How to Apply to Biology at the University of Edinburgh: A Common First Year in Biological Sciences, 12 Subject Areas From Year 3 and a Five-Year MBiol With a Placement Year, for UK, International (Including Chinese) and Transfer Students

Biology at the University of Edinburgh is taught by the School of Biological Sciences, part of the College of Science and Engineering, at the King’s Buildings campus. 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. Chemistry has its own guide; medicine (MBChB), nursing, pharmacy, veterinary medicine and biomedical engineering are outside this article, so check the website. Medicinal and Biological Chemistry belongs to the School of Chemistry, and Biomedical Sciences, Pharmacology and Reproductive Biology have separate pages linked from the biological sciences page; they are not covered here.

1. Biology degrees

• Biological Sciences BSc (Hons): UCAS code C100, 3 or 4 years (4 normally, 3 with direct entry to Year 2), full-time, with the option to study abroad in Year 3; the page says no placement.
• Biological Sciences Master of Biology (MBiol): C900, 4 or 5 years (5 normally, 4 with direct entry to Year 2), including a final-year research or industry placement year.
• 12 subject areas: Edinburgh lists biochemistry, biotechnology, cell biology, development, regeneration and stem cells, ecology, evolutionary biology, genetics, immunology, molecular biology, molecular genetics, plant science and zoology. Each has its own BSc page and UCAS code (the Biological Sciences (Biochemistry) page read has code C700); check the website for the other codes. A Biological Sciences with Management page also exists; see the website.
• Accreditation: the Biological Sciences pages used for this guide (C100, C900, C700) do not list professional accreditation such as the Royal Society of Biology; it is not given on the pages used for this guide, so check the website.

2. How admission works: a common first year, then choose an area from Year 3

• Edinburgh says that whichever area you apply for, you can explore aspects of each programme in the early years and choose which to specialise in; the details of each area are on its own page.
• Year 1: all biological sciences students take the same core courses, with weekly practicals and group workshops covering ethics, writing and reflection, plus fieldwork at sites such as the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. Option courses in biological chemistry are recommended, and options can come from anywhere in the University. The sample timetable includes Biological Chemistry 1A, Biology 1A: Variation and Biology 1B: Life.
• Year 2: still common core courses, covering topics such as DNA replication and repair, natural selection and the origin of species, cellular metabolic processes, regulation of biological systems, programming for data analysis and data science for biological data; options include animal body plans and physiological systems, modern plant biology, and microbial form and function.
• End of Year 2: you can complete two more years for the BSc or transfer to the MBiol for three more. Edinburgh says you need an average of 60% across Years 1 and 2 to progress to the MBiol.
• Year 3: you specialise in one of the 12 areas; Edinburgh says you can choose a combination of courses that allows you to swap honours programmes at the end of Year 3.
• Year 4: a deeper study of your area and an individual research project in an academic research laboratory, with seminars and debates on scientific papers.
• Edinburgh notes that courses vary from year to year, so check the course information for your year of entry.

3. MBiol, study abroad and fieldwork

• MBiol: you do not select a specialisation but are encouraged to align with an area. Edinburgh says the progression requirement is higher than for the BSc: an average of 60% or higher in Years 1 and 2 to remain for Year 3, and 60% or higher in Year 3 for Year 4; otherwise you move to a BSc programme. Year 5 is a year-long research project or industry placement; the School supports you, but you must identify and research suitable opportunities yourself, and the placement may be abroad.
• Study abroad: BSc students can study at a partner university through the University’s exchange programme in Year 3. Edinburgh says it is not possible to study abroad in Year 3 of the MBiol, so that you are prepared for the placement year.
• Fieldwork: early compulsory courses include day or half-day trips to places such as the Royal Botanic Garden, local woodland, the beach or Edinburgh Zoo; some later programmes have week-long field trips. From 2026/27, residential field trips cost £300 per trip including transport and accommodation; Ecology and Zoology students have two compulsory residential trips in the same calendar year, while Evolutionary Biology and Plant Science students have one compulsory trip plus an optional course with another. Support towards field trip costs is available for widening participation students.
• Books: up to £150 each year for books or compulsory study material; many compulsory books are in the library.
• Costs of a year abroad (tuition fees, accommodation and living costs, visas and insurance) are your own; tuition may be reduced while away, see Edinburgh’s study away fees page.

4. Prerequisites: school biology and chemistry

These come from the Biological Sciences C100 entry requirements page; the MBiol (C900) and Biochemistry (C700) entry requirements pages show the same requirements.

• SQA Highers: most applicants who received offers in recent years had AABB (achievement by the end of S5 preferred), with BBB achieved in one year of S4 to S6. Required: Biology or Human Biology at B and Chemistry at B, with an A in at least one of Biology (or Human Biology), Chemistry, Mathematics (or Applications of Mathematics) or Physics; Advanced Higher Biology and Chemistry are recommended; National 5 English at C and Mathematics or Physics at B (Higher Applications of Mathematics at C is accepted in place of National 5 Mathematics at B).
• A-levels (England, Wales, Northern Ireland): recent offers ranged from AAA to ABB in one set of exams; required Biology at B and Chemistry at B, with an A in one of Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics or Physics; GCSE Mathematics or Physics at B or 6, and English at C or 4.
• IB: recent offers ranged from 37 points with 666 at HL to 32 points with 655 at HL; HL Biology 5 and Chemistry 5; SL Mathematics (Analysis and approaches or Applications and interpretation) or Physics at 6, and English at 5.
• Direct entry to Year 2: Advanced Highers AAA in one set of exams in Biology, Chemistry and either Mathematics or Physics; A-levels A*AA in one set of exams in Biology, Chemistry and either Mathematics or Physics; IB 38 points with 766 at HL including Biology, Chemistry and either Mathematics (either type) or Physics at 6. Places must be available and Year 1 requirements must also be met.
• Widening access: Edinburgh lists lower minimum requirements for eligible permanent UK residents; 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.

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.
• 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 biological sciences 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

• Decide between C100, C900 or a subject-area code (such as C700) and check the 2027 UCAS code.
• Check biology, chemistry and mathematics or physics 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, Biological Sciences BSc (C100); C100 entry requirements; Biological Sciences MBiol (C900); C900 entry requirements; Biochemistry area (C700); C700 entry requirements; When to apply; RUK fees; International fees; 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.