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Subject showcases - November 2024

Delve deeper into your subject area of interest, learn more about programmes, meet staff and students and see what it’s like to study at UWS.

Attend a Subject Showcase

Entry Requirements

What qualifications do you need? 

We welcome Scottish and UK students and consider all applicants on an individual basis.

  • Scottish Highers*:
    • Standard Entry Requirements: AABB (120 UCAS Tariff points) including English, plus SQA National 5 Maths/Applications of Maths/Lifeskills Maths (Grade C, or equivalent) or AAB including English, plus UWS's module First Steps to Nursing and SQA National 5 Maths/Applications of Maths/Lifeskills Maths (Grade C, or equivalent)
    • Minimum Entry Requirements: BBBB (108 UCAS Tariff points) including English, plus SQA National 5 Maths/Applications of Maths/Lifeskills Maths (Grade C, or equivalent) or BBB including English, plus UWS's module First Steps to Nursing and SQA National 5 Maths/Applications of Maths/Lifeskills Maths (Grade C, or equivalent)
  • A levels:
    Standard Entry Requirements: BCC (104 UCAS Tariff points) including English, plus GCSE Maths (Grade C / Grade 4 or 5, or above)
  • Irish Leaving Certificate: H1 H1 H2 H2 including English, plus Ordinary Level Maths (Grade O5)
  • International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma: 28 points with 2 @ HL including English, plus Maths at least at SL
  • SQA HNC / BTEC Level 4 HNC: any discipline although Health or Science-related is preferred, plus SQA Higher English (Grade C, or above), or equivalent** and SQA National 5 (Grade C, or above) / Intermediate 2 (Grade C, or above) / Standard Grade (Credit) / GCSE (Grade C/Grade 4 or 5), or equivalent, in Maths* ^^)
  • SQA HND / BTEC Level 5 HND: any discipline although Health or Science-related is preferred, plus SQA National 5 (Grade C, or above) / Intermediate 2 (Grade C, or above) / Standard Grade (Credit) / GCSE (Grade C/Grade 4 or 5), or equivalent, in Maths* ^^)
  • Further Education and Training Awards Council (FETAC) QQI Level 5: Completed and pass Level 5, plus GCSE English Language or English Literature and Maths (Grade C, or above)

All applicants must satisfy the entry requirements of the Nursing and Midwifery Council including evidence of literacy and numeracy for entry to pre-registration nursing and midwifery programmes (NMC Circular 03/2008, revised 2010 Standards). All applicants will need to demonstrate this with acceptable qualification awards in both English and Maths.

* for Scottish applicants, Life Skill Mathematics / Application of Mathematics are acceptable alternatives to SQA National 5 Maths, if they have been awarded at National 5 level.

** If SQA HNC, Communication NC (FA1W 12) and Literature 1(FA58 12) at Scottish Credit Qualification Framework Level 6 can be accepted if studied both and studied separately from HNC as equivalent to SQA Higher English

^^ If applicant has completed SQA HNC module HF2434 or module FN2734 Essential Skills for Care Practice in HNC, then this satisfies the Maths requirement and there is no need for additional Maths requirements.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

An offer to study is also dependent on the outcome of the selection process and background checks:

  • personal interview
  • health Screening
  • membership of the Protection of Vulnerable Groups (PVG) scheme

There is no Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) onto the BSc Midwifery. Students must undertake all three years of the programme to gain entry onto the Nursing and Midwifery Council register as a Midwife.

* for more information on standard and minimum entry requirements, see our Undergraduate Entry Requirements webpage

ENGLISH LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS OVERVIEW

All academic degrees/awards at UWS are taught in English. For applicants whose first language is not English*, the University sets a minimum English Language proficiency level. All English language qualifications must have been gained within two years of the start of your UWS course.

* applicants who are exempt from english language requirements include:

  • 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)
  • students whose previous degree-level study has been taught and assessed in English in what UK Visas and Imigration (UKVI) define as a majority English speaking country

In general terms, if you are applying to study a course at, or above, Year 1 (SCQF Level 7) bachelor’s degree level, then the UKVI’s minimum level of English proficiency is Common European Framework for References of Languages (CEFR) at B2 (Upper Intermediate).

 

UWS & INTERNATIONAL ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEST SYSTEM (IELTS)

At UWS, we define our general English language requirements using the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Academic module (not General Training) as follows:

Undergraduate (bachelor's - BA, BAcc, BEng, BSc etc.) degrees and postgraduate (master's - MA, MBA, MSc etc.) taught degrees

  • the CEFR equivalent requirement is normally an overall IELTS score of 6.0 (or equivalent), with a score of no lower than 5.5 in any of the four elements (listening, speaking, reading and writing)

Postgraduate research degrees (MRes, MPhil, PhD, DBA etc.)

  • the CEFR equivalent requirement is an overall IELTS score of 6.5 (or equivalent), with a score of no lower than 6.0 in any of the four elements (listening, speaking, reading and writing)

These are minimum requirements and some courses may require a higher standard for admission†.

† Exceptions to this level of IELTS scoring exist for some accredited or professionally-recognised courses (see IELTS Score Exceptions section below for more information). 

 

IELTS SCORE EXCEPTIONS (RESEARCH DEGREES, BIOMEDICAL & PARAMEDIC SCIENCE DEGREES, NURSING & MIDWIFERY DEGREES WITH NMC REGISTRATION, SOCIAL WORK DEGREES, CERTIFICATE OF HIGHER EDUCATION, ETC.)

RESEARCH DEGREES

For our research degrees (MRes, MPhil, PhD, DBA, DProf) applicants are required to have an IELTS score as follows:

  • overall score of 6.5
  • no sub-test score of less than 6.0

HEALTH & MIDWIFERY AWARDS

For Health, Nursing & Midwifery courses that lead to professional registration with the Nursing & Midwifery Council (BSc Adult Nursing, MSc Adult Nursing, BSc Mental Health Nursing, MSc Mental Health Nursing, BSc Midwifery and MSc Midwifery), applicants are required to have an IELTS score as follows:

  • overall score of 7.0
  • score of at least 7.0 in reading, listening and speaking and
  • score of at least 6.5 in writing

PARAMEDIC SCIENCE DEGREE

Our BSc Paramedic Science degree leads to professional registration with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC); it has different IELTS requirements than other Health-related courses. Although it is not possible to apply for this degree directly as an international student, for applicants who meet SAAS residency requirements and for whom English is not their first language, then the following IELTS scores are required:

  • overall score of 7.0
  • no sub-test score of less than 6.5

BIOMEDICAL DEGREES

For our BSc (Hons) Applied Biomedical Science, BSc (Hons) Biomedical Science and MSc Advanced Biomedical Science degrees, which may lead to professional registration with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), applicants are required to have an IELTS score as follows:

  • overall score of 7.0
  • no sub-test less than 6.5

SOCIAL WORK DEGREES

Our BA (Hons) Social Work and MSc Social Work degrees are professionally recognised by the Scottish Social Services Council and applicants are required to have an IELTS score as follows:

  • overall score of 7.0
  • no sub-test score of less than 7.0

CERTIFICATE OF HIGHER EDUCATION

For our Certificate of Higher Education courses, applicants are required to have an IELTS score as follows:

  • overall score of 5.0
  • no sub-test less than 4.5

 

OTHER IELTS EQUIVALENT ENGLISH LANGUAGE TESTS

In additional to IELTS, we also accept a number of alternative English language for application and admission to our courses for both home/EU and international students at bachelor's degree study at Year 3 (SCQF Level 9), and above. From Cambridge to TOFEL iBT qualifications the number of these qualifications is extensive.

Find out about non-IELTS English Language Tests

 

ENGLISH LANGUAGE HIGH SCHOOL QUALIFACTIONS ACCEPTED FOR NON-EU APPLICANTS

UWS has also reviewed a range of High / Secondary School qualifications studied by non-EU applicants that can be used as a basis of entry to a UWS. These range from Botswana GCSEs to USA High School Graduation Diplomas, the number of these qualifications is extensive.

Find out more about international English Language high-hchool qualifications

 

PRE-SESSIONAL ENGLISH LANGUAGE COURSES AT UWS

Applicants who do not meet the minimum English language requirements have the option to study one of our preparatory and pre-sessional English courses. The UWS courses available are:

    • 10-week pre-sessional - entry criteria UKVI IELTS 5.0 with no element below 4.5.
    • 5-week pre-sessional - entry criteria UKVI IELTS 5.5 with no element below 5.5.
    • English Language for University Study - entry criteria UKVI IELTS with an overall score of 4.0, plus a score of 4.0 in all sub-tests (10-month course), or an overall score of 4.5, plus no score below 4.0 in all sub-tests (7-month course).

Find out more about our English language Courses.

Undergraduate Tuition Fees

Tuition fees for this course 2024/25

Scottish

£1,820 cost per year of study (usually paid by the Scottish Government via SAAS*)

All other UK & Republic of Ireland

£9,250 Cost per year of study, but not more than £27,750

Channel Islands & Isle of Man

£9,250 Cost per year of study, but not more than £27,750

International (all other EU plus Non-EU)

£18,000 per year of study

More on tuition fees and funding

Apply via UCAS

Ready to apply? All UK & EU Undergraduate applications should be made through UCAS. Further information for international, part-time and exchange applications can be found below.

Apply on UCAS

Apply

Full-time (domestic)

All applicants for undergraduate study should apply through UCAS (Universities and Colleges Admissions Service)

The on-time application deadline for 2025/26 entry is 29 January 2025, 18:00 (UK time). For some courses it may still be possible to apply beyond this period, subject to suitable vacancies remaining. The final deadline for late applications via UCAS is 30 June 2025. Beyond this deadline, you may be able to apply via ‘UCAS Clearing’ if the course you are interested in has remaining places.

Please refer to our Undergraduate Application Guide for domestic & EU/EEA to find more information on when and how to apply to study at UWS.

Apply on UCAS

Get in touch

Do you have a question about applying for this course? Get in touch. We are here to help!

Unistats

Unistats draws together comparable information in areas students have identified as important in making decisions about what and where to study. The core information it contains is called the Key Information Set.

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Life at UWS

Going to university is about much more than getting a qualification, it’s also the chance to enjoy an exciting social life, gain some independence and make the most of the new opportunities available.

Discover

We will always try to make sure that we publish accurate course information but we do not accept responsibility for any mistakes or omissions. We will also try to make sure that we deliver our courses in line with our published information. However, we may not always be able to do so and you can find further information about this in our enrolment terms and conditions.