How to Apply to Life Sciences and Medical-Related Degrees at the University of Portsmouth: Biology, Biochemistry, Biomedical Science, Pharmacology and Pharmacy (MPharm), With Entry Requirements for UK, International (Including Chinese) and Year 2 Transfer Applicants

The University of Portsmouth’s life-science and medical-related undergraduate degrees are listed under two subject pages, “Biological sciences” and “Healthcare and social care”. This guide covers the course pages for Biology, Biochemistry, Biomedical Science, Pharmacology, the Biomedical Science with Human Biosciences dual degree with Edith Cowan University, and Pharmacy (MPharm) for September 2027 entry, for UK applicants, international applicants (including students at high schools in China) and students who want to join year 2. Mathematics, physics and economics are not covered here.

1. The degrees and how you are admitted

• Five BSc (Hons) degrees, each applied for as a specific course through UCAS (institution code P80), with two codes each: Biology C101 (three years) / C100 (four years with a placement); Biochemistry C701 / C700; Biomedical Science B94L / B940; Pharmacology B211 / B210; and Biomedical Science with Human Biosciences (dual degree with Edith Cowan University) B930 (four years including a year overseas).
• Pharmacy MPharm (Hons): the course page says four years full-time, UCAS code B230 (the page labels that code “3 years full-time”, which conflicts with the four-year length; check it). Accreditation is described below.
• Also listed on the subject pages: Marine Biology, Environmental Science, Marine Environmental Science and Applied Science (Learning at Work), and, under healthcare, nursing, dental, diagnostic radiography, operating department practice, paramedic science and social work degrees. The healthcare list contains no MBBS; it does list a dental surgery degree (BDS). These courses were not read individually for this guide, and whether international students can apply is not given; check the course pages and admissions.
• Year 1: Biology and Biochemistry share The Living World, Cellular and Molecular Basis of Life and Experimental Biology (30 credits each); Biology adds Ecology, Plants and Human Impact and Biochemistry adds Perspectives in Biochemistry. Biomedical Science has a single 120-credit module, Fundamentals of Biomedical Science, and Pharmacology a single 120-credit module, Foundations of Pharmacology. 120 credits a year.
• Years 2 and 3: Biology requires Diversity and Physiology of Plants and Animals, Genetics and Research and Career Planning, then a Research Project and Current Research in Biology and Evolution, with options such as Microbiomes, Bioinformatics and a Tropical Study Tour; Biochemistry requires Gene Cloning to Enzyme Engineering, Cell Biology of Cancer and Immunity and Research and Career Planning, then a Research Project, Engineering Biology, The Genome in Health and Disease and Bioinformatics; Biomedical Science requires Pathobiology, Fundamentals of Biomedical Research and Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, then Advanced Pathobiology and Genetic Sciences and Integrated Pathology; Pharmacology requires Laboratory Skills and Research Methods for Drug Discovery and Systems Pharmacology and Therapeutics, then Clinical Pharmacology and Personalised Medicine and Frontiers in Pharmacological Sciences, with a project or research-based work experience as options. Check the course pages for details.
• Accreditation: Biology and Biochemistry are accredited by the Royal Society of Biology (RSB); Pharmacology is described as RSB-accredited and graduates can apply for RSB Associate Membership; Biomedical Science is accredited by the Institute of Biomedical Science (IBMS) and the RSB, and the page calls IBMS accreditation a mandatory requirement for working in the NHS; the dual degree page says it is IBMS-accredited; Pharmacy is accredited by the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC).
• Placement and overseas options: Biology offers an optional work-placement year (organisations named include Pfizer, Thermo-Fisher Scientific and the Field Studies Council) or a year overseas; Pharmacology offers an optional sandwich year and an optional lab-based work-experience module (both subject to a successful application; organisations named include GSK and Catalent) and summer research placements at partner universities overseas; Biomedical Science offers a year at an IBMS-approved clinical training laboratory (subject to a successful application) after which you are eligible to apply for registration as a Biomedical Scientist with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), and international Turing Scheme placements. Whether a placement is guaranteed, and whether international students can take NHS laboratory placements, is not given on the course pages.
• Study time: the Biology and Biomedical Science pages recommend at least 35 hours of study a week, about 14 of them timetabled in the first year (lectures, seminars, practical classes, workshops and similar), with the rest independent study.
• Foundation year: the BSc pages say that if you do not meet the entry requirements you may join after a foundation year and link to the Science with Foundation Year degree. Which foundation course maps to which degree, the grades needed and whether international students can take it are not given on the pages used for this guide (see the conflicting statements in the international section).

2. Entry requirements and prerequisites

The typical offers below are from the “Entry requirements (September 2027 start)” sections of the course pages; the university stresses they are typical, not guaranteed, and decisions also take in the personal statement and reference.

Course	UCAS points and subjects	A levels	Other	IB
Biology	104-120 points, 3 A levels or equivalent, including biology	BBB-BCC	BTEC Extended Diploma DDM-DMM	24
Biochemistry	112-120 points, 3 A levels or equivalent, including biology or chemistry	BBB-BBC	T Level Merit (Health or Science; adequate chemistry needed); BTEC DDM-DMM (science)	25
Biomedical Science	112-120 points, 3 A levels or equivalent, including 40 points from biology and 40 from a second science or mathematics	BBB-BBC	T Level Merit (Health, Healthcare Science, Science); BTEC DDM-DMM (science or applied science)	27
Pharmacology	112-120 points, including 32 points from biology or chemistry and 32 from a second pure science or mathematics (Applied Science not accepted)	BBB-BBC	T Level Merit (Health, Healthcare Science, Science); BTEC DDM-DMM	27
Biomedical Science with Human Biosciences (dual degree)	120-128 points, at least 2 A levels or equivalent, including 40 points from biology and 40 from a second science or mathematics	ABB-BBB	BTEC DDM	26
Pharmacy MPharm	120-128 points from 3 A levels, including 40 points from chemistry, 40 from a second science or mathematics and 32 from a third subject	ABB-BBB	BTEC Applied Science Extended Diploma DDM plus A-level Chemistry	27-28

• About the points: in the points table on the university’s China page, A* = 56, A = 48, B = 40 and C = 32, so 40 points is a B and 32 points is a C. The Biology, Biochemistry, Biomedical Science, Pharmacology and dual-degree pages say that for A levels with a separate science practical component, a pass is desirable and may strengthen an application. The Pharmacy page says A levels in Applied Science, General Studies, Critical Thinking and Citizenship Studies are not normally accepted.
• Differences between pages: the BTEC requirement is “science or applied science” on the Biomedical Science page but gives no subject on Biology and Pharmacology. Whether GCSEs (for example mathematics, English or science) are required is not given: every course page only says you “may need to have studied specific subjects or GCSEs”, linking to the general entry-requirements page, which has no course-specific rules. Contact admissions.
• Pharmacy selection: all shortlisted applicants are invited to an online values-based interview that includes a situational judgement test; any offer is subject to an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check and an occupational health assessment of fitness to study after enrolment. The English requirement is higher: IELTS 6.5, no component below 6.0. The page also says applicants who do not meet the entry requirements may join through a foundation year, but that only eligible foundation years run by the university (for UK-based students) or by ICP (for international students) are accepted. To register for the ICP foundation year you must meet ICP’s entry requirements, complete a values-based interview and submit a character reference, and progression to year 1 needs an overall year average of 70% or more with no assessment component below 60%. Pharmacy includes 16 weeks of placement across the four years.
• Interviews and tests elsewhere: the other course pages do not mention admissions tests or interviews; the general assessment page says some courses may ask for a portfolio, interview or test.
• Medicine (MBBS): the courses listed on the subject pages do not include an MBBS degree, so this guide does not cover medical-school admission. A dental surgery degree (BDS) is in the healthcare list; its course page was not read for this guide, and its policy for international students is not given here; check the website.

3. UK applicants

• How you apply and how you are assessed: Portsmouth says full-time bachelor’s degrees, integrated master’s degrees and most other undergraduate courses are applied for through UCAS, and you can also apply to the university directly on each course page. It looks at past and predicted achievement, personal statement, reference, extra-curricular and volunteering experience, and on some courses a portfolio, interview or test. It says decisions are “not based purely on exam results”.
• Qualifications: besides A levels, T Levels and BTECs, the entry-requirements page names Access to Higher Education, Scottish Highers and Advanced Highers and the Irish Leaving Certificate as commonly accepted, and says the list is not complete. For this subject the course page gives only the grades listed in the entry requirements below. The grades asked of Scottish qualifications, and whether England, Wales and Northern Ireland are treated differently, are not given on the course or admissions pages; contact admissions (+44 (0) 23 9284 5566, as listed on the course page).
• Adjusted offers: the university says that besides adjusted offers based on widening-participation data it also gives adjusted offers to applicants from its own region; they are lower than the typical offer and are flagged in the offer email. The course page adds that it looks at whether you live and work in the region and at personal and family circumstances (assessed with established data). What counts as “the region” is not given.
• Fees: for students from the UK, Channel Islands and Isle of Man the 2027/28 fee is £10,050 (“subject to annual increase”); the same page gives £9,790 for 2026/27. The pages do not give separate fees for England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland; check the course page and your student-finance body.

4. International applicants

• How to apply: international students follow the same process as UK students, through UCAS (institution code P80) or the direct application form on the course page. You can also use an education agent; the country pages list agents by region and the university links a guide to choosing one.
• Documents: the international application page lists a completed application form; a personal statement (some courses ask for specific content, so read the course page); officially certified and translated copies of your school or college qualifications and grades; proof of English (such as an IELTS certificate); and one academic reference on official headed paper for undergraduate courses. It adds that applicants from certain countries must take a video credibility interview, arranged by the regional leads.
• English: the Biology, Biochemistry, Biomedical Science, Pharmacology and dual-degree pages ask for IELTS 6.0 with no component below 5.5; Pharmacy asks for IELTS 6.5 with no component below 6.0. The English requirements page says most bachelor’s degrees need IELTS 6.0 (no component below 5.5) and that, because of accreditation requirements, some courses restrict which English tests are accepted; read the course page.
• Other English tests: TOEFL iBT 79 for most bachelor’s degrees, with at least 18 Reading, 17 Listening, 20 Speaking and 17 Writing (the institution code to send scores to is 3234); PTE Academic 62 with at least 59 in each component for most bachelor’s degrees (that line is headed September 2025 entry, so check it applies to 2027); Cambridge C1 Advanced 169 overall with no component under 162; Trinity ISE III with a pass in all four components; Duolingo results must be shared with the university and offer conditions may change after a credibility or recruitment interview. Not accepted: IELTS Academic Online, IELTS General Training, PTE Academic Online and the online LanguageCert. The English requirements page also lists a “China TOEFL ITP Level 1” result (Listening 54, Structure and Written Expression 53, Reading 56, Speaking 58) among its English qualifications in Asia.
• Exemptions: nationals of, or holders of a degree-level qualification from, the following countries may be exempt from the UKVI English requirement but must still give evidence of English that meets the course’s academic requirement: Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, the British Overseas Territories, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Ireland, Jamaica, Malta, New Zealand, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, the UK and the USA. Canadian nationals must provide evidence. China is not on the list.
• If your English is short: the university offers Pre-sessional English programmes. If you need a pre-sessional or foundation course, your IELTS must be taken at a UKVI-approved test centre.
• Foundation and pathway: the international pages describe International College Portsmouth (ICP, part of the Navitas Group), based in the city centre, with undergraduate and postgraduate pathways into the university’s degrees and September, January and May intakes. However, the “ICP Foundation Year courses” page and the foundation-year sections of the economics and science course pages say those foundation years are currently not open to EU or international students, while the MPharm page says international students can progress through ICP’s foundation year. These statements conflict; ask ICP and admissions which routes are open now.
• Deposit and CAS: after an offer you pay a deposit to confirm your place, which counts toward your fees; once you have paid it and met your conditions the university issues the CAS for your visa, at the earliest six months before the course starts. The university advises paying the deposit and meeting conditions as soon as you can. The amount of the deposit is not given on the fees page; UK and Irish nationals, government- or company-sponsored students and students coming from ICP, among others, do not pay one.
• Visa and funds: most international students need a Student Route visa; the visa page gives an advice email and phone (+44 (0) 2392 84 5430) and links to UKCISA and other sources. The amount of funds required and document-verification rules are not given on the pages used for this guide; check the UK government visa pages and the university visa page.
• Deadlines: the international deadlines page gives dates for January 2027 entry only (for example 7 December 2026 for new applications from “Rest of the World”) and warns that courses can close early when full. Deadlines for September 2027 entry are not given on the pages used for this guide; check the website.

5. Applicants from China

• Gaokao: the China country page does not mention the gaokao or how a gaokao score is converted into an entry requirement. Not given; ask admissions or the official representatives listed for China.
• Chinese Senior High School Diploma: the China page says applicants with the Senior High School Diploma plus one year at a recognised university in China are considered for a bachelor’s degree if they have studied relevant subjects with strong grades. Applicants with a Specialised College (zhongzhuan) diploma, the High School Diploma and the High School Graduation Equivalency “usually need to do a foundation year”, and ICP is the recommended route (see the conflict noted above).
• Without the Chinese Senior High School Diploma: you can apply with A levels (the China page gives the points table A* = 56, A = 48, B = 40, C = 32, D = 24, and says your grades must equal or exceed the total required on the course page; science courses usually need passing A-level grades in science subjects) or with the IB (most courses need between 24 and 31 points, depending on the degree).
• Dazhuan: a College Graduation Diploma (Dazhuan) from a recognised college after two to three years, or a BTEC or SQA HND in a relevant subject, may be considered for advanced entry to a relevant degree.
• Life-science guidance: the China page gives no subject-by-subject requirements and says only that science courses usually need passing A-level grades in science subjects. The biology, chemistry and mathematics requirements are written in A-level points; how Chinese high-school results map to them is not given, so ask admissions rather than applying them directly. How applicants outside the UK complete the online interview and criminal-record check for Pharmacy is not given.
• English: same as the international section above; the China page says the university accepts IELTS, IGCSE and other certificates.
• Representatives and scholarships: the China page lists the university’s official representatives in China, and Chinese students may be eligible for scholarships (see the fees section). Transcript and graduation-certificate handling, verification bodies and interview arrangements are not given on the pages used for this guide; contact admissions.

6. Joining year 2 (direct entry)

• The course pages do not describe a transfer route into year 2 and do not say whether places are available in each year. The “Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)” page says that university-level learning and experience can be turned into credits so that you start in the second year or reduce the credits you need, depending on how well your past learning matches the course’s modules.
• There are three types of RPL: credit transfer, using credits from a UK higher-education qualification completed in the last 5 years (bachelor’s, foundation degrees, HNC, HND, postgraduate certificates and diplomas, master’s; an HNC is 120 credits and an HND 240); prior certificated learning, such as an unfinished university course or a qualification from a non-UK institution; and prior experiential learning from work or voluntary experience. The page says that if you started but did not finish a UK course, or hold credits from a non-UK institution, you may use prior certificated learning instead of credit transfer, which needs a portfolio of evidence.
• How: you must have applied for the course or be registered on it, then submit the RPL form (the credit-transfer form is attached to your application; for the other two types the admissions centre contacts you about the portfolio). The page also says you can apply directly rather than through UCAS when applying for credit transfer. The RPL deadline depends on what it is used for; no date is given on the pages used for this guide, so check the RPL page.
• There is no specific guidance for students moving from a Chinese university into year 2; contact admissions first (+44 (0) 23 9284 5566, as listed on the course pages).

7. Fees and scholarships

• International students: the Biology, Biochemistry, Biomedical Science, Pharmacology and Pharmacy pages give £20,950 a year for international (non-EU) students starting September 2027 (“subject to annual increase”). The international fees page gives a typical range for the university of £17,750 to £20,950 for 2027/28 (£17,900 to £20,000 for 2026/27) and says fees may rise each year by up to 5%. If you take a placement year or year abroad, the fee for that year is £3,150 for international students. The dual-degree page gives £20,950 a year in years 1, 2 and 4 and £3,150 for year 3 at Edith Cowan University in Perth, and says you pay your own year-3 travel, visa, health insurance, accommodation and living costs: about £5,000 to £6,000 upfront before you travel, and £15,000 to £20,000 for the year overall (you leave in July).
• UK students: £10,050 a year (subject to annual increase); £1,505 for a placement or year abroad; EU students £14,450 a year (including the EU Scholarship). The dual-degree page gives UK students £10,050 in years 1, 2 and 4 and £1,505 in year 3.
• Other costs: the course pages describe costs for books (up to about £60 each) and printing; Pharmacy also mentions professional dress; placement travel is extra.
• Paying: the international fees page says you can pay in full or in two, three or six instalments (the first is 50% of the fee); the deposit counts toward the fee; payment goes through the official routes and the university warns about payment fraud.
• International scholarships (the university’s international scholarships page): the page opens by saying the scholarships summarised apply to students starting in January 2027 or September 2027, but the detailed terms are written for January and May 2027 entry only. The Chancellor’s Global Academic Merit Scholarship (January 2027 entry) is a £5,000 reduction in first-year fees, for self-funded, full-time, on-campus students who have not studied at Portsmouth before (ICP students are excluded); you complete a separate scholarship form with your application by 2 November 2026. The Vice Chancellor’s Global Development Scholarship (January and May 2027 entry) is a £2,500 first-year reduction for self-funded, full-time, on-campus undergraduates on courses with annual fees of £16,200 or more, decided by nationality; China is on the country list. What applies to September 2027 entry, and the amounts, are not given on the page used for this guide; check the international scholarships page.
• The page also describes Chevening (normally for a one-year master’s) and the £5,000 SQA Advanced Diploma Scholarship for mainland Chinese students who have graduated from an SQA programme, which is for postgraduate study and does not apply to bachelor’s degrees. Scholarships cannot be combined with other scholarships, discounts or fee offers.

8. How to apply and the timeline

• Course codes: Biology C101 / C100; Biochemistry C701 / C700; Biomedical Science B94L / B940; Pharmacology B211 / B210; dual degree B930; Pharmacy MPharm B230; institution code P80.
• UCAS: you have 5 choices a year through UCAS (5 courses at up to 5 universities). You need the course’s UCAS code (at the top of the course page; many courses have two codes, one for the standard three-year course and one for the placement-year version) and the institution code P80. Applications for 2027 entry can be submitted from September 2026 (“from September in the year before you start”).
• Personal statement and reference: the personal statement can be up to 4,000 characters; if you are not applying through a school or college you also need a reference from someone who knows you academically or professionally.
• Application fee: the university’s application page quotes only the 2024 figures (£22.50 for one course, £27 for more than one), which are not the fees for 2027 entry; check the UCAS website.
• Deadline: the university says it is best to apply by the UCAS “equal consideration deadline”, usually towards the end of January of the year you start; check the exact date on the UCAS website. You can apply later, but the course may be full or the requirements may change. Check UCAS for the 2027 dates.
• Deferred entry: many courses accept deferred entry but some do not, so ask admissions before applying; if you defer you must meet your conditions by the end of August of the year you apply.
• Direct application: the university says you can use the online form on the course page if Portsmouth is your only choice, if you do not want to use UCAS, or if you are applying for credit transfer.
• Admissions contact: +44 (0) 23 9284 5566, as listed on the course pages.

This guide is based on the University of Portsmouth’s course pages for September 2027 entry and related admissions pages. Fees, deadlines and English scores can change, so check the website again before you apply.