How to Apply to Chemistry at the University of Aberdeen: A Four-Year BSc plus Five-Year MChem and MSci, Royal Society of Chemistry Accreditation, and Requirements for Home, International (Including Chinese) and Transfer Students

The University of Aberdeen is in the north-east of Scotland. This guide summarises the chemistry pages of the university website for entry in September 2027, for home applicants (Scottish Highers and Advanced Highers, or A-Levels and equivalents from England, Wales and Northern Ireland), international applicants (with a separate section for applicants from China) and transfer or advanced-entry applicants. Scottish honours degrees are normally four years, not three. Other science degrees such as Biochemistry have their own pages on the website; medicine, pharmacy and other health degrees are outside this guide, so check the website for them.

1. Degrees and UCAS codes

• Chemistry (BSc) F100: four years (48 months), full time, September start. The website calls it the traditional route to a chemistry qualification and says well-qualified applicants may enter directly into second year. The accreditation section of the page states that the degree is accredited by the Royal Society of Chemistry.
• Chemistry (MChem) F105: five years (60 months). The website describes it as a five-year programme accredited by the Royal Society of Chemistry and leading to the professional qualification of Chartered Chemist, and as the flagship degree. Entry into the final two years depends on achieving at least an upper second class honours level of performance in third year.
• Chemistry with Industrial Placement (MSci) F108: five years (60 months), on the Aberdeen campus. The first three years have the same core chemistry as the BSc, with an extra third-year course to prepare placement applications. The placement is in either the fourth or fifth year, lab-based or not; in the other year you take the BSc fourth-year courses. A university supervisor monitors and supports you, and the year is assessed by written, oral and reflective components. This page prints no entry grades or fees and refers readers to the fees page or the enquiry form; that fees page is not given on the pages used for this guide, so check the website.
• The website also lists a teaching degree, Secondary Education Honours with Chemistry, which belongs to education and is outside this guide.

2. Do you apply to the subject directly? How the first years work

The UCAS guidance on the website says admission at Aberdeen is to a degree rather than to a department or subject, but you should still enter your preferred degree title and UCAS code; in most cases it is easy to change your degree preference after you begin. A full-price UCAS application allows up to five institutions.

The programme page says the first two years give a balanced treatment of the main branches of chemistry, while years three and four develop selected topics in more depth with options. In year one you take introductory chemistry alongside courses that need not be science-related. For F100 (2027 entry courses):

• Year 1 compulsory: Getting Started at the University of Aberdeen (online, about 2 to 3 hours), Chemistry for the Physical Sciences 1, Elements of Chemistry 1, Chemistry for the Physical Sciences 2 and Elements of Chemistry 2; the other 60 credit points are your choice. The page notes that students without a pass in Mathematics at Higher, A-Level or equivalent may wish to consider Mathematics for Sciences (MA1515).
• Year 2 compulsory: Introductions to Materials, Chemical Kinetics and Thermodynamics, Analytical Chemistry and Spectroscopy, Organic & Biological Chemistry, and Inorganic Chemistry.
• Year 3 compulsory: Energy and the Environment, Inorganic and Solid State Chemistry, Organic & Biological Chemistry, and Molecular Structure and Reactivity.
• Year 4 compulsory: the Honours Chemistry Research Project (across both half-sessions), Honours Inorganic & Physical Chemistry, Honours Analytical & Organic Chemistry, Advanced Honours Chemistry and Integrated Chemistry. Projects are allocated as far as possible according to student preference and are typically assessed by a written dissertation.
• MChem year 4 and 5: year four adds an MChem Group Practical and an MChem Research Project; year five has MChem Chemistry Applications and an MChem Research Project. The website says a feature of the MChem is a final-year four-month research project placement, usually at a university, research institute or industrial laboratory. The two pages differ slightly: the F105 page says "usually at an overseas university, research institute or industrial laboratory", while the F100 page has no "overseas". Check the website.

Learning methods listed include lab work, lectures, tutorials, group and individual projects and research. Assessment is any combination of coursework, practical assessments and written exams, with the mix varying by year and course.

3. Prerequisites (2027 entry, F100 and F105 pages)

• BSc Chemistry F100: Highers standard BBBB (applicants with BBBB will usually receive an unconditional offer), with Chemistry and one other mathematics or science subject; where there are more applicants than places the university may ask for more. National 5 at C or above is also required in English, Mathematics and one of Chemistry or Physics. A-Levels standard BBC, with Chemistry and one other maths or science subject; GCSE at grade C/4 or above in English, Mathematics and Chemistry, Physics or Dual Award Science. BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma: DMM, with main subjects in science or mathematics. Irish Leaving Certificate: five Highers at H3, including Chemistry and another maths or science subject. IB: 30 points including 5, 4, 4 at Higher Level, with Chemistry and one other maths or science subject, and English and Mathematics at SL or HL.
• MChem F105: Highers standard ABBB, with Highers at AB in Chemistry and another science; National 5 requirements as above. A-Levels BBB, with Chemistry and another science at AB. IB 34 points with 6, 6, 5 at HL including the degree subject, and 6 points at HL from Chemistry and another science. The page says ABBB will usually receive an unconditional offer, while the university-wide entry table lists the MChem under AABB for Highers; check the programme page for the programme you apply to.
• MSci with industrial placement F108: no grades are printed on the programme page; check the website or use the enquiry form.
• The website notes that the entry information on programme pages is a short summary and does not guarantee entry; full requirements for science degrees are on its entry requirements page.

4. Home applicants

• Highers and Advanced Highers: the website says it does not double count a Higher and Advanced Higher in the same subject, but a B at Advanced Higher is treated as equivalent to an A at Higher. A Foundation Apprenticeship equals one Higher at A but cannot replace required subjects.
• Widening access: applicants who meet the university widening access criteria can enter the BSc on Highers BBC or A-Levels CCC (the F100 page says BBC applicants are guaranteed an unconditional offer). The university-wide table also states that entry to MSci and MEng programmes is not discounted, though BSc students who perform well may be offered a transfer. See the website for the criteria.
• Fees: the programme page lists "Home Students" at £1,820 for 2027/28; for students from England, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland it lists £10,050 for 2027/28 (£9,790 for 2026/27), and says the fee cap is expected to rise each year with inflation. The page also mentions UK scholarships for fee-paying students from England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Which category you are in depends on the university fee status decision.

5. International applicants

• Academic grades: match the qualifications you hold to the A-Level, IB and Highers requirements in section 3. The international entry page lists requirements country by country and says to email study@abdn.ac.uk if your country is not listed. For some countries the website requires a foundation year; the F100 page shows an Undergraduate Foundation Programme with the International Study Centre (the F105 and F108 pages do not list one) (aberdeen-isc.ac.uk). Its details are not given on the pages used for this guide, so check that site.
• English: the website lists nationalities that are exempt (including the UK, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Ireland), and says you may also meet the requirement through an accepted school qualification obtained within 10 years, an English-medium degree, or three A-Levels or the IB taught in English. Otherwise IELTS Academic requires 6.0 overall with at least 5.5 in listening, reading and speaking and 6.0 in writing; IELTS Indicator, General Training and online tests are not accepted. TOEFL iBT (different tables for tests before and after 21 January 2026), PTE Academic, LanguageCert, Cambridge, Duolingo and others are also listed; use the page for exact scores. Results must normally be from within two years before the course starts.
• Fees: the programme page lists EU/international tuition of £24,800 for 2027/28, and £18,800 for self-funded students once the £6,000 Aberdeen Global Scholarship is included.
• Scholarship: the Aberdeen Global Scholarship is £6,000 for every year of the programme for new, self-funded, international-fee students on full-time on-campus undergraduate programmes starting in 2026/27 and 2027/28. It is a partial tuition fee waiver, no application is needed, and it appears on the CAS. It does not apply to students who are fully sponsored or have fully funded external scholarships or other University of Aberdeen scholarships (University of Aberdeen Development Trust awards excepted), and does not apply to Medicine, Dentistry or the DPLP.
• Living costs and visa: the international finance page recommends budgeting £1,171 per month for living costs, says students needing a Student visa also pay an NHS health surcharge of £776 per year of study, and allows 20 hours of work per week in term time for those studying more than six months, while stressing that work should not be relied on to fund studies. These pages print no year, so check they apply to 2027 entry.

6. Applicants from China

The China country page says that for "Science" undergraduate programmes, students with an overall score of 80% or above in the Senior High School Diploma will be considered, and must score 80% or above in two science subjects; it adds that good scores in the Gaokao will also be considered. The page gives no specific Gaokao score and has no chemistry-specific statement, and it does not say whether the two science subjects must include chemistry; confirm with the admissions office. The chemistry programme pages require Chemistry plus one other maths or science subject (section 3), so both sets of requirements should be met. English requirements are as in section 5. Entry requirements for the foundation route are not given on the pages used for this guide; check the International Study Centre website. The undergraduate funding listed on the China page is the Aberdeen Global Scholarship and the Arthur L McCombie Bursary (2026/27: £4,000 a year in the penultimate and/or final honours years, for up to two years; the page prints a deadline of 19 November 2026); the China Scholarship Council scholarship on that page is for PhD students only.

7. Transfer and direct entry to second year

• Advanced Entry: the website says high-achieving applicants with Advanced Highers, A-Levels or the IB can join in second year and finish an honours degree in three years. It is available for science BSc, MChem and MSci programmes but not for Law, Medicine or Primary Education. Select "Point of Entry: Year 2" in UCAS; if that is unsuccessful you are automatically considered for first-year entry where appropriate. In the university-wide table the second-year entry requirement for BSc Sciences is Advanced Highers AB in addition to Highers, or A-Levels BBB; check the programme page for chemistry.
• College articulation (HNC/HND): the F100 page says year 2 entry needs HNC Applied Sciences (120 SCQF credit points, a B in the Graded Unit, including Mathematics for Science, Inorganic Chemistry (B) and Physical Chemistry (B)) or HNC Chemical Process Technology (A in all Graded Units, including Engineering Maths 1, 2 and 3 or equivalent and the inorganic and physical chemistry units); year 3 entry needs HND Applied Sciences (B in Graded Unit 1 and A in Graded Unit 2, with specified organic, instrumental, inorganic and aromatic chemistry units) or HND Chemical Process Technology (AA in Graded Units). These are Scottish college qualifications that most applicants from China will not hold.
• Credit transfer from other universities is not described on the pages used for this guide; ask the admissions office (ugadmissions@abdn.ac.uk).

8. Timeline for September 2027 entry

• Applicants from the UK or Republic of Ireland apply through UCAS; for most degrees the equal consideration deadline is 13 January 2027 (15 October 2026 for Medicine). Some degrees may still accept applications after that date; check UCAS. The website says decisions will be sent by 12 May 2027 at the latest, hoped to be complete by the end of March; if you hold all offers by 31 March 2027, you must reply on UCAS by 5 May 2027.
• Applicants from the rest of the world also apply through UCAS. The website says applications for September 2027 must be submitted by Wednesday 30 June, and accepts applications up to Friday 13 August for those receiving results a little later in August. You must send the required documents and return the Financial Guarantee document (no CAS can be issued without it); a non-refundable deposit is due if you meet specific criteria; apply for your visa as soon as possible after receiving the CAS.
• SQA results day is 10 August 2027 and A-Level results day is 12 August 2027. Welcome Week starts 13 September 2027 and teaching starts 20 September 2027. The last date to register is 4 October 2027: you must be in Aberdeen and registered by then, and the university will not allow students to begin online or register later.
• UCAS deadlines vary by course and provider; check the UCAS website. Aberdeen's UCAS institution code is A20 (short code ABRDN).

9. Research projects, accreditation and careers

The BSc includes a compulsory fourth-year research project; the MChem adds a final-year research placement and the MSci a year in industry. The programme page lists graduate destinations including drug development, environmental protection, food and petroleum chemistry, forensic science, materials development, business and doctoral research, and names employers such as Halliburton, Subsea 7, BP, Cairn Energy, Synergy, Statoil and Shell. Teaching takes place in the university's new Science Teaching Hub, which has teaching laboratories and equipment.

Application checklist

1. Decide between F100, F105 and F108; check the Chemistry-plus-one-other-maths-or-science prerequisite and the grades for your qualifications.
2. Check your English evidence and fee status; international applicants should check the foundation-year position.
3. Enter the degree title and UCAS code in your UCAS application and submit by the deadline that applies to you.
4. After an offer, return the documents the university asks for; international applicants should watch the financial guarantee, deposit and visa steps.

Sources from the university website: Chemistry (BSc) F100; Chemistry (MChem) F105; Chemistry with Industrial Placement (MSci) F108; undergraduate entry requirements; Advanced Entry; UCAS application process; key dates; international entry requirements (including China); China entry requirements; China funding; undergraduate English requirements; fee status, living costs and work; Aberdeen Global Scholarship. This is for September 2027 entry; where a page prints no year, check it applies to 2027 entry. The university website is the final authority.