are a widening access student, you will need these grades to be considered.
- Gateway entry grades: if you are a widening access student at school in Scotland, you may also be eligible for a gateway programme, and if so, you will need these grades to be considered.
Our entry level indicator tool can help applicants from the UK to check what entry requirements (standard, minimum or gateway) they will need to meet.
What is the St Andrews pledge?
The University’s ambition is to see equity of access across the country, regardless of socioeconomic background. We pledge to make an offer to all UK applicants who either:
- declare a looked after or in care background
- reside in the 20% most deprived areas in Scotland as indicated by the SIMD and attend a school which historically has lower than average progression to higher education
In both cases, applicants will still need to demonstrate the desire to study the subject, meet the minimum (widening access) entry requirements, and succeed in external testing or interview, as required.
To support our students from the most disadvantaged areas in Scotland while at the University, we will:
- provide means-tested financial assistance to students who would otherwise struggle with the cost of studying at the University of St Andrews, through our St Andrews Scholarship schemes, including our Access Award
- offer a full transition programme if suitable for their course and a first-year mentoring programme for students who enter one of our Supported pathways
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What grades do I need to meet the entry requirements?
The requirements you will need to meet depend on the qualifications you have and the course you are applying for. To view the entry requirements for a course, please consult the course page.
Applicants from the UK are encouraged to use our entry level indicator to check whether they will need to meet standard or minimum (widening access) entry requirements. All overseas applicants will need to meet the standard entry requirements of the course applied for.
I’m applying for a joint degree and the subjects I’m interested in have different requirements. Which requirements do I need to meet?
For degrees combining more than one subject, the subject with the higher entry requirements determines the grades you need. You will also need to meet any further subject-specific entry requirements for each subject.
For example, where candidates are applying with SQA Highers, the standard entry requirements for International Relations are AAAAB. The standard entry requirements for French are AAAB, including A in French. Candidates applying for a joint degree in International Relations and French, and who are eligible for standard entry requirements, will need AAAAB at SQA Higher, including A in French.
Where candidates are applying with A-level qualifications, the standard entry requirements for International Relations are AAA at A-level. The standard entry requirements for French are AAB at A-level, including A in French. Candidates applying with A-level qualifications for a joint degree in International Relations and French, and who are eligible for standard entry requirements, will need AAA at A-level, including A in French.
Can I still apply if I don’t meet the requirements?
You will still be able to submit an application if you don’t meet the entry requirements, however, you should be aware that St Andrews is a highly competitive institution that receives far more applications from students who meet or exceed our entry requirements than we have places for. As a result, applicants who do not – or are not predicted to – meet our entry requirements are unlikely to be successful. If you are a UK applicant, please check if you are eligible for standard entry or minimum (widening access) entry requirements.
If there are any extenuating circumstances which affected your ability to meet the entry requirements, we recommend sharing all relevant information about these circumstances in your application. Please see extenuating circumstances for more details.
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What are the general entry requirements?
All candidates must meet our general entry requirements. These are typically met through qualifications equivalent to RQF Level 2 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, for example, GCSEs, or SCQF Level 5 in Scotland, for example, SQA National 5s.
Where candidates have taken SQA National 5s, they must attain at least a B in English and a B in one of the below science-based subjects. Where candidates have taken GCSEs, they must attain at least a 5 (or B) in English (language or literature) and a 5 (or B) in one of the below science-based subjects:
- Biology
- Chemistry
- Computing science
- Geography
- Mathematics (or Applications of Mathematics)
- Physics
- Psychology
Where candidates have not taken GCSEs, National 5s, or an equivalent RQF Level 2 or SCQF Level 5 qualification, these general entry requirements can be met through studying these subjects as part of higher-level qualifications, for example, RQF Level 3 qualifications such as A-levels or the International Baccalaureate.
IGCSEs are accepted as equivalent to GCSEs.
Depending on the level of competition for the subject applied for that year, performance in GCSEs or National 5s will also be taken into account when assessing the competitiveness of your application.
If there are any extenuating circumstances which affected your ability to meet the general entry requirements, we recommend sharing all relevant information about these circumstances in your application. Please see extenuating circumstances for more details.
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Do I need to sit a University Admissions Test?
We do not require University Admissions Tests like the ESAT or the TMUA for any course except Medicine.
To apply for undergraduate Medicine, all candidates must take the UCAT. To apply for graduate-entry Medicine, all candidates will need to take the GAMSAT.
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Will I be interviewed?
Most students who apply to the University for undergraduate study will not be required to attend an interview. The exceptions to this will be if you are applying for:
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Required subjects
For many degrees, we require you to have studied specific subjects at a required level and grade. This subject knowledge is deemed essential to succeed on the course. Applicants who do not meet the subject prerequisites of the course applied to will not normally be considered for entry.
Subject requirements vary by course, and not all courses have subject requirements. If a subject is required, this is clearly stated on the course page.
Unaccepted subjects
Not all subjects are accepted as meeting our entry requirements. If a subject is not accepted, this will be listed in the relevant section under the qualifications by country information below.
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Resitting exams will typically make an application less competitive than applications which have achieved or exceeded the entry requirements in the first sitting.
If extenuating circumstances affected performance in the first sitting, you are encouraged to submit information about this with your application. Please see extenuating circumstances for more details.
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We operate a holistic and contextual admissions process, which means we look at each application holistically and take into account all the information submitted as part of the application, including details of extenuating circumstances. More information can be found in our Admissions Policy.
If you experienced any extenuating circumstances that affected your academic performance, please provide all relevant information as part of your application so this can be assessed by our Admissions team. Such assessments are made on a case-by-case basis.
If you feel comfortable discussing these circumstances with your referee, you can ask them to provide details in their reference. You do not need to tell us about them in your personal statement.
If you do not feel comfortable discussing these circumstances with your referee, you may send information to us at myapplication@st-andrews.ac.uk as soon as possible after submitting your application. Where such circumstances relate to your school, for example, timetabling conflicts or curriculum availability, this information will need to be provided by your school.
Where candidates have been affected by extenuating circumstances, they would still be expected to meet the relevant entry requirements for the course applied to.
Please see our policy on extenuating circumstances for more information, including examples of extenuating circumstances.
About our postgraduate requirements
The information below applies to all accepted qualifications for postgraduate study. For more information relating to your specific qualifications, please use our qualifications by country tool.
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What grades do I need?
Admission to a taught postgraduate programme is normally on the basis of an undergraduate degree, or relevant professional experience. Please see the course page for more information about requirements, including whether there are any subject prerequisites.
Admission to postgraduate research within the Faculties of Arts and Divinity is normally on the basis of a Masters degree which must be related to your proposed area of research. Research applicants within the Faculty of Science require a first degree with Honours at 2.1 (UK) classification, or overseas equivalent.
Can I apply for postgraduate study before I have finished my undergraduate degree?
Yes. We have many students every year who apply while in the final year of their undergraduate degree, before they have achieved their final degree outcome or grade. In such cases, any offers made are conditional on the degree outcome.
If you are currently completing a degree, you will need to provide a current grade average. This should be calculated based on the grades you have already obtained, not the grades that you have been predicted.
Do I have to provide my qualifications translated into English?
If your previous degree was not completed in English, you will need to provide a translated copy of your qualifications. The translated copy needs to have verification of the translation being certified by a qualified individual and or organisation and should include the full name and contact details of the individual and or organisation who completed the translation. Original documents should also be included in your application.
Can I still apply if I don’t meet the requirements?
Applications that do not meet the entry requirements are less likely to be competitive. However, we consider applications on a case-by-case basis taking into account all information provided to us, not just the grades. We may also be able to take into consideration extensive work experience or professional prior learning as part of our entry requirements.
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Do all degree programmes require previous experience of the subject?
Not all taught postgraduate degrees require previous experience of the subject. If a taught postgraduate degree does require you to have a relevant undergraduate degree, this is clearly outlined on the course page in the entry requirements section.
We offer many conversion taught postgraduate programmes which do not require previous experience in the area.
Postgraduate research applicants are expected to have previous experience of the subject.
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We do not require the GMAT or the GRE.
To apply for graduate-entry Medicine, all candidates will need to take the GAMSAT.
Applicants to Astrophysics MSc will be required to complete a skills-based test before interview. More details can be found on the Astrophysics MSc page.
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Will I be interviewed?
Most students who apply to the University for taught postgraduate study will not be required to attend an interview. The exceptions to this will be if you are applying for:
Other students may be invited to interview if we have clarifying questions about information presented in their application.
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We operate a holistic and contextual admissions process, which means we look at each application holistically and take into account all the information submitted as part of the application, including details of extenuating circumstances. More information can be found within our Admissions policy.
If you experienced any extenuating circumstances that affected your academic performance, please provide all relevant information so this can be assessed by our Admissions team. Such assessments are made on a case-by-case basis.
If you feel comfortable discussing these circumstances with your referee, you can ask them to provide details in their reference. You do not need to tell us about them in your personal statement. If you do not feel comfortable discussing these circumstances with your referee, information could be outlined in a cover letter to be uploaded with your application. Alternatively, you may email information to us as soon as possible after submitting your application:
- pgt.application@st-andrews.ac.uk, for taught postgraduate applications
- pgr.application@st-andrews.ac.uk, for research postgraduate applications
Where candidates have been affected by extenuating circumstances, they would still be expected to meet the entry requirements.
Qualifications by country
The University of St Andrews welcomes applications from students achieving excellence in a wide range of qualifications. Please select your country from the A to Z list below for more information in relation to the qualifications you have.
Country and territory search
Search for entry requirements