How to Apply to Economics at the University of Strathclyde: A Four-Year BA in the Business School, a Broad Business First Year Before You Specialise, and Requirements for Home, International (Including Chinese) and Transfer Students

The University of Strathclyde is in the centre of Glasgow, Scotland. Economics is taught in Strathclyde Business School and leads to a BA (Honours). A Scottish honours degree normally takes four years, unlike the three years in England. The Business School states on its pages that it holds AACSB, EQUIS and AMBA accreditation. This guide follows the website for September 2027 entry and speaks in turn to home applicants, international applicants (with a separate section for applicants from China) and transfer students.

1. Which economics degrees are offered

• Economics BA (Honours): UCAS code L100. The page says the department is home to the Fraser of Allander Institute, which offers internship and work placement opportunities; applicant visit days take place in March each year; you can take Economics alone or as a joint honours subject with another.
• Joint degrees (listed as similar courses): Economics & Finance (BA, LN13), Economics & Business Law, Economics & Human Resource Management, Economics & Marketing, Economics & Psychology, Economics, Mathematics & Statistics (BA, LG1C), Accounting & Economics, Business Analysis & Technology & Economics, Business Enterprise & Economics, and combinations with education, French, politics and international relations; apart from LN13 and LG1C, see the website for those course pages.
• Mathematics, Statistics & Economics (BSc, G1L1): offered with the Faculty of Science and the Business School; mathematics and statistics make up at least half and the rest is economics. Honours options include econometrics, macro, micro, health, labour, industrial and environmental economics, and the Honours project may be in mathematics, statistics or economics.
• Business and computing degrees are only mentioned in passing.

2. How admission works: you apply to economics, with a broad business first year

• You apply to economics: L100 is the UCAS code, but the page describes a “create your own course” structure. Year 1 is a broad curriculum of four business subject modules plus three integrating modules (international business, business knowledge and skills through the Management Development Programme, MDP, and academic skills) so you can try subjects you may not have studied at school; at the start of Year 2 you choose two subjects to continue in Years 2 and 3, alongside further MDP modules. The Year 1 subject modules include Introduction to Economics & Business Analysis (20 credits), Introduction to Marketing & Entrepreneurship, Introduction to Finance and Financial Analysis, Introduction to International Business, and Introduction to Tourism Studies and Managing People.
• Getting into the Honours year: the page says there are competitive progression requirements, currently a 55% average in the Year 2 and 3 subject modules.
• What you study: in Year 2 the core classes are Intermediate Microeconomics and Macroeconomics 2, with an introduction to analysing economic data; Year 3 has Topics in Microeconomics with Cross Section Econometrics and Macroeconomics 3; Year 4 has core classes plus electives (such as Information Economics, Macroeconomics 4, Industrial Economics and Applied Econometrics) and an Economics dissertation. Single-honours students take two core classes, the dissertation and three electives.
• Management Development Programme: it runs through the first three years. Year 3 is an individual experience in an organisation, chosen from an internship or charity pathway, research and consultancy (two live consultancy projects for local small businesses), international experience (only for students on an exchange) or cross-faculty Vertically Integrated Projects.
• Admissions test or interview: not mentioned on the course page; this is not given on the pages used, so ask Business School admissions (sbs-ug-admissions@strath.ac.uk, +44 (0)141 548 4024).
• Year 2 entry: the page says it may be available to suitably qualified applicants.
• Deferred entry: the pages say it is not normally accepted.

3. Prerequisites and grades

These come from the “Entry requirements” section of the Economics, Economics & Finance and Economics, Mathematics & Statistics pages, which are identical and carry no year label, so check the website. The pages describe the standard requirements as normally the minimum level, and entry is competitive.

• Highers: standard, first sitting AAAA / AAABB, second sitting AAAABB; required: English B and Maths or Applications of Maths National 5 B, and Higher Maths or Applications of Maths at A for combinations with Accounting or Maths & Statistics. Minimum: first sitting ABBB, second sitting AABBB.
• A-levels: ABB to BBB; GCSE English Language or Literature 6/B (an essay-based A-level English at B may be considered instead), GCSE Maths 6/B; A-level Maths at A for combinations with Accounting or Maths & Statistics.
• IB: 32 to 30, no subject below 5, including English SL5 and Maths or Maths Studies SL5; Maths HL5 for combinations with Accounting or Maths & Statistics.
• HNC/HND: a relevant HNC/HND with A in the Graded Units; contact Business School admissions for Year 2 entry.
• Mathematics, Statistics & Economics (G1L1) in the Faculty of Science: Highers Year 1 standard AABB / ABBBC (Maths A, English C); A-levels Year 1 BBB (Maths, GCSE English 6/B), Year 2 ABB; IB Year 1 30 (Mathematics HL5, English SL6).
• Mathematics: for single-honours Economics the pages ask only for National 5 Maths at B or GCSE Maths 6/B; whether economics needs high-school calculus is not given on the pages used, so ask admissions.
• Lower contextual offers: see section 4; the “minimum entry requirements” row is used for eligible applicants.
• AP and the US high school diploma: not on the course pages.

4. Home applicants

• How to apply: UK applicants use UCAS; Strathclyde’s UCAS code is S78, and for 2027 entry the application fee is £34.50 for up to five choices. The page says applicants who apply by the “January deadline” will get a decision by the end of March where possible; the exact date is not given, so check UCAS.
• Interviews: the application page says most courses make offers from the UCAS application, a few may ask for an interview or portfolio (stated in the entry requirements), and applicants outside the UK are interviewed by telephone where possible.
• Applying directly to Year 2: the page says that, depending on your qualifications, you may be able to apply straight to Year 2 or even Year 3; speak to the named contact for the course.
• Qualifications: Highers and Advanced Highers (Scotland), A-levels and the IB are covered above. BTEC and Irish qualifications are not mentioned on the course pages; ask admissions.
• Tuition fees: for Scottish students the fee is shown as “to be confirmed” by the Scottish Funding Council; eligible Scottish students may apply to SAAS to have tuition fees paid by the Scottish Government and may be eligible for a bursary and loan for living costs. Students from England, Wales and Northern Ireland pay £9,790 a year for 2026/27; 2027/28 is “to be confirmed” (subject to Parliamentary approval). Irish citizens meeting the residence rules are treated as England, Wales and Northern Ireland for fee status.
• Funding: the course pages say students from England, Wales and Northern Ireland can receive the Strathclyde Access Bursary, Excellence Scholarship and Accommodation Bursary without a separate application; eligibility is assessed once the place is confirmed. The Excellence Scholarship is for new undergraduates from England, Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland or Wales who pay £9,790 and achieve AAB at A-level or equivalent: £1,000 in each year of study, identified automatically, usually notified by the end of October. Economics is on the list of eligible subjects.
• Contextual admissions: the university uses five kinds of contextual information; applicants in any one are considered against the “minimum entry requirements”, which are lower than the standard ones: a Scottish postcode in SIMD quintile 1 or 2; an England, Wales or Northern Ireland postcode in POLAR4 quintile 1 (a one-grade concession in a non-essential A-level subject); attendance at a listed target school; time in care (a guaranteed offer on most courses for those who meet or are studying towards the minimum requirements); caring responsibilities; and rural educational disadvantage in Scotland. Meeting a criterion does not guarantee an offer. The target-school list for 2027 entry is on that page.

5. International applicants

• How to apply: the “Apply” tab on the course pages says international applicants applying to more than one UK university may use UCAS, or they can use Strathclyde’s Direct Applications service, with separate entries for September 2027 entry into Year 1 and Year 2 (some courses list Year 1 only). The Direct Applications deadline is not given; apply early to leave time for a visa.
• English: the English language page gives the university standard as IELTS Academic 6.5 overall with no band below 5.5, and 6.0 overall (no band below 5.5) for the Faculty of Science and for Faculty of Engineering undergraduates. It does not list the Business School separately and the economics course page states no IELTS requirement, so which level applies is not given on the pages used; ask Business School admissions. English courses are available if you need to improve your level.
• Qualifications: requirements by country are on the international entry requirements page; A-level and IB grades are in section 3.
• Tuition fees: the course page gives the international fee for Economics as £21,550 a year for 2026/27 and £23,200 for 2027/28. Strathclyde says fees are revised annually by no more than 10%, with a 6% increase given as the 2027/28 example. Course materials: compulsory handbooks are free on the online platform and some classes have a recommended textbook, with library copies. Graduation gown hire and similar costs, and visa and immigration costs, are extra.
• Scholarships: the course page says there are scholarships for international students and sends you to the scholarship search tool. Which scholarships economics applicants can get, whether they are automatic and how much they are worth is not given on the pages used for this guide; check the website.
• Pathway programme: Applicants who do not meet the direct-entry requirements can use pathway programmes at the University of Strathclyde International Study Centre (run by a third party). The course pages describe the undergraduate foundation programme as being in Business and Social Sciences, while the English language page says it leads to the second year of a business and social sciences, or engineering and sciences-related, degree. The two descriptions differ and neither says which of these degrees it connects to, so check with the Study Centre and admissions.

6. Applicants from China

• What the China page says (undergraduate, not subject-specific):
  • Year 1 entry (four years to an Honours degree): Huikao average of 80% with at least 80% in the required subjects; in provinces without Huikao, an 80% average over six subjects including the required ones.
  • Year 2 entry (three years): the same, plus a Gaokao score of at least 525/750, or at least 70% where the total is not 750.
  The page does not say which subjects are “required” and does not explain how these percentages map to the subject requirements for the courses in this guide; this is not given on the pages used, so ask admissions. The Highers, A-level and IB grades on the course pages are for applicants following those systems.
• Chinese applicants taking A-levels or the IB: apply on the grades shown on the course pages.
• Pathway programme: Applicants who do not meet the direct-entry requirements can use pathway programmes at the University of Strathclyde International Study Centre (run by a third party). The course pages describe the undergraduate foundation programme as being in Business and Social Sciences, while the English language page says it leads to the second year of a business and social sciences, or engineering and sciences-related, degree. The two descriptions differ and neither says which of these degrees it connects to, so check with the Study Centre and admissions.
• Interviews and recognised agents: the China page lists representatives for postgraduate enquiries only; whether undergraduate Chinese applicants have a special interview or agent is not given on the pages used for this guide; check the website.

7. Transfers and Year 2 entry

• Transfers from another university: the course pages do not give transfer conditions, credit recognition or how required modules are assessed; this is not given on the pages used, so ask admissions. The application page only says that, depending on your qualifications, you may be able to apply directly to Year 2 or Year 3 and should speak to the named course contact.
• Year 2 entry: the Economics page says suitably qualified applicants may be able to enter Year 2; the conditions are not given. HNC/HND applicants should contact Business School admissions.
• Credit recognition for calculus, statistics and other required modules, and AP/IB credit, are not given on the pages used.

8. Exchange and placements

• The Year 3 MDP offers an internship or charity pathway and research and consultancy projects; the international experience pathway is only for students on an exchange of one semester or a full year.
• The page says a semester abroad typically costs about £6,500 to £8,500 depending on destination, exchange rates and lifestyle; tuition continues to be paid to Strathclyde rather than the host, while travel, accommodation, visas and insurance are paid by the student; Scottish students can still apply for a student loan and must tell their awarding body; external funding is not guaranteed, and the page mentions the Turing Scheme and, for non-European exchanges, the Neil Hood Memorial Fund. The page does not give a year for these details, so check with admissions.
• The page does not describe a paid placement year; the Fraser of Allander Institute offers internships and work placements.

9. Timeline (September 2027 entry)

• UCAS January deadline (the website says only “January deadline” without a date; check UCAS): applications made by then get a decision by the end of March where possible.
• Applicant visit days are held in March each year.
• The Direct Applications deadline for international applicants is not given.

Application checklist

Home applicants:

• Highers AAAA / AAABB (English B, Maths National 5 B), A-levels ABB to BBB or IB 32 to 30 (English SL5, Maths SL5)
• UCAS institution code S78, Economics L100, submitted by the January deadline; contextual offers in section 4

International applicants:

• A-level or IB as above; confirm the IELTS level for the Business School with admissions (university standard 6.5, no band below 5.5)
• Tuition £23,200 a year for 2027/28; look up scholarships on the official search page

Applicants from China:

• Country page: Huikao 80% with required subjects at 80%; Year 2 entry adds Gaokao 525/750; which subjects count as “required” is not given
• The International Study Centre pathway is an option if you fall short

Transfer students:

• Year 2 entry may be available to suitably qualified applicants; HNC/HND applicants contact Business School admissions

Sources: University of Strathclyde, Economics BA; Economics & Finance; Economics, Mathematics & Statistics; Mathematics, Statistics & Economics; Courses A-Z; How to apply; Entry requirements by country; English language requirements; Excellence Scholarship; Contextual admissions. Pages read on 28 October 2026; some course pages label their entry requirements 2027/28, others carry no year, so check the latest on the website.