How to Apply to Chemistry at the University of Edinburgh: Four-Year BSc and Five-Year MChem Accredited by the Royal Society of Chemistry, Direct Entry to a Named Programme, Required School Chemistry and Mathematics, for UK, International (Including Chinese) and Transfer Students

Chemistry at the University of Edinburgh is taught by the School of Chemistry, part of the College of Science and Engineering, at the King’s Buildings campus; first-year chemistry labs are in the Nucleus Building. Here is what you need to know for September 2027 entry, based on Edinburgh’s official information, for UK applicants, international applicants (including those from China) and transfer or direct-entry students. Biology degrees have their own guide; medicine, pharmacy and nursing are outside this article, so check the website.

1. Chemistry degrees

• Chemistry BSc (Hons): UCAS code F100, 3 or 4 years (4 years normally, 3 years with direct entry to Year 2), full-time; the page says no placement.
• Chemistry MChem: F104, 4 or 5 years (5 normally, 4 with direct entry to Year 2), with an optional year abroad or placement (section 3).
• Medicinal and Biological Chemistry: BSc (Hons) FC17, 3 or 4 years; MChem FC1R, 4 or 5 years. Edinburgh describes a foundation in chemistry and cell and molecular biology; Year 2 includes Biological Chemistry 2 and Chemical Pharmacology 2, and the final year has a research project.
• Chemical Physics (BSc and MChemPhys): listed among related programmes on the chemistry page; it sits between chemistry and physics and is not covered here, so see the website.
• Accreditation: Edinburgh says all the School of Chemistry’s chemistry programmes are accredited by the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC); the BSc page says it partially fulfils the academic requirements for Chartered Chemist (CChem).
• Switching degrees: Edinburgh says the structure allows moves between the BSc and MChem and possibly entry to Year 1 or Year 2; discuss this with your student adviser and academic cohort lead early in Semester 1.

2. How admission works: apply to a named programme, with some flexibility in Year 1

• You choose the programme on UCAS using the codes above. In Year 1 about a third of your time is chemistry (lectures, labs in the Nucleus Building and small tutorials), you take mathematics courses, and the rest is chosen from across the University. Edinburgh says this flexibility means you “may be able to potentially transfer” to another science or engineering degree at the end of Year 1, which is not a guarantee.
• Year 1: the sample first-semester timetable is 20 credits of Chemistry 1A, 20 credits of mathematics (Mathematics for the Natural Sciences) and a 20-credit option (biology in the example).
• Year 2: more chemistry plus Data Driven Chemistry (scientific programming in a chemistry context); frequently taken options are Biological Chemistry 2, Environmental Chemistry and Chemical Pharmacology.
• Year 3: two lecture-based chemistry courses and an advanced laboratory course.
• Year 4 (last year of the BSc): four advanced lecture courses plus a research project in a School of Chemistry research group or a science education project (Edinburgh says the latter prepares for a teaching qualification).
• Workload: 20 hours a week of timetabled study in the first two years, plus normally about 15 hours of preparation, lab reports and private study.
• Edinburgh notes that courses vary from year to year, so check the course information for your year of entry.

3. MChem final year, year abroad and placements

• MChem Year 4: five advanced lecture courses and a laboratory research-training course preparing for the final-year project.
• MChem Year 5, one of: a project in an Edinburgh research group; a project in a research group at a partner university around the world; or a paid industrial placement with a partner company.
• Edinburgh says MChem students can include an academic year with a partner chemistry department overseas (USA, Australia, Canada, Chile, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea and many European countries), and may take a full-year paid industrial placement in the UK or overseas (partners include Unilever, Akzo Nobel, Glaxo Smith Kline, Astra Zeneca and Procter and Gamble). It says that each year around 75% of MChem students take industrial or year-abroad placements.
• While away on exchange or placement you may get a tuition fee reduction depending on the type and length; see Edinburgh’s study away fees page.

4. Prerequisites: school chemistry and mathematics

These come from the chemistry programme and entry requirements pages. The F100, F104 and FC17 entry requirements pages show the same Highers, A-level and IB requirements, but FC17 differs for direct entry to Year 2 (below); the FC1R entry requirements page is not covered here, so check the website.

• SQA Highers: most applicants who received offers in recent years had AAAB by the end of S5 or AAAA by the end of S6, with BBB achieved in one year of S4 to S6. Required: Mathematics at A and Chemistry at B; Higher Applications of Mathematics is not accepted in place of Higher Mathematics; Advanced Higher Mathematics and Chemistry are recommended; National 5 English at C.
• A-levels (England, Wales, Northern Ireland): recent offers ranged from AAA to ABB in one set of exams; required Chemistry at B and Mathematics at B; GCSE English at C or 4.
• IB: recent offers ranged from 37 points with 666 at HL to 32 points with 655 at HL; HL Chemistry 5 and Mathematics 5 (Analysis and approaches only); SL English 5, and Mathematics (Analysis and approaches) at 6 if not taken at HL.
• Direct entry to Year 2: Advanced Highers AAB including Chemistry and Mathematics, or AA in Chemistry and Mathematics plus at least BB in two further Highers; A-levels A*AA in one set of exams including Chemistry and Mathematics, or AAA in Chemistry, Mathematics and one of Further Mathematics, Physics, Biology and Geology; IB 38 points with 766 at HL including Chemistry and Mathematics (Analysis and approaches only). You must also meet all the Year 1 requirements, and places must be available. For FC17 the A-level Year 2 route is A*AA in one set of exams including Chemistry and Mathematics, or AAA in Biology, Chemistry and Mathematics.
• Widening access: Edinburgh lists lower minimum requirements for eligible permanent UK residents (for example Highers AABB, A-levels ABB, IB 32 points with 655 at HL); these do not apply to international applicants.
• Subject conversion for other qualifications (such as Chinese domestic curricula) is not published on the pages used for this guide; select your country and qualification on the programme page.

5. UK applicants

• Qualifications: Scottish students use Highers/Advanced Highers, students from England, Wales and Northern Ireland use A-levels, and the IB is also accepted; grades and subjects are given above.
• Widening access: eligible permanent UK residents (Plus Flag) have lower minimum requirements; see the programme entry requirements page and Edinburgh’s widening access offers page for the conditions and grades.
• Fees: students from England, Wales, Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and the Channel Islands pay the RUK rate: £10,050 for 2027/28 (£9,790 for 2026/27), rising each year with the UK Government fee cap. Edinburgh says this is the annual RUK fee for all full-time undergraduate programmes except the graduate-entry veterinary medicine programme. Students who normally live in Scotland and are studying a first degree full-time pay the Scotland rate and may have tuition paid by the Scottish Government (applying to SAAS every year).
• Loans: students who normally live in a part of the UK outside Scotland may be eligible to apply to Student Finance for tuition fee and living-cost loans; residents of the Republic of Ireland may be eligible for a tuition fee loan from SAAS.

• Chemistry-specific bursary: the School of Chemistry’s Chemistry Tercentenary Access Bursary is for UK-based applicants: three bursaries of £2,000 a year for the length of the programme (subject to satisfactory progression); no separate application, all UK offer holders are considered automatically. Edinburgh says funding for 2027/28 is not yet confirmed, so check that page.
• Other costs: you need a white lab coat (£15 in 2024) and should buy three core Year 1 textbooks (around £185 in 2024).

6. International applicants

• Qualifications: A-levels, the IB, Scottish and US qualifications and others; for other countries, the programme page shows the requirements after you select a country and qualification (loaded dynamically, so check the website).
• English: everyone, including UK nationals, must show English. School qualifications: SQA National 5 English at C, GCSE English at C or 4, Level 2 Certificate English at C, or IB SL English at 5 (ab initio is not accepted). If you do not hold these, a test: IELTS Academic 6.5 with at least 5.5 in each component (One Skill Retake not accepted); TOEFL iBT from 21 January 2026 4.5 with at least 4.0 in each component (before that, 92 with at least 20 in each; MyBest not accepted); C1 Advanced/C2 Proficiency 176 (162 in each component); Oxford ELLT 7 (5 in each); Oxford Test of English Advanced 145 (125 in each). IELTS, TOEFL, Oxford ELLT and Oxford Test of English Advanced results must be no more than two years old at the start date; other types up to three and a half years. Edinburgh notes that some programmes may need higher English grades, so check the programme page.
• Fees: international students pay a fixed annual fee set by their start date, unaffected by annual increases. The 2027/28 amount was not shown on the fee pages used for this guide (the programme fee lookup is loaded dynamically); check the fee lookup on the programme page.
• Living costs: Edinburgh estimates £1,546 a month for a single undergraduate in 2026-27, about £13,914 for a 39-week academic year and £18,552 for a full year (excluding tuition).
• Scholarships: the international funding page lists no scholarship aimed specifically at chemistry or biology students. It lists the Edinburgh Global Undergraduate Mathematics Scholarships, the Global Talent Fund BIG Scholarships (for students who have medalled in international Olympiads), the Defne-Muhtar Kent Education Foundation Scholarship (students from Turkey), the Rosedale OSSD University of Edinburgh Scholarship (from 2026, one student, £10,000 for first-year living costs), the Asylum Seeker Scholarship and a veterinary school scholarship. See Edinburgh’s scholarships and student funding site for more; you may also be eligible for loans or scholarships from your home country or region.
• Visa, funding evidence and credential verification: the international fees page says that if you need a Student visa you pay a visa application fee and a healthcare surcharge. Specific funding evidence and credential verification requirements are not published on the pages used for this guide; ask the admissions office.

7. Applicants from China

• Qualifications accepted for direct entry: the China page lists A-levels, the IB, Scottish and US qualifications and the Maple Leaf World Schools Program (MLWSP) Diploma; for competitive subjects, grade requirements may be higher. For the College of Science and Engineering, the MLWSP Diploma needs five 1.0-credit Grade 12 subjects at 80%, with required subjects at 86% or above; where mathematics is required it must be Calculus.
• Gaokao: Edinburgh says the College of Science and Engineering will give individual consideration to applicants with excellent Gaokao results. No score threshold or conversion is published; confirm with the admissions office. This guide does not infer one.
• A year at a Chinese university: applicants who have completed a year of study at a leading Chinese university may be eligible to apply to degrees in the College of Science and Engineering.
• Ambright route: applicants from mainland China may apply with the help of the Ambright Education Group and take written, subject-dependent Aptitude Scholastic Tests (biology, chemistry, mathematics, physics and English) at centres in China.
• Chinese Senior High School Certificate: applicants who hold only this certificate must do further study for most subjects because it does not normally meet minimum entry requirements.
• International Foundation Programme (IFP) and Internal Admissions Test: the IFP is a full-time one-year programme for international students who are not eligible for direct entry and gives a route into many undergraduate degrees; see Edinburgh’s IFP page. Which degrees have a matching IFP pathway is not listed on the pages used for this guide, so check Edinburgh’s website. Where no IFP pathway exists, the College of Science and Engineering may allow eligible applicants to sit an Internal Admissions Test; eligibility is limited, exceptional grades in specific subjects are needed, and Edinburgh says the tests will be phased out over the next few years as new IFP pathways are introduced.
• Interview and accreditation bodies: the China page states no interview or accreditation-body requirement specific to Chinese applicants; this is not published. The China page used for this guide is dated 12 November 2024, so check whether it has been updated.

8. Direct entry to Year 2 and transfers

• Direct entry to Year 2: Edinburgh says many science, engineering and biomedical sciences degrees accept applications for second-year entry, if places are available and you meet the requirements; the chemistry requirements are in section 4. If you apply for Year 2 without the required qualifications, you may be considered for Year 1, with no guarantee of an offer.
• Transfer from another university: Edinburgh says places for transfer students are “extremely limited”, applications must go through UCAS and the normal deadlines apply; some programmes do not consider transfers except in exceptional circumstances. If you have studied for more than a year at your current institution, you are not given priority over qualified applicants who have not yet studied at degree level. For Year 2 transfer, Edinburgh needs information on the courses you have studied to judge the match with its first year, and you are still considered like a Year 1 applicant, so you must meet all published Year 1 entry requirements including required subjects. It is not normally possible to transfer beyond Year 2. Contact the admissions office before submitting a UCAS application.
• “False start”: if you apply to transfer during your first year elsewhere, or leave at the end of Year 1 and apply later, you may be treated as a false start and considered with all other new applicants.

9. UCAS application and timeline

• Apply through UCAS (this guide does not use the UCAS site; check the process and fees there). You need your academic qualifications, a personal statement, evidence of English language skills where required, and a reference.
• For 2027 entry, applications open on 1 September 2026, and 13 January 2027 (6:00pm GMT) is the UCAS equal consideration deadline for UK, EU and international applicants (except medicine and veterinary medicine). Most degrees close on this date; some may stay open and are listed on the UCAS website.
• If you applied by the deadline you will get a decision no later than the UCAS reject-by-default date in May. Applications after the deadline are considered at Edinburgh’s discretion, with no guarantee.
• Selection: applicants who meet, or are predicted to meet, all entry requirements go into selection, and Edinburgh reviews everything in the UCAS application. The programme pages used for this guide do not mention an admissions test or interview; check the website for any change.
• Application fee: not stated on the pages used for this guide; check the UCAS website.

Checklist

• Choose the degree (F100 / F104 / FC17 / FC1R) and check the UCAS code for 2027 entry.
• Check chemistry and mathematics subjects and grades for your qualification (section 4), and whether Year 2 entry applies.
• Prepare English evidence (section 6) and watch the validity periods.
• Apply through UCAS by 13 January 2027; international applicants should check fees and funding on the website.
• Applicants from China: confirm whether your qualification allows direct entry; if not, look at the foundation programme and other routes (section 7).

Sources: The University of Edinburgh, Chemistry BSc (F100); F100 entry requirements; Chemistry MChem (F104); F104 entry requirements; Medicinal and Biological Chemistry BSc (FC17); FC17 entry requirements; Medicinal and Biological Chemistry MChem (FC1R); Chemistry Tercentenary Access Bursary; When to apply; RUK fees; International fees; Fee lookup; Funding; International funding; Entry requirements for applicants from China; International Foundation Programme; Second-year entry; Transfer. Information is for September 2027 entry. Check Edinburgh for the latest details.