How to Apply for Chemistry at the University of Reading: BSc Chemistry (F100), Year in Industry or Research, Foundation and Pharmaceutical Chemistry Routes, Typically BBB with a B in Chemistry, for UK, International (Including Chinese) and Transfer Applicants

Chemistry at the University of Reading is taught by the Department of Chemistry. The website describes a purpose-built Chemical Analysis Facility that cost 4.5 million pounds and recently renovated undergraduate laboratories, with teaching by lectures, lab practicals, workshops and small-group tutorials. Below are the key points for 2027/28 entry from the University of Reading website, for UK applicants, international applicants (including those from China) and students hoping to join year two.

1. Courses you can apply for

You apply directly to a named course using the UCAS code on the course page. The chemistry subject page lists nine courses:

• BSc Chemistry (UCAS code F100): three years full time.
• BSc Chemistry with a Year in Industry or Research (F107): four years, with the third year on an industrial or research placement. The course page names recent hosts including GSK, Unilever and Procter & Gamble; the subject page says the year is 12 months in the chemical or pharmaceutical industry, in the UK or abroad.
• BSc Chemistry with Foundation (F101): four years, with a foundation year that leads directly into the three-year course.
• BSc Pharmaceutical Chemistry (F108, three years): the website says it was developed with industrial partners and covers metals in medicine, dosage and formulation, structure-based drug design, analytical science and industry case studies. There are also four-year versions with Foundation and with a Year in Industry or Research.
• BSc Cosmetic and Pharmaceutical Science (three years) and its Year in Industry and Foundation Year versions (four years) are listed under the chemistry subject page; the course pages for these were not used for this guide, so check the website for their entry requirements.
• The subject page does not list MChem or MSci degrees; check the website for further chemistry qualifications.

The course pages do not say whether students can change between chemistry courses after enrolling, or whether there is a common first year across them; ask the Department of Chemistry or Admissions.

Accreditation: the subject page says the chemistry degrees are accredited by the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) and that you receive free RSC membership in your first year. The BSc Chemistry page says "all our courses" are accredited by the RSC.

Pharmacy (MPharm), medicine and similar degrees are outside this guide; see the relevant subject pages on the Reading website.

2. Prerequisites and course structure

• BSc Chemistry, with a Year in Industry or Research, and Pharmaceutical Chemistry: typical A-Level offer BBB including a B in Chemistry. IB: 30 points overall including at least 5 in Chemistry at Higher Level. BTEC Extended Diploma: DDM, with modules comparable to the A-Level subjects specified. GCSE: Maths grade B (6).
• EPQ: the website says EPQ achievement can be included as part of a formal offer.
• BSc Chemistry with Foundation: typical A-Level offer BBB for applicants without Chemistry and CCC for applicants with Chemistry; IB 30 points without Chemistry, 24 points with Chemistry at Higher Level; BTEC DMM; GCSE grade 4 (C) in Science if you are not studying sciences at A-Level. The page invites applicants to ask the University for personalised advice on eligibility.
• Interview or admissions test: not mentioned on the chemistry course pages.
• English: IELTS 6.5 with no component below 5.5; other English tests are listed on the international student pages; a pre-sessional English course is available before entry.
• Other qualifications: the course pages say "we also accept many other qualifications". The detailed requirements for Scottish Highers and other qualifications are not given on the pages used for this guide; check with Admissions.
• Contextual offers: the website says contextual offers are made for all courses; the criteria and the size of the reduction are not given on the pages used for this guide, so ask Admissions.

BSc Chemistry structure: the first two years cover the core areas of chemistry (the page gives periodic table trends, carbonyl group chemistry and chemical kinetics as examples); the final year covers more advanced topics and a research project, with staff expertise in analytical chemistry, synthesis, polymers and advanced materials, surface science and computational drug design. The first-year compulsory modules on the course page (listed as offered for 2026/27) are Mathematics for Chemists, Chemistry Practicals 1, Fundamentals of Atomic Structure and the Periodic Table, Shape, Structure and Reactivity in Organic Chemistry, Physical Processes and Molecular Organisation, and Contemporary Problems in Chemistry. Second-year compulsory modules are Further Inorganic Chemistry, Further Organic Chemistry, Further Physical Chemistry and Chemistry Practicals 2. Third-year compulsory modules are Chemistry Project 3, Chemistry Core 1 (Inorganic and Organic) and Chemistry Core 2 (Physical and Analytical); options include Solid State Chemistry, Polymers in Nature and Industry, Chemistry in the Natural World, Further Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Further Cosmetic Science, and Python, AI and Machine Learning for the Chemical Sciences. If you are interested in teaching, the final year offers a School Education Project: one day a week for two terms in a school, subject to a selection process and a DBS check.

Foundation year: the compulsory foundation modules listed are Foundation Biology 1, Foundation Chemistry 1, Foundation Chemistry 2 and two Academic and Scientific Skills modules; the foundation year is followed by two years of core chemistry and a final year.

Placement year: the website says there is a dedicated placements officer who advises on career options, CVs and applications and helps you find a placement. Past students have gone to Coty (Rimmel), Dow Corning and GSK, and to research institutions abroad such as the University of Zaragoza, Aarhus University, the University of South Australia and NASA.

3. Application process and timing

• Apply through UCAS. Reading's UCAS institution code is R12; there is no campus code. You can apply for up to five courses, including more than one at Reading. UCAS normally charges a small application fee; check the UCAS website for the amount.
• The website says most undergraduate courses have a UCAS deadline in January. Check UCAS for the exact 2027-entry date. If you miss it you can still apply through UCAS and Reading will consider late applications until June; applications after June go into Clearing. The page warns that some courses may be full after the January deadline.
• You need a personal statement and a school reference. The University assesses the personal statement, predicted or achieved grades and the reference; the application page says some courses require an interview or portfolio, and the chemistry course pages do not mention one.
• Offers are conditional or unconditional. Offer Holder Days usually take place between February and April of the year of entry. You can defer or change your offer using the Change My Offer Request form.

4. By type of applicant

UK applicants: A-Level requirements are above. The course pages list only A-Level, BTEC and IB and do not say whether England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland differ; check with Admissions. The home fee for 2027 entry is 10,050 pounds a year for new UK and Republic of Ireland students, with annual increases in later years; UK students may be eligible for a student loan (see the fees and funding pages).

International applicants: the same A-Level and IB requirements apply, plus IELTS 6.5 (5.5 in each component). If you do not meet direct entry, the website says you can take Reading's International Foundation Programme (IFP, September entry); successful completion plus any other relevant requirements "guarantees" a place on your chosen degree. Whether any bridging course other than the foundation routes is needed is not given on the pages used for this guide. International fees are in section 5.

Applicants from China: the China page says undergraduate entry can be based on any one of: a recognised International Foundation Programme; successful completion of the first year at a recognised Chinese university with at least 80%; the gaokao (NCEE) with at least 80% overall for target programmes requiring AAA at A-Level, 77% for programmes requiring AAB/ABB, and 74% for programmes requiring BBB; the IB Diploma with 30 to 34 points depending on the programme; or Ambright (case by case for science and life science programmes). Entry to the International Foundation Programme is listed as Chinese High School Year 2 (Year 11) with a leaving certificate averaging 75%, or High School Year 3 (Year 12) with a graduation certificate averaging 70%. The chemistry course pages list a BBB A-Level offer. The China page ties the gaokao percentages to the A-Level grades a programme requires; the website does not say specifically for chemistry whether the 74% band applies or whether a chemistry subject requirement also applies, so confirm with Admissions. The China page also points to a Chinese-language site and lists the University's approved representatives in China; check the website.

Transfer into year two: neither the course pages nor the application page explains how to join year two from another university, how credits are recognised or the deadline; this is not given on the pages used for this guide, so contact the Department of Chemistry or Admissions directly.

5. Fees and scholarships

• International tuition: 31,800 pounds a year for 2027/28, with annual increases in later years as set out in your student contract. On courses with a foundation year the international fee for the foundation year is 23,850 pounds (2027/28), rising to the standard fee afterwards.
• UK students: 10,050 pounds a year for 2027 entry; the foundation year of a foundation course is also 10,050 pounds.
• Placement year: the course page says that if you spend a full year on placement you pay only 15% of the usual tuition fee for that year.
• The pages say some courses need extra payments for field trips and resources, and you should budget for accommodation and living costs.
• Scholarships: among undergraduate options the international scholarships page lists the Global Sustainability Leaders Scholarship (open to high-achieving students from the UK and overseas; the course page says up to 400 a year, 6,000 pounds a year towards living costs for up to four years; 2027 deadlines not yet confirmed) and the Sanctuary Scholarships (for asylum seekers; up to 5,000 pounds per year of study; 2027 entry deadline not yet confirmed). The International Foundation Excellence Scholarship is a 5,000 pound tuition reduction for the International Foundation Programme or International Foundation Year, with the deadline given on that page being for January 2027 entry. Most other scholarships on the page are at master's level. Whether chemistry has its own scholarships is not given on the pages used for this guide; check the website.

6. Inconsistencies and points to check

• The module lists on the course pages are those offered for 2026/27 and may change for 2027/28.
• The wording on RSC accreditation differs slightly: the BSc Chemistry page says "all our courses", the subject page says "our chemistry degrees"; neither names each variant, so ask the department whether the Cosmetic and Pharmaceutical Science courses are included.

7. Checklists

UK applicants:

• A-Level BBB including a B in Chemistry; GCSE Maths grade B (6)
• Apply through UCAS with R12 and the course code (F100 etc.) by the January deadline; check UCAS for the exact 2027-entry date
• Home fee 10,050 pounds a year

International students (including China):

• IB 30 points with 5 in Chemistry at Higher Level; or the gaokao percentage on the China page for the A-Level band of the course; IELTS 6.5 (5.5 per component)
• If you do not meet direct entry, consider Reading's International Foundation Programme or BSc Chemistry with Foundation
• International fees are 31,800 pounds a year (2027/28)

Transfer students:

• Year-two entry rules are not published; contact the Department of Chemistry or Admissions first

Sources: University of Reading, Chemistry undergraduate courses; BSc Chemistry; BSc Chemistry with a Year in Industry or Research; BSc Chemistry with Foundation; BSc Pharmaceutical Chemistry; How to apply; Information for students from China; International scholarships. Information is for 2027/28 entry; module lists are those the pages give for 2026/27; fees, scholarships and deadlines may change, so check the University of Reading website for the latest.