UK STANDARD ACADEMIC ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
While each course has its own specific entry requirements listed on all course pages, there are also standard minimum academic requirements for admission onto any undergraduate degree course.
Applicants are expected to hold the following qualifications, or equivalent, as a minimum. Please note, holding these qualifications does not always guarantee entry on your chosen course as entry is competitive in nature.
Standard & Minimum Entry Requirements for Scottish Year 1 Applicants
On our course pages, you will find details of our entry criteria listed as Standard Entry Requirements and Minimum Entry Requirements for Scottish applicants who are applying for Year 1 entry. These are the academic qualifications that, depending on your personal circumstances, you will be required to meet to allow your application to be considered for a place at UWS.
Competition for places on many of our courses can be very high and even if you meet the standard or minimum qualifications stated, there is no guarantee that your application will progress to the next stage of the admissions process. We review individual applications very closely and place great importance on your personal statement and academic reference as well as your academic qualifications before making selection decisions.
STANDARD ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
Our Standard Entry Requirements are the grades that you will need to achieve to allow you to be considered for entry to a specific programme of study.
MINIMUM ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
Our Minimum Entry Requirements are applicable to those applicants who have not had an equal opportunity to demonstrate their academic ability at school or college and are known as ‘widening access’ applicants. We also sometimes refer to this type of applicant as receiving a ‘contextual’ offer. We may be able to provide you with a contextual offer if you fall into one of the categories below:
- You have been in care (care-experienced/care-leaver)
- You are a young carer
- You have government-recognised asylum or refugee status
- You are estranged from your family or guardians
- You live in an area of high deprivation as defined by the Scottish Government (SIMD20)
If you fall into any of the first four categories above, please mention this on your UCAS application. We will automatically apply category 5 if it applies to you.
If you have already achieved the required grades for either our standard or minimum entry criteria, we may be able to offer you an unconditional offer for some course areas. If you have not yet achieved these grades, we may be able to make you a conditional offer, which will rely on you achieving further qualifications before you can be accepted on to a programme of study.
Scottish qualifications
- Passes in at least five subjects including at least three Scottish Highers (Grade C, or above)
SCOTTISH WIDER ACCESS PROGRAMME (SWAP)
We are committed to widening access to education and are active participants in the Scottish Wider Access Programme (SWAP).
SWAP is designed for adult learners who have few or no academic qualifications but who have the ability to study to degree level.
By undertaking a one-year, full-time SWAP course candidates gain the qualifications for entry onto undergraduate programmes at UWS.
Many of our undergraduate courses include SWAP criteria as part of their entry requirements.
To find out how SWAP could help you to become a UWS student please contact ask@uws.ac.uk or phone our course enquiries team at 0800 027 1000 or +44 (0)141 849 4101.
English, Welsh, Northern Irish and Republic of Ireland qualifications
- Passes in at least five subjects including at least two passes at GCE Advanced Level (grade C or higher)
- Irish Leaving Certificate (ILC) with passes in at least three subjects at Higher level (grade H4 / C, or above)
Other qualifications
We are happy to consider other alternative combinations of qualifications and experience, including:
- International Baccalaureate Diploma
- Scottish Baccalaureate / Professional Baccalaureate / Welsh Baccalaureate (Advanced Diploma)
In addition to the qualifications listed above, UWS will consider a range of factors when assessing your application.
Advanced entry
For some courses advanced entry (entry into year 2 or 3) is possible.
Candidates with a combination of Highers and Advanced Highers / AS level and A levels (or equivalent qualifications) are encouraged to consider advanced entry into year 2.
Candidates who have achieved a Higher National Certificate (HNC) or a Higher National Diploma (HND) (from bodies such as SQA and BTEC etc.) are encouraged to consider advanced entry into year 2 or 3 respectively.
Please note, some course may require additional qualifications such as SQA Highers / Intermediate 2 / Standard Grade (Credit); check each course entry for full entry requirements. The academic requirements for individual courses accepting advanced entry will be listed on the course page.
EU & International (non-eu) academic entry requirements
We welcome applications from EU and international (non-EU) students studying a wide range of international qualifications.
Academic requirements:
International applicants will need an equivalent qualification to those advertised on each degree in order to apply to UWS. Equivalences can be found using the UK National Recognition Information Centre.
If you are an applicant from an EU country and would like to apply outside the Erasmus/Student Exchange Programme agreement, please contact ask@uws.ac.uk for information about the relevant qualifications required.
English Language Requirements:
All international applicants are required to meet minimum English language standards, with the exception of:
- Native speakers of English
- Erasmus students (unless advised otherwise)
- non-Erasmus students from EU partner institutions (your institution must provide confirmation of your English language ability in the absence of a formal qualification)
Find out more about English language requirements.
Other qualifications
We are happy to consider other alternative combinations of qualifications and experience, including:
- International Baccalaureate Diploma
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