Japan

St Andrews offers students from Japan an exceptionally high standard of research-led teaching in a friendly community in which 45% of students come from outside of the UK. St Andrews is consistently ranked among the top universities in the UK and is currently ranked top in Scotland and second in the UK.

Students from Japan might be particularly interested in looking into our International Relations, History, Philosophy, and Film Studies programmes. See the subjects pages for further information.

Student satisfaction at St Andrews is currently ranked top in the UK; there are countless opportunities to get involved with societies and sports clubs, and the fact that the University is over 600 years old means that there are a number of fun and unique traditions in which to take part.

Make an enquiry

Entry requirements

The University of St Andrews accepts the following qualifications from Japan for entry to undergraduate or postgraduate study.

For entry into undergraduate study at St Andrews, you must meet the University's entry requirements as outlined below. If you have graduated from a high school with a national school leaving certificate, we would also expect you to have one of the following:
- Foundation programme certificate: Our International Foundation Programmes offer a range of programmes providing excellent preparation for undergraduate academic study. at the University of St Andrews.
- US curriculum: one form of standardised testing, in addition to a school transcript with A to B+ grades in academic subjects. Applicants may apply with more than one standardised test, with scores as follows:
  - AP: Three subjects with scores of 4+ and 5 in required subjects.
  - SAT Subject Tests: Three subject tests with minimum scores of 650 with 700 and above in required subjects.
  - ACT: score of 28+ (writing optional). Applicants are welcome to submit all of their ACT test scores. We will consider the highest scores submitted for each section across multiple testing dates.
  - SAT: We will accept both the SAT Reasoning Test and the Redesigned SAT Test. SAT Reasoning Test: Redesigned SAT Test (essay optional): Score of 1320.
- International Baccalaureate (IB): 36 (HL 6,6,5) to 38 (HL 6,6,6 plus SL 6,6,6). From 2021, programmes requiring A-levels Mathematics will accept either Mathematics: Analysis and Approaches or Mathematics: Applications and Interpretation at higher level.
- A-levels: AAB to A*A*A
- SQA Highers: AAAB to AAAAB
You will also be expected to meet the entry requirements set by the relevant Faculty for your programme of study.

This information is for general guidance; we consider each application on its own merits, as outlined in the admissions policy.

Applicants to Medicine should refer directly to the School of Medicine or the Medical Sciences (International Pre-Med) programme.
Postgraduate candidates will be expected to hold a good first degree with a GPA of 3.3, B+, 76% or higher.

We do not require the GMAT/GRE.

The degree of MD (Medicine) requires a medical qualification that is recognised by the UK General Council.

Postgraduate entry requirements may be higher depending on the School and the programme you wish to study. For more information, please contact the international team in Admissions by emailing admissions@st-andrews.ac.uk.

Individual programme requirements can be found on the programme pages.

This information is for general guidance; we consider each application on its own merits, as outlined in the admissions policy.
All students entering the University must provide evidence that they can use English well enough to study effectively at St Andrews.

We accept a wide range of language tests and qualifications as proof of English language proficiency. If you were educated outside the UK or use English as an additional language, you should include information about your English language proficiency with your application.

Undergraduate English language requirements

For full information about the language tests and qualifications that the University accepts for undergraduate applicants, please see the undergraduate English language requirements.

Postgraduate English language requirements

For information on the language tests and qualifications which the University accepts for postgraduate students, please see the postgraduate English language requirements.

Pre-sessional courses

In order to fully prepare yourself for academic study, you can attend one of our pre-sessional courses. These combine language development with academic skills and orientation and provide an excellent introduction to university life.

It may be a condition of your offer that you are required to take a 10-week or 4-week pre-sessional course.

Find out more about pre-sessional courses.

Visas

Students from Japan may need to obtain a visa to study at the University of St Andrews. The type of visa you will need depends on the duration of your studies.

For further information and guidance on visas, refer to the visas pages.

You can also find out more about living and working in the UK by visiting our moving to the UK pages.

Discover St Andrews

Hear from some students and academic staff on what they think makes St Andrews so unique. Covering teaching style, student life in St Andrews and everything in between, get a flavour of what St Andrews is like and see what the town and University look like.

Find out what you need to know to apply

Video transcript

00:00
[Music]
00:03
If you're thinking of applying to St Andrews, you definitely should.
00:07
It's so rewarding. There are so many things you can do here.
00:10
Although it's a small town, the opportunities are completely endless.
00:15
St Andrew's location is stunning.
00:17
A small seaside town on the east coast of Scotland.
00:20
Close enough to places like Edinburgh, and frankly to all of Europe.
00:24
We are connected while also being our own place.
00:28
For me the best thing about St Andrews is the fact that it's such a small town,
00:32
but yet it's got so many different opportunities within it.
00:36
Whether it's the societies or the sports clubs that you can get involved with.
00:41
It's so much more than just academia.
00:43
[Music]
00:50
St Andrews is a fantastic place to study because you get a University that
00:55
has a strong research focus, but it's also a University that really values its teaching.
01:00
We do that through having small class sizes,
01:03
and through, I think, a really, a kind of strong community feel.
01:07
The lecturers are really really helpful.
01:10
There's not this kind of hierarchy or anything
01:12
everyone's really, really friendly and everyone's really trying to help out.
01:17
Why does a person go to University? They want to expand their mind. They want to push
01:21
the boundaries of what they know for a personal level and an academic level.
01:25
It's not just education, it's research. Because they want to go to a place that
01:29
is pushing the frontiers of human knowledge.
01:32
We look for people who are willing to question what they are taught
01:37
and willing to explore their subject in depth.
01:41
We want people who are curious, who are motivated, who want to understand the
01:45
world around them, and and then apply that to make ideally the world a better place.
01:50
[Music]
01:52
The University degree at St Andrews reflects the Scottish degree system.
01:57
Students coming into the first and second year can take subjects outside their intended degree specialisation
02:04
and then specialise in their degree subjects in third, and fourth, and possibly fifth year.
02:09
It just offers opportunity to explore new subjects and it's kind of
02:14
changed my way of thinking.
02:16
It really helped me to just explore different things and try out everything.
02:21
[Music]
02:25
St Andrews has a really big feel.
02:28
You really get to know everyone.
02:31
You see a lot of people that you know and you recognise.
02:33
Hall life plays such a big part in St Andrews.
02:37
Living in halls has such a wonderful atmosphere.
02:40
It is a really tight community.
02:43
You get a lot of different students, you get to meet a lot of different people
02:46
which you normally wouldn't meet.
02:48
We come from very different educational
02:51
backgrounds, so therefore we're all gonna have a different point of view.
02:55
So, you know, you're not gonna have people that agree with you all the time or they're
03:00
gonna pick up on things that you don't necessarily pick up on.
03:05
With a St Andrews degree you can almost do anything because the skills that you learn here
03:10
are attractive to employers.
03:12
Our students go into all kinds of professional careers,
03:15
whether that's the law, whether that's financial services, whether that's
03:18
civil service or government. Many of them also go into further study.
03:23
Our students tend to be in great demand from employers.
03:26
We have companies that see character in graduates.
03:30
The skills that students get here allow our students to be successful at getting jobs and they seem
03:36
to be equipped very well for a wide range of jobs.
03:40
If you're thinking of applying, do it. Absolutely do it.
03:43
It's been one of the best decisions that I've made.
03:45
St Andrews really isn't a place to be afraid of, but going to college is scary,
03:50
because you don't know what you're gonna have when you get there,
03:53
but it's really great here because it's so easy to feel like you have everything.

Fees and scholarships

Tuition fees for students from Japan are set at the following for the academic year 2020-2021.

Undergraduate

Faculty of study	Tuition fees
Faculty of Arts, Divinity or Science	£23,910
Faculty of Medicine	£31,950

Tuition fees in the Faculty of Arts, Divinity or Science are fixed at this level for the duration of your programme. Tuition fees in the Faculty of Medicine may increase annually by up to 5% or up to the national levy for overseas medical students to cover the costs of NHS clinical teaching.

Find out more about .

Students from Scotland, elsewhere in the UK or EU may pay different fees, more information can be found in .

Postgraduate

Postgraduate fees are determined by the individual programme. See for 2020 entry.

Scholarships

The University offers a range of scholarships for international students. Students from Japan may be particularly interested in the following:

Accommodation

There are plenty of accommodation options to suit all needs. All entrant undergraduate students are guaranteed accommodation, and most choose to apply to stay in one of our halls of residence.

There are also a number of postgraduate-only halls and options for couples and families.

Find out more about accommodation and how to apply.

Meet us in Japan

The University of St Andrews staff are always pleased to meet prospective students in person. Our representatives have in-depth knowledge of the application process and what it’s like to study at St Andrews.

Wei Lin is our admissions representative for Japan, email Wei at wei.lin@st-andrews.ac.uk.

Find out when you can meet us in your country and information on our country representatives and agents.

Support for international students

The University provides advice and support for international students. Whether you need guidance on applying for a visa, travelling to the UK, paying your healthcare surcharge or anything else relating to studying as an international student, the University’s Student Services team can help you out.

Find out more about student support.

Societies

Sport at St Andrews is a vibrant, dynamic and important part of student life. With over 50 sports clubs and 100 competitive sports teams, and a thriving hall sport programme, we offer sport for everyone at all levels.

St Andrews also has over 160 student societies ranging from artistic and musical through to religious and cultural, meaning our societies cater for a huge array of interests.

Students from Japan may be interested in the following student society in particular:

Japan Society - which is dedicated to promoting and broadening the knowledge, appreciation and understanding of Japan and its culture and language.

Contact

Japan team

Admissions
University of St Andrews
St Katharine's West
16 The Scores
St Andrews
KY16 9AX

Phone: +44 (0)1334 46 2150
Email: admissions@st-andrews.ac.uk

Japan

Entry requirements

Undergraduate academic requirements

Postgraduate academic requirements

English language requirements

Undergraduate English language requirements

Postgraduate English language requirements

Pre-sessional courses

Visas

Discover St Andrews

Fees and scholarships

Undergraduate

Postgraduate

Scholarships

Undergraduate

Postgraduate

Accommodation

Meet us in Japan

Support for international students

Societies

Contact